The Message, July 21, 2024: "The Best ... or Worst ... Christmas Pageant Ever."

Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
July 23, 2024

 

Introduction to the Pageant

            When Freddie and I recorded the Weekly Update this week, I began by singing the opening line for the chorus of the song “We Need a Little Christmas.” If you are a fan of Broadway musicals, you likely know that song is from the musical, “Mame.” The song was first performed by none other than Angela Lansbury in the premier production in 1966.

            In the musical, the song is performed after Mame has lost her entire fortune in the Wall Street Crash of 1929. She decides that her nephew and her household staff need some cheering up. They need a little Christmas!

            I think that after the events of the last few weeks … or the last few years … we may be feeling a little down, depressed, or melancholy. We may be troubled by the ugliness and divisiveness of the political rhetoric. We are certainly concerned about the rise in political violence. Of course, we are also troubled by the one hundred areas of warfare and conflict around the globe, especially those in Gaza and Ukraine. We are troubled by the increase in severe and destructive weather as wildfires burn out of control in California, Florida is flooded, and parts of Texas are still without power in sweltering heat. We are deeply troubled by the struggles that so many of our neighbors are experiencing with homelessness, as well as the manner in which some communities are choosing to “deal with” the “problem.”

            We may feel as though the problems of the world are too overwhelming to even contemplate. What can one person do to make a difference? What can one church do to change the world?

            A friend and colleague of mine, now retired, used to serve a church in Massachusetts that called themselves the “Christmas Church.” One year they decorated the church for Christmas and never took the decorations down. They wanted to remind themselves of the powerful message of the manger.

            We call ourselves, “The church with love and hope to share.” We are and we do. We too know the powerful message of the child born under a brilliant star in a tiny town two thousand years ago. We know that he came as Love Incarnate … Love in the Flesh … so that he could show us how God intends for us to live and move in the world.

            And sometimes, it is helpful to remind ourselves of that message.

            So … “Haul out the holly. Put up the tree before my spirit falls again. Fill up the stocking. I may be rushing things, but deck the halls again now …
For we need a little Christmas, right this very minute
Candles in the window, carols at the spinet
Yes, we need a little Christmas, right this very minute!”

Is everyone ready? Here we go!

Christmas in July - “The Best … or Worst … Pageant Ever!”

SCENE 1

The story we are about to tell took place many hundreds of years ago, but it has been told and retold more than any other story in the world. Many refer to it as “the Greatest Story Ever Told.” This is the story of Christmas.

In a small town called Nazareth, in the region of Galilee, a young girl sat alone in her room. Her name was Mary.

Mary was a very religious girl, and God was pleased with her.  So, God sent the Angel Gabriel to give Mary a very important message.

Gabriel told Mary, “Do not be afraid, Mary, I have come to tell you good news.”

Gabriel told Mary she had been chosen to be the mother of a very special child and was to name him Jesus. Now Mary was engaged to be married to a carpenter called Joseph and soon they were married.

At that time the ruler of the land, Caesar Augustus, issued an order to all the citizens of the Empire.

Caesar Augustus said, “All people have to go to the town of their ancestry to be counted for the census, and they must take their families with them.”

Joseph’s hometown was Bethlehem, because he was a descendent of King David. So, Mary and Joseph set off with their donkey. By this time Mary was due to give birth very soon.

SCENE 2

The journey to Bethlehem was long and tiring, especially for Mary. When they got to Bethlehem they could not find anywhere to stay, because so many people had to be counted that all the inns were full.

Finally, they came to the last inn in the town. Joseph knocked on the door. The Innkeeper answered the door.

When Joseph asked if there was an available room, the Innkeeper told him,

“Well, since your baby’s coming, you need a safe place to dwell.
It’s down at the end of Herod Street, behind my hotel.”

The innkeeper said the only space available was the barn out back. Joseph decided that was better than sleeping on the street. So, the innkeeper led them to a small stable at the back of the inn, gave them some blankets and went back to his inn.

As they entered the stable, they found it filled with a variety of animals. 

SCENE 3

Later that night, Mary gave birth to a baby son, and she called him Jesus.

In the meantime, several angels were hanging around and God decided to give them a job.

God told the angels to go and tell some shepherds about the new baby.

The shepherds were looking after their sheep in the fields just outside town.

Then the angels said:

SING:                                   “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”                                             #137


The confused and frightened shepherds looked at each other, trying to figure out what they should do.

The first shepherd says, “Okay, let us go find the new baby.”

The second shepherd seems torn about what they should do. The second shepherd finally says, “Hey, what are we gonna do with all the sheep?”

The third shepherd was quickly packing up his items and said, “We had better take them with us.”

So, the shepherds set off to Bethlehem, with their sheep. As it turns out, it was a very short trip. (They just go across the chancel.)

As they were traveling, they kept looking up in the sky.  It did not take them long to see a bright star shining in the sky over Bethlehem.

As they kept following the star, which was showing them the way, they soon found the baby in the stable.

SCENE 4

A long way away, in the east, Magi were traveling along with their camels, and they looked up and saw a brilliantly shining star in the sky. Being astronomers, they were very intrigued by the shining star and wondered what it was. 

The first Magi said, “Hey, look. It's a star. I think it wants us to follow it.”

(Star holds up, "FOLLOW ME")

The second Magi said, “Well, we haven't got anything better to do. Come on, let's go.”

(Star holds up, "GOOD IDEA”)

So, the magi followed the star all the way to Bethlehem, where they found the baby Jesus and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. One of the magi even thought to bring a package of diapers!

Then they returned home and told everyone they met about the baby who would be king of all Israel.
BUT WAIT ... that is not the end of the story – it is only the beginning.  Pageants end, but the stories continue.  And that is our story for today, but it is not the end. It is really how our story begins.  The rest is up to each of us - how we live our lives, how we tell the story, how we are the story.  Because the story really has no end, just as our family has no end.  The more we tell our story, the more God’s gift gets given. 

PAGEANT POSTSCRIPT

            We know that for a vast majority of the population, Jesus takes a backseat to Santa and decorated trees in their Christmas celebrations. He might occupy a spot on their mantel when they set up their Nativity set. He might get passed around as a meme on social media as the ‘reason for the season.’ Most towns have “Santa Parades” not Jesus Parades. And then, whatever airtime Jesus may get during the month of December comes to an end when he gets wrapped up in newspaper and placed back in the attic on December 26.

            But we know that Jesus did not come to earth so that he could hide in our attics for eleven months of the year. Jesus did not say to the disciples, “Hang out here in Jerusalem for a while, then run out into the world right after Thanksgiving and gather as many people as you can before they put the decorations away.”

            Jesus came so that the focus of our lives would be God and the kin-dom of God. Jesus came so that we would live in the Way of God’s loving kindness every day. Jesus came so that the world would know that God’s love is for all people. Jesus came to call us to join him in the work for peace, and community, and righteousness.

            Christians often refer to themselves as “Easter People,” and we do celebrate the promise of new life in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But may we also live every day as “Christmas People.” May we proclaim Christ’s birth and join him in his earthly ministry. May we not only visit him in the manger, but also take him with us wherever we go.

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