“Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
Mark 10:14-15
Dear friends,
I love Christmas pageants. I collect them, actually. The stories are poignant and tender, funny and chaotic. They bring the Christmas story to life in so many ways…taking an ancient and mysterious tale from 2000 years ago and making it present and real…breaking right into the here and now, the unpredictable, unexpected and unrehearsed moments of our own lives.
In Christmas pageants you never know what’s going to happen. There’s the pageant in Bronxville, NY, when the wise men decided to get really fancy and use real incense. They were very enthusiastic…so enthusiastic that the smoke detectors in the sanctuary went off and they were joined at the manger by the Bronxville fire department.
There’s the story of the Innkeeper, seven-year-old Wally, who felt so badly for Joseph and Mary, he decided at the last minute not to turn them away but invited them in and gave them room at the Inn. A new twist in the story, but a very nice gesture!
Christmas pageants are so full of potential. Their purpose is to tell again the familiar story. Yet telling most often unfolds with a more contemporary twist. A five-year-old shepherd, nervous about his big line, “and we found the child wrapped in swaddling clothes,” instead blurts out, “The baby was wrapped in wrinkled clothes.” A proud young man steps forward wearing a bathrobe and a paper crown, kneels at the manger announces, “We are the three wise men, and we are bringing gifts of gold, common sense and fur.” (Amen to that!)
During Advent, we’ll prepare for this year’s rendition of the Christmas Pageant. Each Sunday will have a special focus ~ Anticipating in Advent, Angels, Shepherds, Magi and Star. Along the way, photos of all the preparations will be pulled together to be shared on Christmas Eve at the 5:00 p.m. service when we create a spontaneous pageant in which all can participate in telling the Christmas story once more. We hope you’ll join us for all the many ways we bring the Christmas story alive in the weeks ahead. Come to be part of our pageant and come to be part of its preparation because helping the children to tell this story from the past, with all that they bring to it from their present, becomes a vision of the future for all of us.
As we bring to life the participants of this ancient sacred story, we are making it real for our time and for our children, who are our future. And that’s what really makes Christmas pageants so wonderful.
Blessings for Advent,
Karen Nell