A Simple Pageantry

Compiled by Glenn A. Hascall

Summary

A very basic traditional Christmas pageant for children complete with dialogue and songs - Dialogue is derived from Scripture.

Characters

Narrator
Augustus
Two Court Officials
Mary
Joseph
Shepherds
Angels,
Children's choir and other cast as required.

Script

Emperor Augustus and two court officials stand center stage while Augustus rolls up a parchment and passes it to one of the court officials who bows as both court officials leave stage quickly - Augustus walks off stage in the opposite direction during the following narration).

NARRATOR: Emperor Augustus once gave orders for the names of all the people to be listed in record books. These first records were made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to go to their own hometown to be listed.
O Little Town of Bethlehem

O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see the lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by;
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee to-night.
For Christ is born of Mary,
And gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars, together
Proclaim the holy birth!
And praises sing to God the King,
And peace to men on earth.
How silently, how silently,
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of his heaven.
No ear may hear his coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him, still
The dear Christ enters in.
Where children pure and happy
Pray to the blessed Child,
Where misery cries out to thee,
Son of the mother mild;
Where charity stands watching
And faith holds wide the door,
The dark night wakes, the glory breaks,
And Christmas comes once more.
O holy Child of Bethlehem!
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in,
Be born in us to-day.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!

(Joseph walks on stage with Mary. He is holding her arm as she walks - walks behind a prop of a stable - have a covered window in the stable that can be backlit so that the audience can see Mary holding the baby (Doll) in silhouette)
NARRATOR: So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea. Long ago Bethlehem had been King David's hometown, and Joseph went there because he was from David's family. Mary was engaged to Joseph and
traveled with him to Bethlehem. She was soon going to have a baby, and while they were there, she gave birth to her first-born son. She dressed him in baby clothes and laid him on a bed of hay, because there was no room for them in the inn.
What Child Is This?

What child is this, who, laid to rest,
On Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring him laud,
The babe, the son of Mary.
Why lies he in such mean estate
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian, fear: for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh,
Come, peasant, king, to own him.
the King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone him.

(Shepherds walk on stage surrounded by sheep - props)
NARRATOR: That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep.
(Angel walk on stage and stand in front of the shepherd)
(NARRATOR) All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord's glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. (Shepherd should demonstrate fear) But the angel said,
ANGEL: "Don't be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David's hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. You will know who he is, because you will find him
dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay."
(More angels walk on stage)
NARRATOR: Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said:
ANGELS: (In unison) "Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God."
Sing . Angels and Shepherds

Hark all ye shepherds, come join in our song.
Hark all ye shepherds, for Jesus is born.
Lo he is lying, born in a manger,
Jesus, anointed to be our Savior. Alleluia!
Hark all ye shepherds, arise from your sheep.
Hark all ye shepherds, the Christ child asleep.
Mary, the mother, quietly singing,
>From God to man salvation is bringing. Alleluia!
Angels adore him, men bow before him, heaven and earth proclaim!
Prophets of old his coming foretold and men ever praise his name.
Come and adore him, Jesus our Savior,
He dwells among us, now and forever. Alleluia!

(Angels leave stage)
NARRATOR: After the angels had left and gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other,
SHEPHERD: "Let's go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about."
(Shepherds walk across stage to stand near the stable which opens up to reveals the manger and Mary & Joseph - Light should shine down on the stable)
There's a song in the air

There's a song in the air! There's a star in the sky!
There's a mother's deep prayer and a baby's low cry!
And the star rains its fire while the beautiful sing,
For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a King!
There's a tumult of joy over the wonderful birth,
For the virgin's sweet boy is the Lord of the earth.
Ay! the star rains its fire while the beautiful sing,
For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a King!
In the light of that star lie the ages impearled;
And that song from afar has swept over the world.
Every hearth is aflame, and the beautiful sing
In the homes of the nations that Jesus is King!
We rejoice in the light, and we echo the song
That comes down through the night from the heavenly throng.
Ay! we shout to the lovely evangel they bring,
And we greet in His cradle our Savior and King!

NARRATOR: They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and they saw the baby lying on a bed of hay. When the shepherds saw Jesus, they told his parents what the angel had said about him. Everyone listened and was surprised. But
Mary kept thinking about all this and wondering what it meant. (Mary looks content. Shepherds should be excited as they exit the stage) As the shepherds returned to their sheep, they were praising God and saying wonderful things about him. Everything they had seen and heard was just as the angel had said.
O Come, All Ye Faithful

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
Come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him, born the King of angels;
Refrain
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
True God of true God, Light from Light Eternal,
Lo, he shuns not the Virgin's womb;
Son of the Father, begotten, not created;
Refrain
Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation;
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest;
Refrain
See how the shepherds, summoned to His cradle,
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze;
We too will thither bend our joyful footsteps;
Refrain
Child, for us sinners poor and in the manger,
We would embrace Thee, with love and awe;
Who would not love Thee, loving us so dearly?
Refrain
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be glory given;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.
Refrain

NARRATOR: And all these centuries later we retell this wonderful story of when God came to us as a baby. We tell the stories of angels and shepherd, wisemen and stables, mangers and Mary. And this simple retelling will ring as true in your hearts as it did the first time - for the message does not change - but the message continues to change hearts. We wish each and everyone of you the peace of Christmas lived as God had planned - one that is full of discovery and yet has no fear. One that sees a baby born in a humble stable as the King of Kings. Please join the children as we conclude...
(All cast come back on stage and sings with the children's choir)
Joy to the World

Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the earth! the Savior reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
while fields and floods,
rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessing flow
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of His righteousness,
and wonders of His love,
and wonders of His love,
and wonders, wonders of His love.

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(Except the last line by the Narrator - the dialogue comes from the Contemporary English Version of the Bible. This version was used because it was the one that was most easily understood and should provide the right atmosphere for a performance by children - songs may be copyright and are only suggestions - feel free to substitute).
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Should you use this script would you be so kind as to let us know? glenn.hascall<a>gmail.com