So I was thinking about writing a nativity play.
It would go something like this.
I would go up on stage at the beginning, to take credit for everything.
Then I’d have the entire cast and crew come up on stage, to take credit for what’s left.
You’d see the sheep, the donkey, the shepherds, the angels, the 3 magi, the angels, St. Elizabeth, Zechariah, Angel Gabriel, the innkeeper, King Herod, the Abijah priests, the townsfolk, the relations and of course, you’d see Mary and Joseph. There would be also the narrator, the crew and any musicians.
Alright. So they’d bow and take their positions expectantly behind the curtains.
I’d have all the props there too. I’d have an altar built completely out of snow, some pillars and so on. I’d have a manger filled with straw, some candles, a rug for King Herod.
The props would be off stage as well. The crew would be waiting.
The lights would go dim. House lights too.
The narrator would come out, and she’d say,
In the beginning was the Word
And the Word was with God
and the Word was God
He was in the beginning with God
all things were made through him
and without Him was not anything made that was made
In him was life and the life was the light of men
The light shines in the darkness
and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:1-4
Then I’d do some scenes from Chapter One of the Book of Luke, covering verses 5-24.
That would bring me to verses 25 to 35 of that same Chapter, where it says,
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And he came to her and said, “Hail full of grace, the Lord is with you! … Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.
So far, so good. I can picture it in my mind.
But instead of doing everything the traditional way, I’d ‘mix it up a little’ here. I’d add a more modern ending, something with a more edgy and up-to-date feel. (It will be easier for the audience to relate.)
After the Angel Gabriel says all that, the Virgin Mary would stand up and say,
“Non serviam. I will not.”
The angel would bow, and he would vanish.
Then Mary would vanish.
And then the other actors would too.
And then the stage would vanish.
And then the building.
And all the people in it.
And the street.
And the earth under the street.
And we’d be at the beginning.
And the Word wouldn’t be made flesh.
(He didn’t hear “Yes.”)