The air in the Sunday School room was charged with the sounds of children talking, giggling, and rehearsing their lines. Occasionally, a child would peek out the door to see who was in the audience. Moms tied the robes that had been borrowed from Dads’ closets on feisty shepherds while another Mom worked at straightening the wings and halos of would-be angels. The Wise Men looked for the gifts they had misplaced while Mary clutched a favorite baby doll wrapped in a handmade afghan. Joseph stayed as far away from Mary as he could until it was absolutely imperative that he stand beside her at the manger scene.
Then the lights dimmed in the small sanctuary and the children were ushered in when it was time for them to appear. A few lines were misquoted and sometimes an actor needed a prompt from the director but when the full cast was assembled in the Nativity tableau, it was a precious sight for all the people gathered there. Grandparents beamed from the audience and parents were proud (and relieved) that their children had been part of this special event.
What a magical night -- the Christmas play when I was growing up! Many of you know what I am talking about because you grew up being a part of this annual tradition at your church. Sometimes it was a contemporary piece that reminded us of the true meaning of Christmas and we would be dressed in regular clothes. These plays usually required more script memorization than the Nativity scene which was often narrated by a teen or an adult. How we worked at remembering our lines!
If music wasn’t part of the play, there was always carol singing afterward and we grew to know “Joy to the World”, “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, “We Three Kings” and all the other songs by heart.
At the conclusion of the program, Santa made an appearance and everyone got a treat bag filled with candy, peppermint sticks, nuts, and an orange. Happy and contented, we packed into our cars and headed home -- another Christmas Play behind us.
Church Christmas plays with children are still magical to me, but, as an adult, I see them in a new light. I’ve been the mom behind the scenes, the one making a costume, or helping organize. A fond memory of this experience was when Andrew was three years old and the parents of preschoolers at Sylva FBC had to dress their child as a stable animal for a Nativity play. We finally decided that Andrew would be a dalmation. Now, I don’t think a dalmation was present for the first Christmas but Andrew did a good job watching over Baby Jesus. As a parent and now Children’s Ministry Director, I am always excited to see children perform and speak and sing in public. I also realize how much work goes into something like a Christmas play.
That’s why I am grateful for Marina and Tom Graham who are leading our 1st Explorers and children from church in the Christmas production “Let Heaven and Nature Sing”. It will be held on Wednesday, December 20, at 6:00 p.m., in the Mission and Fellowship Center. Marina has been working for 3 months to prepare an outstanding hour of skits, Scripture reading, and music with the children. Tom is lending his musical talent to add traditional songs of Christmas to the program. You’ll laugh at the comedic adventures of the angels, you’ll be comforted by the familiar Scriptures, and you’ll want to sing along with the enthusiastic voices of the children. Come and relive the magic of children telling the “old, old story of Jesus and His love”. You will be glad you added this to your holiday season!
Thank you, Marina and Tom!