A. The best idea I can think
of is to read the Christmas Scripture. We have done this with our family, including
the children in the reading. We assigned roles to a Narrator, Angels, the
Prophet, Shepherds, the Magi, Priests and Teachers and Herod. Children enjoy this;
learn from this and like being involved. Our NIV script is below. The Narrator reads the black print.
The
Birth of Christ as told in the Bible
Matthew
1:18-24
This is how the birth of
Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph,
but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy
Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to
expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after
he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and
said,
ANGEL: "Joseph son of
David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is
conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you
are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from
their sins."
All this took place to fulfill what the
Lord had said through the prophet:
PROPHET: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of
the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union
with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Luke
2: 1-10 In
those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the
entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius
was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So
Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem
the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went
there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was
expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be
born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and
placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were shepherds
living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An
angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around
them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them,
ANGEL:"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that
will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born
to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby
wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel,
praising God and saying,
ANGELS: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to
men on whom his favor rests."
When the angels had
left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another,
SHEPHERDS: "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has
happened, which the Lord has told us about."
So they hurried off
and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they
had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about
this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to
them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had
heard and seen which were just as they had been told.
Matthew
2:1-12 12 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the
time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked,
When King Herod heard
this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together
all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the
Christ was to be born.
PRIESTS & TEACHERS: "In Bethlehem in
Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:
" 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among
the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd
of my people Israel.'”
Then Herod called the
Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He
sent them to Bethlehem and said,
HEROD: "Go and make a careful search for the child.
As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship
him."
After they had heard the
king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead
of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the
star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his
mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their
treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And
having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their
country by another route.
