Reading 1-Luke 2:1-7
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Script 1
(The child is boxing the air on stage as the mother walks in.)
Dad: What are you doing?
Son: I’m preparing for the Christmas punch.
Dad: The Christmas punch?
Son: Yeah, Pastor said that we could have Christmas punch this year.
Dad: Wait, what? I don’t think that means what you think it does.
Son: It means we’re going to have a boxing match on Christmas. Right here at church.
Dad: No, no, no. Pastor said we could have punch this year for Christmas brunch.
Son: Yeah, I know. We’re having a boxing match at the brunch. I’m so pumped! I’ve been
training all week. Do you think this will be set up like a bracket with weight and age classes? Or do you think this is just going to be a free-for-all, knock-down, winner-takes-all-fight? I personally hope it’s a free-for-all, because man, do I have a few people that I want to go after!
Dad: No. What it means is that we are having a special drink at the Christmas brunch.
Son: A special drink? What!?
Dad: Yes, punch is a drink. Fruit punch.
Son: I thought fruit punch was just a saying. Like, “There is so much fruit in this drink, it’s a like a
punch.”
Dad: What? Where did you ever come up with that?
Son: Well, you know they say things are like a punch in the gut. So I thought that was what fruit
punch was. A punch by fruit.
Dad: Oh my word. I can’t, I just can’t.
Son: So you’re saying there isn’t a fight at the Christmas brunch?
Dad: No. I mean, I certainly hope there isn’t! But of course, you never know. I mean, if the
Hendersons get upset again, you just never know what will happen.
Son: Man, I’ve been so excited and I’ve been telling all my friends at school that we have the
coolest church ever. We get to fight! Several of them were going to come watch me!
Dad: You’ve been telling people about this?! And nobody told you what Christmas punch is?
Wait, even more importantly, you’ve been telling your friends that we’re having a fight at church? Oh my Lord, oh my Lord. I’m going to get calls. Parents are going to be calling me. The Pastor is going to be calling me. The janitor is going to be so mad. We can’t have red drinks on the carpet, can you imagine if we got blood on the carpet?! Wait, what am I saying?! There isn’t going to be blood. It’s not a fight, it’s just a drink. Breathe, just breathe. It’s not a fight, it’s just a drink. It’s not a fight, it’s just a drink…
Hymn ELW 296 “What Child Is This”
Reading 2-Luke 2:8-14
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!’
Script 2
Son: So this isn’t like Canada’s Boxing Day?
Dad: No, it’s just a special drink.
Son: How is it special? Like does it give you special powers or something? Because that would
be cool.
Dad: Um, no. Let’s not start that rumor. It’s special because we don’t have it often or ever.
Son: Well, that’s boring.
Dad: Yes, but no one gets hurt.
Son: Like I said, boring. Every year it’s the same old thing. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, angels,
shepherds, blah, blah, blah. What’s the point? Why can’t it be interesting?
Dad: It’s sacred, special.
Son: Booooring!
Dad: Holy.
Son: Boring.
Dad: Which part?
Son: All of it! I love Christmas, but the presents and the tree. Lights and Santa. Maybe an elf-
on-a-shelf or whatever. But the Christmas story? Boring! The story is always the same, why can’t they change it up? Add some special effects or something.
Dad: It is the same thing because you can’t change history. But that doesn’t mean it’s boring.
Who else had an angel come to tell the mom that they would have a child? For most moms it’s just a surprise. And there certainly weren’t angels at your birth telling random farmers that you were born. Or a new star to lead people to meet you? Or what about prophecies telling of your birth before your parents were even born. It doesn’t just happen. It’s special!
Son: Maybe, but it’s still kind of boring.
Dad: Is it boring or have you gotten too jaded to appreciate it?
Son: What does that mean? I don’t like Jade, she’s a girl.
Dad: It means that you’re tired of something because you have too much of it.
Son: That sounds about right, I’m jaded about Christmas.
Dad: You’re tired of Christmas?
Son: Of the story.
Dad: So what? You just want the presents, lights, trees, etc.?
Son: Now you’re getting it. See how awesome it would be to add a fight? Picture it, we’re
singing some boring Christmas song and wham! a punch is thrown.
Dad: I think I’ve been to a few of those Christmases.
Son: What?
Dad: Have you met your aunts and uncles? But back to the point. The lights, presents and trees
are just a distraction.
Son: From what?
Dad: Presents, lights and trees aren’t the point of Christmas, Jesus is. We celebrate the birth of
Jesus. Like a birthday party.
Son: I know, I know.
Hymn ELW 272 “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming”
Reading-Luke 2:15-20
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Script 3
Dad: Let’s think about this differently. Mary wasn’t anything special, she was just a young girl,
with a willing heart. Joseph wasn’t a superhero, he was just a carpenter. He did hard manual labor for a living. God chose those two, to be the parents of his Son. He could have his parents be kings, but he chose everyday, normal people.
Son: Ok, so then what?
Dad: What about announcing his birth? He could have sent angels to the really popular people.
But no, He sent angels to the shepherds. The lowliest, stinkiest people you could
imagine!
Son: What do you mean by that? How do you know they were stinky?
Dad: Shepherds would be off in the back country for days and weeks by themselves. They
needed to find food and a safe place for their sheep. They wouldn’t have had nice beds to sleep in or a nice hot shower to wash up. They were the lonely, forgotten people. God showed how much he cared by sending a special announcement, just for them.
Son: That’s kind of gross and cool at the same time.
Dad: Or what about the fact that God created a new star, just to commemorate the birth of his
Son? God knew that there were scholarly people who studied everything about them trying to learn more. So He made it known to them in a way that they would understand and get excited about. In fact, they got so excited they were willing to travel years to find this new king.
Son: Ok, ok, that’s not so boring.
Dad: I know, right?! How cool is it that God showed us that He uses ordinary people to do crazy,
big things? And how showed us that his son was there for everyone from the rich and wise to the stinky, outcasts?
Son: I guess I had never thought of it that way. I can’t believe you can get all that from the
Christmas story.
Dad: See, it’s not so boring. Sometimes we just need to look at it from a different perspective to
appreciate it again.
Son: Alright, alright. Maybe it’s not so boring. But hear me out. What if instead of a full fight,
we each got to punch one person, with no punishment?
Dad: No!
(Start walking off stage talking while saying the last several lines)
Son: Just one punch? We could still call it Christmas punch. It would be like a new Christmas
tradition.
Dad: No!
Son: How about it’s part of my Christmas present?
Dad: Still no.
