Ewe's Clues: A Christmas Story
Drama
Nativity Dramas
Four Nontraditional Christmas Plays for All Ages
Object:
Characters (in order of appearance)
Narrator (offstage)
Stephen Ewe (a sheep)
Sheep (indeterminate number)
Hay Bale 1
Hay Bale 2
Donkey
Magi 3
Magi 2
Magi 1
Old Shepherd
Costumes
Use appropriate costumes for the characters. Try cardboard boxes sprayed with glue and sprinkled with hay for the hay bales -- cut out arms and head spaces. The sheep may be very elaborate with full sheep costumes or as simple as a mask made with cotton balls on a paper plate.
Props
Rock
Four "hoofprints" with sticky backs
Scroll
Quill
Spotlight
(The scene opens with Stephen, a shepherd, sitting on a rock at center stage. He seems lost in thought, and as the scene opens he pulls his robe tighter about himself, as though cold. There are a couple of sheep grazing nearby.)
Narrator: I was young once, you know. Hard to believe, isn't it? But I was -- I was young once. And I was a shepherd. The most boring job I ever had, it was. I mean, being outdoors and all is nice, but it loses its charm the first night it drops below freezing. And the sheep -- they aren't the brightest animals God ever put on the earth --
(Sheep stop grazing long enough to look up, as though searching for the voice.)
Narrator: You get mighty bored and mighty lonely out there when the night is long and the wind is cold. You start to do things to entertain yourself, keep yourself sharp so the wolves don't steal the flock out from under you. Lucky for me there was one smart sheep in the flock I watched -- a sheep that liked to play games. Yep, she was a mighty special sheep, that one. I still think about her every now and then -- and I think about the night that changed everything --
(Ewe comes up beside Stephen and nuzzles him. Absentmindedly, the shepherd reaches down and scratches her head.)
Stephen: Hi, Ewe. Getting enough to eat?
(Ewe bleats and nods her head.)
Stephen: Good. I wish I could say the same.
(Ewe bleats sympathetically, rubs up against Stephen.)
Stephen: I wish Father hadn't had to go off to Jerusalem to register for the Roman tax. And I wish he hadn't taken Eli with him. (stands up, spreads his arms wide) Most of all, I wish something would happen around here. I can hardly stay awake.
(Ewe looks up at Stephen and bleats inquiringly.)
Stephen: (insistently) I mean it. I've never been so bored in all my life. Nothing to do here but watch sheep. (looks down) Nothing personal.
Ewe: (shrugs, bleats) I know something you don't know.
Stephen: What?
Ewe: (bleats) Uh-uh. (shakes head no)
Stephen: What do you mean, no?
Ewe: (holds up hoof, bleats) Wanna play?
Stephen: Play? You want to play?
Ewe: (bleats) Yeah.
Stephen: Oh, all right -- there isn't anything else to do. (stands up, starts to sing.)
We are gonna play Ewe's clues,
We are gonna play Ewe's clues,
We are gonna play Ewe's clues,
'Cause I'm really bored.
(Ewe eyes Stephen, bleats accusingly.)
Stephen: (sighs) Okay. (sings) We are gonna play Ewe's clues, 'Cause it's really fun.
(Ewe bleats with satisfaction and ambles away.)
Stephen: (sings)
Now to play Ewe's clues,
You've got to find the hoofprint
'Cause that's the first clue,
Then you write it on your scroll,
'Cause they're whose clues?
Sheep: (bleat) Ewe's clues.
Stephen: (looks around) Now -- did you see which way Ewe went?
Sheep: (bleat) That way!
Stephen: (looks off into distance) That way? (sighs) Okay. (sings as he walks)
We are looking for Ewe's clues,
We are looking for Ewe's clues,
We are looking for Ewe's clues,
Wonder where she's gone?
(Ewe comes upon a pair of Hay Bales and stamps one with a hoof, leaving an inked hoofprint. Ewe continues on with Stephen and the Sheep coming up a few moments behind her.)
Sheep: A clue, a clue!
Stephen: (looks around in confusion almost on top of the Hay Bales) Where? Where?
Sheep: Right there.
Stephen: Wha --? Where? Oh -- there. (leans over to inspect the marked Bale) You're right, it's a clue, right on this here hay bale. (touches the hoofprint) Hello there, Hay Bale.
Hay Bale 1: Hello there, Stephen!
Stephen: (does a double take) Well -- I didn't expect that.
Hay Bale 1: (flaps arms) Didn't expect what? That I would talk to you?
Stephen: Well -- yeah.
Hay Bale 1: Who wouldn't talk with everything that's going on tonight?
Stephen: What do you mean? What's going on?
Hay Bale 1: (disbelieving) You don't know? (looks at Hay Bale 2) Can you believe it? He doesn't know! He must be slow.
Stephen: Slow? What did I miss? And why am I taking grief from a bale of hay?
Hay Bale 2: Don't feel bad, kid, he gets that way when he gets excited. This is a really big night, and we've got a lot to do.
Stephen: Are either of you going to tell me what's going on?
Hay Bale 1: Sorry, we've got to get to Bethlehem. There's somebody very special there that we have to keep warm.
Stephen: Somebody -- what? Who?
Hay Bale 2: Sorry, kid, but we gotta bail. (flaps arms) Get it? We gotta bail.
Stephen: (confused) But --
(Hay Bales walk away quickly.)
Hay Bale 2: (to Hay Bale 1) I guess you were right, he really is slow --
(Stephen looks after Hay Bales as they waddle away.)
Stephen: Well, that certainly was strange. But it was our first clue, so we have to put it in our -- (pauses)
Sheep: (bleat) Scroll.
Stephen: Right, our scroll. (takes out scroll and quill, and speaks as he writes) So our first clue is a hay bale. Now what do you suppose a hay bale would be a clue to?
(Sheep bleat noncommittally.)
Stephen: I know -- I don't know, either. So I guess we have got to look for the second clue.
Congregation sings "Away In A Manger"
Stephen: (sings softly, as he walks around the stage) We are looking for Ewe's clues,
We are looking for Ewe's clues,
We are looking for Ewe's clues,
'Cause it's lots of fun.
(Ewe has trotted ahead of Stephen, and leaves a hoofprint on Donkey's flank. Stephen walks past Donkey.)
Sheep: (bleat) A clue!
Stephen: (looks at Donkey) Did you say something?
Donkey: (brays) You talkin' to me? (looks around warily) Are you talkin' to me? I don't see anyone else here, so you must be talkin' to me.
Stephen: Yes, did you say something?
Donkey: Heck no. I'm too tired to talk.
Stephen: Then who --
Sheep: (bleat) A clue, a clue!
Stephen: Oh, you're right -- (leans over to examine the hoofprint on Donkey's flank) -- it is a clue. Right here on this here donkey. (reaches out to touch hoofprint)
Donkey: Hey, hey -- watch where you're puttin' that hand, shepherd boy!
Stephen: (snatches hand back) Sorry, Donkey. I just noticed this hoofprint, here on your --
Donkey: Yeah, I wanna talk to you about that. Is that sheep yours? She's got no right to go around stamping her hoof on everything in sight.
Stephen: Sorry, Donkey, I'll talk to her about that. It's just a game, she didn't mean any harm.
Donkey: (wearily) Sorry, shepherd boy, I just got back from Bethlehem and I'm a little tired. I had to carry this pregnant woman from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and when we got there we found out they hadn't made a reservation! Can you imagine -- all that way, and when they got there, they had no place to stay? I schlepped that woman all over Bethlehem, trying to find a bed --
Stephen: I'm sorry to hear that, Donkey. What happened to them?
Donkey: Oh, they found a place, eventually, I guess. Some innkeeper found them an empty stall in his stable. It's a good thing, too, because I think she was going to have the baby tonight.
Stephen: A stable? Wow, that's not much of a place to have a baby, is it?
Donkey: Hey, hey, speak for yourself, shepherd boy. Where do you think I was born, Jerusalem General Hospital?
Stephen: Yes, but you're a -- (hesitates)
Donkey: Yeah?
Stephen: Oh, never mind. Go back to sleep, Donkey.
Donkey: (walks away shaking his head) A donkey can't get a decent night's sleep anywhere, these days.
Stephen: Hmmph. I guess Donkey is feeling a little grumpy tonight. But he's our second clue, so we've got to put him in our --
Sheep: (bleat) Scroll!
Stephen: (whips out scroll and quill) Right! Our handy dandy scroll. So now, we put a donkey --
Congregation sings "The Friendly Beasts"
(As the song is sung, all three Magi walk to center stage and stand looking up at the sky. Ewe sneaks up to Magi 3 and stamps a hoofprint on him, then sneaks away. Magi 3 looks around, but does nothing. The Magi look at the sky as Stephen walks around stage.)
Stephen: (sings)
I just want to find Ewe's clue,
I just want to find Ewe's clue,
I just want to find Ewe's clue,
'Cause I'm really cold.
(Stephen meets the Magi; they nod politely, he nods, and passes by without looking at the hoofprint on Magi 3.)
Sheep: (bleat) A clue, a clue!
Stephen: Why don't I ever see these things? (looks around) Where?
Sheep: (bleat) There! On that man!
Stephen: What man? Oh -- here. (approaches Magi 3) Uh -- excuse me, sir?
Magi 3: (looks at Stephen, then back up at the sky) What, young man?
Stephen: Uh -- excuse me, but I just noticed you have a hoofprint, right there.
Magi 3: What? (looks at hoofprint on robe) Oh, that. Yes, there was a sheep a few minutes ago. I didn't see where it went. We're too busy. (looks up at sky again)
Stephen: (looks up at sky) Oh. What are you looking for?
Magi 3: A star.
Stephen: A star? There must be a million of them up there. Just pick one.
Magi 2: Not just any star.
Magi 1: A very special star.
Stephen: (looks up again) What kind of star? You mean, like a famous singer -- (sings) Regrets, I've had a few, but then again --
Magi 3: (impatiently) Not that kind of star. A star in the sky.
Stephen: Oh. (pauses) I don't get it.
Magi 3: We're wise men, my friends and I. We know much about the world, and we know that tonight there is supposed to be a very special star in the sky.
Stephen: What makes it so special?
Magi 3: It's the sign that a great king has been born.
Stephen: A great king? (excitedly) That's exciting! That's wonderful! Where is this star?
Magi 3: (points to stage left where the spotlight shines) Right there.
Stephen: (peers intently) Wow!
Magi 3: (looks at Stephen) Do you see it?
Stephen: (shakes his head reluctantly) No.
Magi 2: Right there. The very bright star, with the tail.
Stephen: Ohh -- now I see it. But there must be some mistake.
Magi 1: Mistake? We don't make mistakes.
Stephen: But that star -- if it's supposed to mark the birthplace of a great king, it can't be that one. Jerusalem is that way (points in a different direction). That's where the king would be. That can't be the star.
Magi 1: Well, it is.
Stephen: But --
Magi 3: My young friend, this is a very special star, to mark the birth of a special kind of king.
Stephen: I don't understand.
Magi 3: You will. Now we must go to visit this king. We have gifts. (points to Magi 1) Gold (points to Magi 2), frankincense, and myrrh. (as Magi start to walk toward the star, Magi 3 stops and turns to Stephen) Off that way -- what town lies there?
Stephen: (shrugs) Bethlehem is the closest town, I guess. But it's not much of a town.
Magi 3: (over his shoulder as he walks toward Bethlehem) It's not the town we're going to see, young man. It's the King.
Stephen: This is a very strange night. But you know what this means? We've got the third clue! (takes out scroll and quill) We've got three wise men, a donkey, and a bale of hay. What do you suppose that means?
(Sheep bleat noncommittally.)
Stephen: If we just had one more clue --
(The stage is filled with light, and Stephen looks up, drops his scroll and quill. Sheep look up, and stare.)
Stephen: Angels!
Congregation sings "Joy To The World"
Stephen: Wow, I've never seen anything like that, have you?
(Sheep bleat wonderingly.)
Stephen: (sings)
We just got a message,
We just got a message,
We just got a message,
Wonder what it means.
Old Shepherd: (walks onstage, from the direction of the angels) Did you see the angels, Stephen? Did you see them?
Stephen: We sure did. We were just trying to figure out what they meant.
Old Shepherd: Don't you know? It's the fulfillment of the ancient prophecies.
Stephen: What ancient prophecies?
Old Shepherd: That God would send a Savior to deliver his people from sin and death.
Stephen: A Savior?
Old Shepherd: A Savior. He is descended from the family of King David, and his name will be Jesus. He's come to save us all.
Stephen: And this Jesus was born in Bethlehem?
Old Shepherd: Yes.
Stephen: And he was born in a stable. With bales of hay to keep him warm.
Old Shepherd: Exactly.
Stephen: Oh, now I get it.
(Ewe has come up to stand next to Stephen. When he finally realizes what has happened, Ewe slaps a hoof against her forehead and shakes her head.)
Stephen: (to Old Shepherd) So where are you going now?
Old Shepherd: You heard the angels. I'm going to Bethlehem, to see the King. Would you like to come along?
Stephen: Would I? This is great! This is fantastic! Ewe, thanks for telling me about this!
Ewe: (bleats) You're welcome.
Old Shepherd: (eyes Stephen suspiciously) You talkin' to that sheep, son?
Stephen: Uh ... what sheep?
(They start toward Bethlehem; Ewe trips Stephen as they walk by.)
Stephen: (sings as he walks)
We are going to see Jesus,
We are going to see Jesus,
We are going to see Jesus,
Going to see the King!
(As the shepherds walk to Bethlehem, Ewe leaves a hoofprint on the rock where Stephen had been sitting then joins the shepherds.)
Congregation sings "O Little Town Of Bethlehem"
Narrator: I'll never forget what we saw that night when we got to Bethlehem. It was just a baby, a simple little baby, asleep in a manger full of clean hay. He certainly didn't seem like anything special, but I knew he was. The wise men were still there, and there were shepherds coming in from all over the countryside to see this little king. And his parents -- his parents looked tired and a little bit scared, as though they didn't know what to make of it.
(Stephen walks back from Bethlehem and sits on his rock. Before he sits, though, he sees the hoofprint. As Narrator speaks, Stephen is sitting, thinking.)
Narrator: I thought about it a lot, that night, and the nights afterward, for a long time. You've got a lot of time to think when you're tending sheep. I wondered how this little child could possibly be a king and how he could possibly save the world from sin. What could he do that could possibly make a difference?
(Stephen leans over to look at the hoofprint again.)
Narrator: And I thought about the last clue Ewe left me: it had something to do with a rock. What could it mean? I thought about it for a long time, and then I eventually forgot about it for many years. Many, many years. Until I heard about this man Jesus, traveling throughout the countryside, preaching about God's love, and God's salvation. I remembered the baby, then, and I knew this had to be the same person. This truly was the king who was sent to save us -- but I still didn't know how he would save us. And then the authorities executed him, like a common criminal, and I thought it was all over.
And that's when I finally understood about the rock. Because after they killed him I went to see his tomb -- and the rock at the entrance was rolled away. The tomb was empty. This man Jesus had risen. Suddenly it all made sense. The prophecies were fulfilled. And that's why even now, as I start my own journey to tell people the good news of his resurrection, I still think back to that night so long ago, when it all began, when Jesus came to bring us life. You know, Jesus wasn't the only one born that night. I think I was, too.
Congregation sings "O Holy Night"
The End
Narrator (offstage)
Stephen Ewe (a sheep)
Sheep (indeterminate number)
Hay Bale 1
Hay Bale 2
Donkey
Magi 3
Magi 2
Magi 1
Old Shepherd
Costumes
Use appropriate costumes for the characters. Try cardboard boxes sprayed with glue and sprinkled with hay for the hay bales -- cut out arms and head spaces. The sheep may be very elaborate with full sheep costumes or as simple as a mask made with cotton balls on a paper plate.
Props
Rock
Four "hoofprints" with sticky backs
Scroll
Quill
Spotlight
(The scene opens with Stephen, a shepherd, sitting on a rock at center stage. He seems lost in thought, and as the scene opens he pulls his robe tighter about himself, as though cold. There are a couple of sheep grazing nearby.)
Narrator: I was young once, you know. Hard to believe, isn't it? But I was -- I was young once. And I was a shepherd. The most boring job I ever had, it was. I mean, being outdoors and all is nice, but it loses its charm the first night it drops below freezing. And the sheep -- they aren't the brightest animals God ever put on the earth --
(Sheep stop grazing long enough to look up, as though searching for the voice.)
Narrator: You get mighty bored and mighty lonely out there when the night is long and the wind is cold. You start to do things to entertain yourself, keep yourself sharp so the wolves don't steal the flock out from under you. Lucky for me there was one smart sheep in the flock I watched -- a sheep that liked to play games. Yep, she was a mighty special sheep, that one. I still think about her every now and then -- and I think about the night that changed everything --
(Ewe comes up beside Stephen and nuzzles him. Absentmindedly, the shepherd reaches down and scratches her head.)
Stephen: Hi, Ewe. Getting enough to eat?
(Ewe bleats and nods her head.)
Stephen: Good. I wish I could say the same.
(Ewe bleats sympathetically, rubs up against Stephen.)
Stephen: I wish Father hadn't had to go off to Jerusalem to register for the Roman tax. And I wish he hadn't taken Eli with him. (stands up, spreads his arms wide) Most of all, I wish something would happen around here. I can hardly stay awake.
(Ewe looks up at Stephen and bleats inquiringly.)
Stephen: (insistently) I mean it. I've never been so bored in all my life. Nothing to do here but watch sheep. (looks down) Nothing personal.
Ewe: (shrugs, bleats) I know something you don't know.
Stephen: What?
Ewe: (bleats) Uh-uh. (shakes head no)
Stephen: What do you mean, no?
Ewe: (holds up hoof, bleats) Wanna play?
Stephen: Play? You want to play?
Ewe: (bleats) Yeah.
Stephen: Oh, all right -- there isn't anything else to do. (stands up, starts to sing.)
We are gonna play Ewe's clues,
We are gonna play Ewe's clues,
We are gonna play Ewe's clues,
'Cause I'm really bored.
(Ewe eyes Stephen, bleats accusingly.)
Stephen: (sighs) Okay. (sings) We are gonna play Ewe's clues, 'Cause it's really fun.
(Ewe bleats with satisfaction and ambles away.)
Stephen: (sings)
Now to play Ewe's clues,
You've got to find the hoofprint
'Cause that's the first clue,
Then you write it on your scroll,
'Cause they're whose clues?
Sheep: (bleat) Ewe's clues.
Stephen: (looks around) Now -- did you see which way Ewe went?
Sheep: (bleat) That way!
Stephen: (looks off into distance) That way? (sighs) Okay. (sings as he walks)
We are looking for Ewe's clues,
We are looking for Ewe's clues,
We are looking for Ewe's clues,
Wonder where she's gone?
(Ewe comes upon a pair of Hay Bales and stamps one with a hoof, leaving an inked hoofprint. Ewe continues on with Stephen and the Sheep coming up a few moments behind her.)
Sheep: A clue, a clue!
Stephen: (looks around in confusion almost on top of the Hay Bales) Where? Where?
Sheep: Right there.
Stephen: Wha --? Where? Oh -- there. (leans over to inspect the marked Bale) You're right, it's a clue, right on this here hay bale. (touches the hoofprint) Hello there, Hay Bale.
Hay Bale 1: Hello there, Stephen!
Stephen: (does a double take) Well -- I didn't expect that.
Hay Bale 1: (flaps arms) Didn't expect what? That I would talk to you?
Stephen: Well -- yeah.
Hay Bale 1: Who wouldn't talk with everything that's going on tonight?
Stephen: What do you mean? What's going on?
Hay Bale 1: (disbelieving) You don't know? (looks at Hay Bale 2) Can you believe it? He doesn't know! He must be slow.
Stephen: Slow? What did I miss? And why am I taking grief from a bale of hay?
Hay Bale 2: Don't feel bad, kid, he gets that way when he gets excited. This is a really big night, and we've got a lot to do.
Stephen: Are either of you going to tell me what's going on?
Hay Bale 1: Sorry, we've got to get to Bethlehem. There's somebody very special there that we have to keep warm.
Stephen: Somebody -- what? Who?
Hay Bale 2: Sorry, kid, but we gotta bail. (flaps arms) Get it? We gotta bail.
Stephen: (confused) But --
(Hay Bales walk away quickly.)
Hay Bale 2: (to Hay Bale 1) I guess you were right, he really is slow --
(Stephen looks after Hay Bales as they waddle away.)
Stephen: Well, that certainly was strange. But it was our first clue, so we have to put it in our -- (pauses)
Sheep: (bleat) Scroll.
Stephen: Right, our scroll. (takes out scroll and quill, and speaks as he writes) So our first clue is a hay bale. Now what do you suppose a hay bale would be a clue to?
(Sheep bleat noncommittally.)
Stephen: I know -- I don't know, either. So I guess we have got to look for the second clue.
Congregation sings "Away In A Manger"
Stephen: (sings softly, as he walks around the stage) We are looking for Ewe's clues,
We are looking for Ewe's clues,
We are looking for Ewe's clues,
'Cause it's lots of fun.
(Ewe has trotted ahead of Stephen, and leaves a hoofprint on Donkey's flank. Stephen walks past Donkey.)
Sheep: (bleat) A clue!
Stephen: (looks at Donkey) Did you say something?
Donkey: (brays) You talkin' to me? (looks around warily) Are you talkin' to me? I don't see anyone else here, so you must be talkin' to me.
Stephen: Yes, did you say something?
Donkey: Heck no. I'm too tired to talk.
Stephen: Then who --
Sheep: (bleat) A clue, a clue!
Stephen: Oh, you're right -- (leans over to examine the hoofprint on Donkey's flank) -- it is a clue. Right here on this here donkey. (reaches out to touch hoofprint)
Donkey: Hey, hey -- watch where you're puttin' that hand, shepherd boy!
Stephen: (snatches hand back) Sorry, Donkey. I just noticed this hoofprint, here on your --
Donkey: Yeah, I wanna talk to you about that. Is that sheep yours? She's got no right to go around stamping her hoof on everything in sight.
Stephen: Sorry, Donkey, I'll talk to her about that. It's just a game, she didn't mean any harm.
Donkey: (wearily) Sorry, shepherd boy, I just got back from Bethlehem and I'm a little tired. I had to carry this pregnant woman from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and when we got there we found out they hadn't made a reservation! Can you imagine -- all that way, and when they got there, they had no place to stay? I schlepped that woman all over Bethlehem, trying to find a bed --
Stephen: I'm sorry to hear that, Donkey. What happened to them?
Donkey: Oh, they found a place, eventually, I guess. Some innkeeper found them an empty stall in his stable. It's a good thing, too, because I think she was going to have the baby tonight.
Stephen: A stable? Wow, that's not much of a place to have a baby, is it?
Donkey: Hey, hey, speak for yourself, shepherd boy. Where do you think I was born, Jerusalem General Hospital?
Stephen: Yes, but you're a -- (hesitates)
Donkey: Yeah?
Stephen: Oh, never mind. Go back to sleep, Donkey.
Donkey: (walks away shaking his head) A donkey can't get a decent night's sleep anywhere, these days.
Stephen: Hmmph. I guess Donkey is feeling a little grumpy tonight. But he's our second clue, so we've got to put him in our --
Sheep: (bleat) Scroll!
Stephen: (whips out scroll and quill) Right! Our handy dandy scroll. So now, we put a donkey --
Congregation sings "The Friendly Beasts"
(As the song is sung, all three Magi walk to center stage and stand looking up at the sky. Ewe sneaks up to Magi 3 and stamps a hoofprint on him, then sneaks away. Magi 3 looks around, but does nothing. The Magi look at the sky as Stephen walks around stage.)
Stephen: (sings)
I just want to find Ewe's clue,
I just want to find Ewe's clue,
I just want to find Ewe's clue,
'Cause I'm really cold.
(Stephen meets the Magi; they nod politely, he nods, and passes by without looking at the hoofprint on Magi 3.)
Sheep: (bleat) A clue, a clue!
Stephen: Why don't I ever see these things? (looks around) Where?
Sheep: (bleat) There! On that man!
Stephen: What man? Oh -- here. (approaches Magi 3) Uh -- excuse me, sir?
Magi 3: (looks at Stephen, then back up at the sky) What, young man?
Stephen: Uh -- excuse me, but I just noticed you have a hoofprint, right there.
Magi 3: What? (looks at hoofprint on robe) Oh, that. Yes, there was a sheep a few minutes ago. I didn't see where it went. We're too busy. (looks up at sky again)
Stephen: (looks up at sky) Oh. What are you looking for?
Magi 3: A star.
Stephen: A star? There must be a million of them up there. Just pick one.
Magi 2: Not just any star.
Magi 1: A very special star.
Stephen: (looks up again) What kind of star? You mean, like a famous singer -- (sings) Regrets, I've had a few, but then again --
Magi 3: (impatiently) Not that kind of star. A star in the sky.
Stephen: Oh. (pauses) I don't get it.
Magi 3: We're wise men, my friends and I. We know much about the world, and we know that tonight there is supposed to be a very special star in the sky.
Stephen: What makes it so special?
Magi 3: It's the sign that a great king has been born.
Stephen: A great king? (excitedly) That's exciting! That's wonderful! Where is this star?
Magi 3: (points to stage left where the spotlight shines) Right there.
Stephen: (peers intently) Wow!
Magi 3: (looks at Stephen) Do you see it?
Stephen: (shakes his head reluctantly) No.
Magi 2: Right there. The very bright star, with the tail.
Stephen: Ohh -- now I see it. But there must be some mistake.
Magi 1: Mistake? We don't make mistakes.
Stephen: But that star -- if it's supposed to mark the birthplace of a great king, it can't be that one. Jerusalem is that way (points in a different direction). That's where the king would be. That can't be the star.
Magi 1: Well, it is.
Stephen: But --
Magi 3: My young friend, this is a very special star, to mark the birth of a special kind of king.
Stephen: I don't understand.
Magi 3: You will. Now we must go to visit this king. We have gifts. (points to Magi 1) Gold (points to Magi 2), frankincense, and myrrh. (as Magi start to walk toward the star, Magi 3 stops and turns to Stephen) Off that way -- what town lies there?
Stephen: (shrugs) Bethlehem is the closest town, I guess. But it's not much of a town.
Magi 3: (over his shoulder as he walks toward Bethlehem) It's not the town we're going to see, young man. It's the King.
Stephen: This is a very strange night. But you know what this means? We've got the third clue! (takes out scroll and quill) We've got three wise men, a donkey, and a bale of hay. What do you suppose that means?
(Sheep bleat noncommittally.)
Stephen: If we just had one more clue --
(The stage is filled with light, and Stephen looks up, drops his scroll and quill. Sheep look up, and stare.)
Stephen: Angels!
Congregation sings "Joy To The World"
Stephen: Wow, I've never seen anything like that, have you?
(Sheep bleat wonderingly.)
Stephen: (sings)
We just got a message,
We just got a message,
We just got a message,
Wonder what it means.
Old Shepherd: (walks onstage, from the direction of the angels) Did you see the angels, Stephen? Did you see them?
Stephen: We sure did. We were just trying to figure out what they meant.
Old Shepherd: Don't you know? It's the fulfillment of the ancient prophecies.
Stephen: What ancient prophecies?
Old Shepherd: That God would send a Savior to deliver his people from sin and death.
Stephen: A Savior?
Old Shepherd: A Savior. He is descended from the family of King David, and his name will be Jesus. He's come to save us all.
Stephen: And this Jesus was born in Bethlehem?
Old Shepherd: Yes.
Stephen: And he was born in a stable. With bales of hay to keep him warm.
Old Shepherd: Exactly.
Stephen: Oh, now I get it.
(Ewe has come up to stand next to Stephen. When he finally realizes what has happened, Ewe slaps a hoof against her forehead and shakes her head.)
Stephen: (to Old Shepherd) So where are you going now?
Old Shepherd: You heard the angels. I'm going to Bethlehem, to see the King. Would you like to come along?
Stephen: Would I? This is great! This is fantastic! Ewe, thanks for telling me about this!
Ewe: (bleats) You're welcome.
Old Shepherd: (eyes Stephen suspiciously) You talkin' to that sheep, son?
Stephen: Uh ... what sheep?
(They start toward Bethlehem; Ewe trips Stephen as they walk by.)
Stephen: (sings as he walks)
We are going to see Jesus,
We are going to see Jesus,
We are going to see Jesus,
Going to see the King!
(As the shepherds walk to Bethlehem, Ewe leaves a hoofprint on the rock where Stephen had been sitting then joins the shepherds.)
Congregation sings "O Little Town Of Bethlehem"
Narrator: I'll never forget what we saw that night when we got to Bethlehem. It was just a baby, a simple little baby, asleep in a manger full of clean hay. He certainly didn't seem like anything special, but I knew he was. The wise men were still there, and there were shepherds coming in from all over the countryside to see this little king. And his parents -- his parents looked tired and a little bit scared, as though they didn't know what to make of it.
(Stephen walks back from Bethlehem and sits on his rock. Before he sits, though, he sees the hoofprint. As Narrator speaks, Stephen is sitting, thinking.)
Narrator: I thought about it a lot, that night, and the nights afterward, for a long time. You've got a lot of time to think when you're tending sheep. I wondered how this little child could possibly be a king and how he could possibly save the world from sin. What could he do that could possibly make a difference?
(Stephen leans over to look at the hoofprint again.)
Narrator: And I thought about the last clue Ewe left me: it had something to do with a rock. What could it mean? I thought about it for a long time, and then I eventually forgot about it for many years. Many, many years. Until I heard about this man Jesus, traveling throughout the countryside, preaching about God's love, and God's salvation. I remembered the baby, then, and I knew this had to be the same person. This truly was the king who was sent to save us -- but I still didn't know how he would save us. And then the authorities executed him, like a common criminal, and I thought it was all over.
And that's when I finally understood about the rock. Because after they killed him I went to see his tomb -- and the rock at the entrance was rolled away. The tomb was empty. This man Jesus had risen. Suddenly it all made sense. The prophecies were fulfilled. And that's why even now, as I start my own journey to tell people the good news of his resurrection, I still think back to that night so long ago, when it all began, when Jesus came to bring us life. You know, Jesus wasn't the only one born that night. I think I was, too.
Congregation sings "O Holy Night"
The End
