Drama - Year A - Christmas 1

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Drama - Year A - Christmas 1

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DRAMA—SERIES A— FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS

Bible reference - Matthew 2:13–15

 

IT HAPPENED AGAIN

 

(Joseph and Mary are sleeping, lying under a blanket on the floor. Mary has her back to Joseph. Nearby is a rough wooden cradle with the baby Jesus in it)

 

JOSEPH:       (Sitting up suddenly) It happened again! (Leans over to shake Mary) Mary, Mary, wake                                up!

 

MARY:       (Sleepily) Huh?

 

JOSEPH:        It happened again!

 

MARY:       (Turning over to face Joseph) What happened again?

 

JOSEPH:        An angel came to me in a dream.

 

MARY:       (Sitting up, suddenly anxious) Why?

 

JOSEPH:        To tell us that we have to leave Bethlehem.

 

MARY:        Well, we weren’t thinking of staying here forever.

 

JOSEPH:        Mary, he wants us to leave now, tonight. (Starts getting up)

 

MARY:        Why all the rush? (Notices how worried Joseph looks) Something’s really wrong, isn’t it?

 

JOSEPH:        Herod’s looking for Jesus. (Both look towards manger) He wants to kill him.

 

MARY:        But he’s only a baby!

 

JOSEPH:        That will mean nothing to a man who killed his own sons. (Starts gathering up their                                things)

 

MARY:       (Gets up and starts helping Joseph) Where will we go? Where can we go that Herod                                won’t find us?

 

JOSEPH:        The angel said we should go to Egypt.

 

MARY:       (Shocked) So far?

 

JOSEPH:       (Attempting to lighten the situation) At least Herod won’t find us there!

 

MARY:       (Dazed) But our family, our friends...

 

JOSEPH:       (Puts his hands on Mary’s shoulders) We’ve managed without them so far.

 

MARY:        It’s been so long since we’ve seen them. And now...(Turns to face Joseph) Will we ever                                see them again?

 

JOSEPH:        The angel said he would tell us when we can leave Egypt.

 

MARY:        Joseph, I don’t want to live in a strange country. I just want to go home to Nazareth and                                lead a normal life again, with no angels, or wise men, or King Herod.

 

JOSEPH:        I doubt if anything will really ever be ‘normal’ with Jesus.

 

MARY:       (Goes over to cradle) I still can’t believe that anyone would want to kill him.

 

JOSEPH:       (Joining her, looking down at Jesus) The world is full of evil. That’s why he’s come.

 

MARY:        I’m afraid, Joseph.

 

JOSEPH:        We’ve trusted God all through this, we just have to keep trusting him.

 

MARY:        Not for us (Gestures at cradle), for him. Other people will try to kill him too, won’t they?                        What if the world doesn’t want a Saviour?

 

JOSEPH:        We just have to trust God for that too. I’m sure he’s got a plan. (Picks up the bundle of                                their bedding etc) Now come on, let’s go. I’ll get the donkey. (Joseph exits. Mary picks up                        the baby Jesus, starts to exit, pauses to look back and then exits with Joseph)

 

 

 

© Verena Johnson 1998

 

Permission is given for the owner of this disk to make sufficient copies of this script for their group or congregation, for rehearsal and performance purposes only.