DRAMA—CHRISTMAS PROPER II, YEAR B
Bible reference: Luke 2:8-20
KNOCK KNOCK
CHARACTERS: Narrator, four puppets (designated Door 1, Door 2, Door 3, Door 4), Sherlock Unlock puppet (based on a Sesame Street character which will be recognised by many young children), Gabriel, angels, shepherds. This play could also be done using people instead of puppets.
PROPS: The staging involves having four doors out of which the four puppets can pop their heads and speak their lines. The action with the doors needs to be punchy and quick as this keeps the play active and moving along. We used a length of chipboard out of which were cut four doors roughly 50cm square in size. The doors were then hinged and had handles attached. The puppeteers used a length of fishing line to swing the doors shut again. We painted the doors a variety of bright colours for effect. Sherlock Unlock appeared in front of these doors and behind a lower screen. The narrator was then in front of both the doors and the screen. A sign with the name Bethlehem on it should be at the front where Sherlock can read it.
The script could be followed by a brief talk focusing on how it is important not just to remember the baby Jesus that we celebrate at Christmas but also the adult Jesus who grew to be our Saviour. With the Knock Knock flavour of the script, the talk could also include Jesus knocking on the door of our hearts and asking to come inside. (Revelation 3:20)
NARRATOR:
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(Enters) Today’s story is about a riddle, the riddle of Christmas...
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DOOR 1:
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(Interrupting) I know a Christmas riddle. What is Tarzan’s favourite Christmas song?
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DOOR 3:
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I don’t know. What is Tarzan’s favourite Christmas song?
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DOOR 4:
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I say, I say, I say, what’s black and white and red all over?
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DOOR 2:
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Tell me what’s black and white and red all over.
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DOOR 4:
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Santa Claus coming down the chimney.
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NARRATOR:
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No, no, no. Not that kind of riddle. The riddle I mean is the question of where to find God’s promised Saviour. From right back at the beginning of time God promised that a special person would come to help everybody. That person was going to be a Saviour who would bring people back to God. And all the people from the time of Adam and Eve, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Esau, they all looked forward to the time when this special Saviour would come. But no one was quite sure when and where it would be. It was a great mystery.
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SHERLOCK:
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(Entering) Excuse me, excuse me. Did I hear the word mystery?
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NARRATOR:
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Yes, you did. I was just saying that the coming of God’s Saviour was a great mystery.
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SHERLOCK:
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Well, if you have a mystery on your hands then you’ve found just the help you need. Mystery is my middle name and finding answers is my game. I’m sure whatever your mystery, it’s just a case of simple deduction for a person such as I.
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NARRATOR:
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Really? And who are you?
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SHERLOCK:
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Why, that’s elementary. I am Sherlock Unlock, the world’s greatest detective. There’s no mystery too mysterious, no puzzle too puzzling, no dilemma too...dilemma-ish that I, Sherlock Unlock, the world’s greatest detective, can’t solve it. I will unlock this mystery! (Gives narrator his card) My card.
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NARRATOR:
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(Taking card) I see. So you think you can demystify the mystery?
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NARRATOR:
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You can solve the puzzle?
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NARRATOR:
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Without a shadow of a doubt?
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NARRATOR:
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OK then, go for it.
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SHERLOCK:
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Right, now let’s get down to work. The first thing a world-famous detective does is to consider the clues. What do we know? What information do we have? (Sees signpost) Aha! I see there’s a signpost here. That could be a clue! Let me see. Beth-le-hem. Bethle-hem. Beth-lehem...
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I have it! I have it! I, Sherlock Unlock, the world’s greatest detective, have deduced the answer to this conundrum.
SHERLOCK:
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Yes! The mystery of Christmas is that Beth has a cold.
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SHERLOCK:
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The mystery of Christmas is that Beth has a cold.
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NARRATOR:
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(Surprised) How did you discover that astounding piece of news?
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SHERLOCK:
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Simple deduction, my good woman/man, simple deduction. The answer was in front of you all the time. Look, the clue is right there, left by some fiendish criminal mind on that sign. Beth-lehem. Beth is the name of a person, right.
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NARRATOR:
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(Doubtfully) Correct.
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SHERLOCK:
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Straightforward so far. But here’s where my highly trained mind was able to go beyond the surface to the riddle beneath.
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DOOR 4:
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Hey, it’s riddle time! What Christmas carol is popular in the desert?
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DOOR 1:
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I don’t know. What Christmas carol is popular in the desert?
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DOOR 4:
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O camel ye faithful.
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NARRATOR:
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(Sigh) Never mind them, go on.
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SHERLOCK:
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The second part of the clue Beth-lehem is a coughing sound. You know (Coughs) lehem, lehem. So it’s simple. Poor old Beth is suffering from a terrible cold. The mystery is solved and I, Sherlock Unlock, the world’s greatest detective, have done it again!
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NARRATOR:
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(Sarcastically) Thank you.
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SHERLOCK:
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Don’t mention it, my good woman/man.
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NARRATOR:
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There’s just one problem. Bethlehem isn’t a clue, it’s the name of a place, the town of Bethlehem. That’s the town where the angels told the shepherds that the baby would be born.
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SHERLOCK:
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Wait a moment. What baby? What angels? What shepherds?
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NARRATOR:
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Let me go back to the beginning. There were some shepherds out in the fields doing their shepherding thing. (Shepherds enter)
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CAROL:
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While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
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all seated on the ground,
the angel of the Lord came down, (Angel Gabriel appears)
and glory shone around.
SHEPHERD:
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Hey, what’s that strange light? It’s really weird.
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GABRIEL:
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Good evening, gentlemen.
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SHEPHERDS:
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(Afraid) Woah!
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GABRIEL:
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Settle down, guys. Don’t be afraid. I’ve got good news for you. In fact, everyone’s going to be excited when they hear this. Today just down the road in Bethlehem a special baby has been born. He is the one that God promised long ago, the one that everyone has been waiting for. He’s going to save everyone and make them friends with God again.
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Why don’t you go and take a look? The clue to who the baby is, is this. You will find the baby lying in a manger.
NARRATOR:
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Then a huge crowd of angels appeared in the sky singing a song of praise to God. (Angels enter, sing Gloria In Excelsis Deo, chorus of ‘Angels we have heard on high’, then shepherds and angels exit)
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SHERLOCK:
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Well, why didn’t you say so in the first place? If that’s the story, then the answer can’t possibly be that Beth has a cold because Bethlehem is the name of the town where this happened.
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I’m afraid you’ll just have to accept that you’re totally mistaken with this coughing thing. That’s why you need Sherlock Unlock, the world’s greatest detective, to unravel this mystery. But don’t be dismayed, because I am on the job. I’ll have this sorted out in a flash.
NARRATOR:
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(Trying to get a word in) But Mr Unlock...
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SHERLOCK:
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Don’t disturb me, I’m on the trail of this baby.
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NARRATOR:
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But Mr Unlock...
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SHERLOCK:
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Leave it to the professionals, madam/sir, give me a moment’s peace and quiet and I’ll crack this case wide open. Now, how do we go about this?
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DOOR 2:
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I say, I say, I say, what’s green and goes Ho ho ho?
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SHERLOCK:
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AHA! I believe I have it. According to the clues, the baby was born in Bethlehem, so logically all I need to do is knock on all the doors of Bethlehem and sooner or later I’ll find this baby. (Goes to door 1)
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Right, I’ll just try this door here. Knock knock!
SHERLOCK:
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Sherlock Unlock, the world’s greatest detective.
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DOOR 1:
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Wait a moment. That’s not a proper Knock-knock. Knock-knocks go like this.
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DOOR 4:
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Another mosquito!
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DOOR 2:
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Still another mosquito!
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DOOR 1:
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Do you get the idea? Now, don’t come back until you have a proper Knock-knock.
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SHERLOCK:
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Well, what a strange conundrum. Still, there’s no puzzle too puzzling that Sherlock Unlock can’t crack it. (Ponders for a moment) Aha, I have it. Knock knock!
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SHERLOCK:
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Sure like the look of your door, can I please see the other side?
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DOOR 1:
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By George, I think you’ve got it. That’s a good Knock-knock. Now what can I do for you?
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SHERLOCK:
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My good woman/man, I hope you can help me find a lost baby. I’m looking for the baby born to be the Saviour of the world.
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DOOR 1:
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You mean the one the angels told the shepherd about?
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DOOR 4:
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You mean the baby born right here in Bethlehem?
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DOOR 2:
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You mean the baby whose mother arrived from Nazareth and found that there was no place for them to stay?
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DOOR 3:
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The one that ended up out the back with the animals?
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DOOR 2:
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The one that was wrapped in cloths and placed in a manger?
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DOOR 4:
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The one that his parents named Jesus, which means, ‘He saves’?
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SHERLOCK:
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(Excited) YES! That’s him.
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ALL DOORS:
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Never seen him!
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SHERLOCK:
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What?! The mystery gets deeper by the moment. I must be missing a vital clue.
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NARRATOR:
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Excuse me, Mr Unlock.
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SHERLOCK:
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Not now, my good woman/man. I seem to have stumbled across a dratted red herring. But fear not, I’ll be back on track in just a moment. (Goes to door 1 again) Knock knock!
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SHERLOCK:
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Ivor you let me in or I’ll climb through your window.
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SHERLOCK:
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I seem to be lacking a vital clue. You all know of this Jesus who was born to be the Saviour of the world. You know about the shepherds and the angels and the manger and everything, but yet none of you have ever seen him. I, Sherlock Unlock, am certainly on the verge of cracking this case wide open. I am about to find what was lost. Surely I am. But I’m afraid I’m c...I’m c...I’m c...
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SHERLOCK:
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Ah, yes. Momentarily.
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SHERLOCK:
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Just a tiny bit!
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SHERLOCK:
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About not to be.
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DOOR 1:
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Of course. Listen, it’s very simple. We know all about this baby but we’ve never seen him because his birth happened long ago—way back at the time of the first Christmas. That’s how Christmas came about. This baby you’ve been searching for was so important and what he did was so special that we have a special holiday to celebrate his birthday. Now let me ask you a question. If you can solve it, then you’ve really discovered something worthwhile. Are you ready?
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SHERLOCK:
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Yes, I, Sherlock Unlock, the world’s greatest detective, am always ready for a question.
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DOOR 1:
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OK, then, here it is. If Jesus can’t be found as a baby in Bethlehem, then where can he be found?
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SHERLOCK:
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If Jesus can’t be found as a baby in Bethlehem, then where can he be found? Gadzooks, that’s a very good question. A very, very good question.
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NARRATOR:
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Mr Unlock, might I be permitted to advance a theory on this one? I know that in a moment or two you’ll have sorted out the right answer, but perhaps you’d let me, a mere amateur, have a shot at this. Just for fun?
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SHERLOCK:
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Certainly, my good woman/man. Go right ahead.
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NARRATOR:
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Well, I know a few things about this Jesus and I think it might be important what happened when he grew up.
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SHERLOCK:
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A quaint theory. Yes, go on.
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NARRATOR:
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Well, when Jesus got older he told people that he was going to die a terrible death. BUT he also said not to be worried because it was part of God’s plan that this would happen. He said that his death would be the thing that brought people back to God. Plus he said that even though he would die he’d come back to life again after three days.
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SHERLOCK:
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Gadzooks. That’s incredible. A brilliant and cunning plan.
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NARRATOR:
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Yes. And the best part is that it actually happened just as Jesus said it would. He did die and he did come to life again. Then he said to those who saw him that even though they wouldn’t always be able to see him, he would always be with them. He’d be there in their hearts and their minds.
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SHERLOCK:
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Egads! I think I have stumbled upon something that may interest you.
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SHERLOCK:
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The answer to the question we’ve been searching for. It’s all perfectly clear to me now. I, Sherlock Unlock, the world’s greatest detective, have done it again. We don’t need to look for the baby born in Bethlehem. We’ll find him in our hearts if we believe in the promises he’s made.
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NARRATOR:
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Yes, Sherlock. I think you’ve got it. We don’t need to look for the baby born in Bethlehem. We’ll find him in our hearts if we believe in the promises he’s made. Well done, you’ve solved the case!
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SHERLOCK:
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Elementary, my dear woman/man, elementary. (He exits)
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© Mike Fulwood 1998
Permission is given for the owner of this disk to produce sufficient copies of this script for their group or congregation, for rehearsal and performance purposes only.
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