***SONG THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM
by Andrew L. Skoog (see below).
Narrator:
The story of what became
of the star that guided the Wise Men to Bethlehem on the holy night when Christ
was born is like no other legend handed down from ancient days. Its origin
tells of a time "when the Morning Stars sang together."
The Morning Stars and the Stars of the Twilight, the Evening
Star, the Seven Stars, and a host of others are singing for joy.
***SONG PRAISE HIM, PRAISE HIM,
words anonymous, music by Carrie Bonner (see below)
Narrator:
The Morning Stars and the
Stars of the Twilight, the Evening Star, the Seven Stars, and a host of others often
gathered together to sing for joy.
Scripture Reader #1
Psalm 148: 1-3
“Praise
the Lord. Praise the Lord from the
heavens, praise him in the heights above, Praise him, all his angels, praise
him, all his heavenly hosts.
Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars”.
Narrator:
On one
such night when the stars were rejoicing and singing a messenger came from the
Creator. The stars hushed their
singing to listen.
Messenger: Stars of the
Morning, Stars of the Twilight, and all other stars gathered here to sing
praises to the Creator, I bring you a message from heaven.
Evening
Star What message?
Messenger: The
Creator wishes to ask one of you to volunteer for a special mission.
Morning
Stars spokesman:
What kind of special mission?
Messenger:
It will be an unusual
thing. You would leave your set course and go into a new course down near the
earth. There, you would appear in the sky of the East, to guide three Wise Men
on a journey to search for a newborn king.
The stars
are silent, they cannot think of anything to say.
Oldest
of the Stars of the Twilight:
The oldest of the Stars of Twilight murmurs to himself and not to the
messenger.
How fascinating that might
be.
The
star nearest to the North Star:
Frightened
I am afraid to leave my
constellation.
Little
Star/Star of Bethlehem:
With much excitement
I'll go! I'll go!
Messenger:
Very well come with me.
The small star says goodbye to his six close companions.
The
remaining six stars: The six stars look very worried.
When will you bring Little
One back to our cluster?
Messenger:
That is not for me to say. But if he does not return, I will
send you word where he is shining.
***SONG COME CHRISTIANS, JOIN TO
SING (see below)
The messenger escorts the smallest star and they move away from the
rest of the stars. They are
talking quietly to each other. The
other stars leave the stage.
Messenger:
Little One,
you are a most fortunate star. You will see the greatest event ever to take
place. God, the Creator, is going down to earth as a little Child. And you will
be the Child's star.
The Little Star/Star of Bethlehem: looks shocked, amazed and delighted.
Messenger:
First, though you will
spend about two years shining as a guiding light for the Wise Men of the East.
They have studied all the stars in the heavens for years and are waiting for
the star of a new king to rise. You are that star.
Little
Star/Star of Bethlehem: I am?
Messenger:
As soon as you appear, the
Wise Men will follow you and make their long journey toward the West to find
the Holy Child King.
Little Star/Star of
Bethlehem:
But, Messenger, how will I
know where to lead these Wise Men?
Messenger:
I'm coming to that part,
Little One. You are to have a new name: 'The Star of Bethlehem.' On the sacred
night you will come to rest and cast your beams down on Bethlehem of Judea, the
ancient City of David. That is where the Holy Infant will appear.
Scripture Reader #2
Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem
though you are small among the clans, of Judah, out of you will come for me one
who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient
times”.
Little Star/Star of Bethlehem:
On the sacred night? How will
I know which night is the sacred night?
Messenger:
There will
be signs.
Scripture Reader #3:
Luke 2:4-5 “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”.
Scripture Reader #4:
Luke 2:8-9 “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”.
Little
Star/Star of Bethlehem:
How frightening!
Messenger:
Oh yes. They will tremble with
great fear, but the angel will turn their fear to joy.
Scripture
Reader #5
Luke 2:10-12 “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.”
Little
Star/Star of Bethlehem:
The Little Star/Star of Bethlehem looks delighted.
I will get to shine down on
all that?
Messenger:
That, and more!
Scripture Reader #6:
Luke 2: 13-14 “Suddenly a
great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and
saying, 'Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his
favor rests’.
Little
Star/Star of Bethlehem:
Tell me more about the Holy
Child King.
Messenger:
His coming was foretold on
earth centuries ago. God revealed his birth through ancient prophets. Although he will be born in a stable,
he will rule a kingdom that has no end.
Scripture Reader #7:
Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son
is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful,
Counselor, the Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace”.
Little
Star/Star of Bethlehem:
Said with discouragement
Oh, to shine for HIM, I
should be big and brilliant. But I am not. I am small and plain.
Messenger:
Do not be troubled. He who alone spread out the heavens and
made the sun and the moon and the stars can change you into the most splendid
star ever seen in the sky.
The messenger pats Little Star/Star of Bethlehem: on the head and
leaves him in the eastern sky.
Scripture
Reader #8:
Luke 1:37 For nothing is
impossible with God.
Narrator:
That night, just as the little
star began to shine, he suddenly became like a new star. He grows very big and
brilliant. So brilliant he could scarcely believe he was still himself.
***SONG: WHAT STAR IS THIS, WITH
BEAMS SO BRIGHT (see below)
Congregation sings
verses 1- 4
The actor playing the Star of Bethlehem moves off stage, as the light
grows brighter representing the Star of Bethlehem.
Three Wise Men come on stage and point excitedly at the star.
The
three wise men:
Look! His star!
First
wise man:
This is it! The one we've
waited for!
Second wise man:
The star of the Great King!
Third
wise man:
It's the most brilliant star
ever to appear in the heavens! The most beautiful!
Narrator:
Immediately the three gathered
up their goods and their tents and their treasures, saddled their camels, and
started on the journey.
Played softly on guitar
“WE THREE KINGS OF
ORIENT ARE” (see below)
The Wise Men move about the sanctuary following the star and asking
people about the child.
Narrator:
For two years the Wise Men
kept following their beautiful new star. They stopped at many watering places
and villages and cities. At each place they would say: "Where is he who is
born the King? We have seen his Star in the East and have come to worship
him."
Some people would tell them
one thing, some another. Finally the Wise Men stopped in Jerusalem to inquire
at the palace of Herod the king. But their star moved on toward Bethlehem.
***SONG O LITTLE TOWN OF
BETHLEHEM (1ST - 6TH GRADERS) (see below)
Narrator:
Finally the star knew that the
sacred time had come to Bethlehem; for he saw all the things the messenger had
described begin to happen.
Mary and Joseph appear at the stable with Baby Jesus.
He watched Mary wrap her
firstborn Son in swaddling clothes and lay him in a manger, and he heard her
whisper to Joseph, "Let us call his name JESUS."
Scripture Reader #9:
Luke 2: 6 -7 “While they were
there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her
firstborn, a son. She wrapped in
cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the
inn.”
***SONG: AWAY IN THE MANGER
(1st - 6th graders) (see below)
Narrator:
The star then looked out
toward the fields and there he saw the host of angels come to the shepherds to
tell them their Savior was born.
Angels and shepherds appear.
***SONG: HARK THE HERALD ANGELS
SING verse 1 (see below) (CONGREGATION AND CHILDREN SING)
Scripture Reader #10:
Luke 2:15, 16 “When the angels
had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘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”.
Narrator: Soon
the star revealed himself again to the Wise Men.
Scripture Reader #11:
Matthew 2:10-12 “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.”
Wise men appear at the
manger with their gifts.
Narrator:
Then the
shepherds went back to their flocks, the Wise Men withdrew to their tents, and
all was silent in Bethlehem. The star kept shining down on the stable where the
Holy Babe slept.
***SONG SILENT NIGHT verses
1 and 3 (see below)
(CONGREGATION
AND CHILDREN SING) Guitar only
Wise men and shepherds go off stage on verse 1
Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus leave on verse 3
Narrator:
And so the star kept shining and
watching. After Joseph and Mary and the Babe had slipped away to Egypt, and
after the Wise Men had departed, the star began to wonder what was to become of
him. He had forgotten to ask the messenger if he was to shine down on Bethlehem
for all time to come. He wished that he could shine for the Holy Child forever.
The Star of
Bethlehem comes on the stage. The messenger joins the Star of Bethlehem
Messenger:
Well done, Star of Bethlehem!
Star
of Bethlehem:
Oh, Messenger, this was a wonderful
thing the Creator let me do! Of all the stars in the universe, I am the most
blessed. Where am I to go now?
Please don't say that I will become one of the wandering stars and go
into the blackness of darkness forever!
Messenger:
No, Star of Bethlehem, you are
not to burn out and become what men who study the stars will one day call a
'black hole.' You will return to your constellation, there to shine and sing
again. But your light will be much less brilliant that it is now. In fact, it
will grow so dim that men will not be able to see you with the naked eye.
However--
Star
of Bethlehem:
But-- But-- What will become
of all my wonderful new light?"
Messenger:
Let me finish what I was
saying, Star of Bethlehem. Your new radiant light will be shining forever, on
earth. It will--
Star of Bethlehem:
On earth? Oh, I'm glad! Very
glad! Where? How?
Messenger:
Your new light will shine from
the eyes of every person who knows and worships the Holy Child born this night
in Bethlehem.
Children come back
on stage quickly
***SONG SHINING FOR JESUS
(see below).
Narrator:
And that is why it was that
the beautiful Star of Bethlehem disappeared from the sky. And that is why it is--to this
day--that of the Seven Stars (in the cluster called Pleiades) only six are
visible without a telescope. And
that is why it is that on Christmas Day, and all other days, those who worship
the Christ Child have a soft and shining light in their eyes.
SCRIPTURE
READER #12
Matthew 5:12 “In the same way,
let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise
your Father in heaven”.
***CONGREGATION
SINGS, “JOY TO THE WORLD”
(see below)
Children leave the sanctuary as
the congregation sings
The
End
All of the following hymns
are in the public domain:
Performed by the Craig Memorial
Baptist Church, Stanley, North Carolina, Christmas 2003
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