Last year’s nativity was a challenge in more ways than one
and ended up with us “almost” forgetting to add the baby Jesus into the
proceedings – you can relive last year’s forgetful tale here.
A few weeks ago I sat the children down and asked for their
ideas for this year’s re-telling of the most wonderful story, they came up
with:
- Using audio visuals
- Using sound effects
- Including puppets
- A Gangnam Style dance off
- X Factor
Every year I have my doubts wondering if I can write another
nativity in a fresh new way, especially when the kids give me such a diverse
list of requirements, but when you’ve got God on your side whispering ideas
into your head as you type it up and pulling the thread together something just
clicks and it somehow works.
Some may scoff but I am convinced I have divine inspiration
because each nativity has had an identity of its own with a strong gospel
message and that has evolved as the story is written.
This was how the ideas came together for this year’s story…
We started with the glitz and glamour of the X Factor theme
and a specially filmed sequence of our town as the judges arrive on stage.
Our four superstar judges were Nicole Scherzinger, Darcey Bussell, Craig Revel Horwood and
Head Judge Henry, so that’s one from X Factor, two from Strictly and a lovely
little boy who after the first planning session told his mum he was going to be
an X Factor judge in the Nativity, so how could I not write him a special part!
Davina McCall and Claudia Winkleman, (again a mash up of
Saturday night TV presenters) get to introduce the proceeding and the first
contestant is an innocent young woman called Mary.
The judges ask to see her talent, what she can bring to
Christmas.
“I’m just ordinary.” Replies Mary a bit bewildered by it
all.
But the judges insist she has sparkle and she is overwhelmingly voted through
to Bootcamp in Bethlehem.
On her way out Mary encounters an angel who tells her she is
to have a baby. Serenely Mary accepts this news because God has ordained it.
The next contestant is Joseph a carpenter who brings some
wooden toys to show the judges.
“They’ll come in great for the baby!” exclaims Nicole.
“What baby?” Joseph is decidedly puzzled by this turn of
events.
Meanwhile Craig is not impressed with a mere carpenter until his phone rings.
“That was the head judge in the
sky with a seven from heaven – Joseph is automatically through to the next
round, something about being a direct descendant of David the King.”
And so Mary and Joseph travel
together to Bethlehem, not for a census but for a talent show.
Bethlehem is crowded but they
find a friendly innkeeper who has no rooms left but offers them a pop up tent
to sleep in.
“It looks a bit wobbly!”
“Oh no it’s stable!”
GROAN!
(Unfortunately the kids forgot
this line; we may have to add it in again next year and I must add that it wasn't my joke!)
Mary and Joseph sit outside the
tent pondering why they are here in Bethlehem.
“I think it will be OK Mary, I had this dream.” Joseph reassures
the young woman by his side.
“Our baby is going to be very special.” Mary replies, totally accepting
the new family circumstances they find themselves in.
The next contestants were
recorded, an act called the Muppet and the Puppet who were sadly voted off the
show, followed by a Gangnam Style dance off between the Wise Women and the
Shepherds. This act went through to the live finals – well every nativity need
wise women and shepherds!
Our Little Treasures, otherwise
known as the crèche, had made a large sparkly star which was placed behind the
tent and then they sang Little Donkey – absolutely beautiful – not a dry eye in
the church and obviously put through to the final as well!
We took a break from the judging
as the innkeeper suggested Mary and Joseph might like to watch some TV with him to pass the time, a quiz
show called Pointless. This also appeared on screen pre-recorded featuring the
Innkeeper as a contestant.
For those of you who don’t know
Pointless is a quiz show where 100 people are given 100 seconds to give as many
answers as they can to a question. The contestants have to find a pointless
answer, an answer that is correct but that no else has said.
The winners are the pair who
score the lowest number of points.
For the final the Innkeeper has to name someone
from the nativity, an obscure answer that no one else has said to win the star
prize.
He decides that Mary would be a
pointless answer but it transpires that ALL 100 people asked have said Mary,
therefore she is not pointless at all.
“But I still don’t understand.” Says Mary on
the stage, "I am just ordinary."
Enter the angel with the baby
Jesus, a real baby, actually the baby sister of the little girl who played Mary.
“Mary you are so special and God
has sent you his own son to take care of. You and Joseph are to be Jesus’s mum and dad,
watching over him as he grows up."
The judges want to see
the baby too.
But the angel will only admit
them if they stop judging and instead become ordinary shepherds and angels and
other nativity characters.
The scene is set as everyone
puts on a tea-towel, or a paper crown, angel wings or donkey ears to kneel before the new born King.
The nativity
was finished off with the Bible reading from 1 Corinthians 1 26-29
Taken from
the "Special Nativity Paraphrased Version 2012"
“Even
when God is foolish, he is wiser than everyone else, and even when God is weak,
he is stronger than everyone else.
Not
many will ever get to be the brightest and the best by the world’s standards.
But
God chose the foolish things of this world to put the wise to shame. He chose
the weak things of this world to put the powerful to shame.
Isn’t
it obvious that God deliberately choses men and women that our culture overlooks
and exploits, God choses “nobodies”, the
humble ordinary people, to expose the hollowness of our celebrity?
God
could have sent his son emerging from the dry ice on a Saturday night,
sprinkled with glitter, voted for by popularity and surrounded by adulation.
Instead
God sent an innocent baby who lived most of his life in obscurity and died the
cruellest of deaths.
But
remember…
Even
when God appears foolish, he is wiser than everyone else, and even when God
appears weak, he is stronger than everyone else.”
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