"A Knock-Knock Christmas Pageant"
December 17, 2006: 3rd Sunday of Advent, Year B
The Rev. John MacIver Gage, senior minister
United Church on the Green, UCC: New Haven, CT
www.unitedchurchonthegreen.org

Knock-knock "Who's there?"

Great. Then there's a second part to it. Once you say, "Who's there?," I say a name, like "Harold," and you say, "Harold who?", to which I reply, "Hark! the herald angels sing!" Pretty easy, right? So let's try another one:

Knock-knock "Who's there?"
I say. "I say who?"
...Isaiah was a prophet of the people of Israel a long, long time ago, and though the times he lived in were scary, Isaiah wrote about a time when God's love would light up the whole world. He said, "The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a land of deep darkness, on them light will shine." But how? How would God's love come? Like a mighty army, led by a king on a white horse? Nope. Isaiah knew that God's love would come in a most surprising way. He said the whole world would come to know God's love because "a child would be born for us, a little one given to us; and all authority will rest upon his shoulders; and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Maker, Prince of Peace," and he would teach us all about God's justice and peace. What a wonderful surprise!

<Holy Family moves to the back of the aisle, just out from under the balcony>

Knock-knock "Who's there?"
Mary Ann "Mary Ann who?"
...Mary and Joseph also lived a long time ago, though not as long ago as Isaiah. They lived in Nazareth, in the land of Judah, and they loved each other very, very much. So much that they decided to get married. But before they could, they both got a big surprise. An angel appeared to Mary and Joseph and said,

Knock-knock "Who's there?"
Peanut "Peanut who?"
..."Be not afraid, Mary and Joseph, for you are going to have a baby, and his name will be Jesus. He will be so wonderful, people will call him Emmanuel, which means, God with Us, and even the Son of God." But both Mary and Joseph were very surprised by this news. They both said, "That's very nice, but, you see, it's just not possible!" But the angel reminded them, "With God, all things are possible." And so they believed, and they went ahead and got married and together they waited for the child to come.

<Angel Band sings Joseph, Dearest, Joseph Mine>

Knock-knock "Who's there?"
Hose. "Hose who?"
... In those days, a decree went out from the Emperor that all the peoples of the empire should be taxed, but first, every family had to go to their hometown in order to be counted. That meant that even though Mary was very, very pregnant and it would be very, very uncomfortable, she and Joseph had to travel all the way to the little town of Bethlehem to be registered. So Jospeh saddled up a donkey for Mary to ride, and they slowly made their way up into the hill country toward Bethlehem.

<Holy Family walks slowly up the aisle with the stick-donkey, eventually to sit and stand at the bench>

When they got there, the sun had already set, and all the inns were already full of travelers. They began knocking on doors to try to find someplace to sleep. But at every door the answer was the same: "No vacancy, sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry." Until they came to the very last door of the very last inn in town. And then,

Knock-knock "Who's there?"
Ida. "Ida who?"
..."Well, I dunno know... We don't have any rooms left, but there is a stable out back if you'd like to sleep there for the night..." Now a stable doesn't make a very good hotel room, generally, but Mary and Joseph were so tired, and Mary was beginning to feel the baby inside her getting ready to be born, so they jumped at the chance to lie down, even in a stable. They went around back and found the stable, just as the innkeeper had said. And so it was there, among the animals that Mary gave birth to the baby and Joseph wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in the manger, which was the animals' feedbox, because they had no cradle. And they named him Jesus.

<Angel Band sings Away in a Manger>

Knock-knock "Who's there?"
Bob. "Bob who?"
...Bababa. Out in the fields around Bethlehem that very same night, there were shepherds watching over their flocks of sheep, who were gently snoring, bababa, as sheep do. The shepherds were gathered around their campfire, listening hard for any strange sounds in the dark, when they heard a voice coming to them out of the night. It said:

"Knock-knock"
and with their knees knocking from fright and with trembling voices, they answered:
"Who's there?"
Peanut.
"Peanut who?"
(Does that sound familiar? Who do you think that might be?)

And suddenly the night around them was as bright as day, and the shepherds looked up to see an angel, in fact a whole choir of angels, who looked down from heaven and said:
"Be not afraid, for we bring you good news of great joy for all people. In Bethlehem this very night a child is born who is the Messiah, the sign of God's love for everyone, everywhere. And this is how you will find him: He will be snuggled in a blanket and lying in manger in a stable." And then the angels began to sing:

<Angel Bands sings Gloria in excelsis deo! from Angels We Have Heard on High>

When they were done singing, the angels went away again into heaven, leaving the shepherds filled with amazed. They had a quick conference around the campfire and decided they needed to go see this thing the angels had told them about. So they gathered up their flocks and headed into town, knocking on doors and singing and generally making a wonderful commotion until they found Mary and Jospeh and the baby Jesus, lying in a manger, just as the angels had said. And they gave thanks to God for the miracle.

<Angel Band sings the verse and the congregation sings the chorus to Angels We Have Heard on High>

Knock-knock "Who's there?"
Water. "Water who?"
...What are magi anyway? Well, in the world in which Mary and Joseph lived, magi were like a mix of astrologers and magicians and college professors working at major universities in the East. For you see, they were very, very wise, and they spent their lives studying the ancient prophecies, like Isaiah's, looking for clues to help them better understand the world and the future. And so when a new, bright star appeared in the sky, they took notice, for they knew it meant something new and wonderful was about to happen. They checked and double-checked all their charts and their maps and their scrolls until, aha! they figured it out: The star meant a new king would be born among the people of Israel. So they packed up their camels and their donkeys and they set out across the desert to find him. Following the star, they arrived in Jerusalem, the capital city, and being very wise and important people, they went right up to the palace.

Knock-knock
"Who's there?"
"Magi."
"Magi who?"
"No, no. We're magi, wise ones from the East, and we come seeking the new king."
Well, when the old king, Herod, heard that bit about a new king, he was very angry, and very scared, because he wasn't done being king yet. So he invited the wise ones in to the palace and pretended to be happy to help them figure out that the special baby was to be born in Bethlehem. And when they were ready to leave again, Herod made the wise ones promise to come back and tell him just exactly where he could find the child, so he might also go and worship him. But Herod was a lying fox, and really just wanted to know so he could go and kill the baby before he grew up to replace him as king. Fortunately, God knows how to outfox foxes. So the wise ones left the palace and made their way to the little town of Bethlehem, and to the stable, where they found Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus. And they unloaded their camels and their donkeys and offered Jesus the very best gifts they had: gold and frankincense and myrrh, just as we offer our gifts now...

<Congregation brings forward the Giving Tree presents and places them around the manger while Angel Band sings As With Gladness Magi Old>

So that is how Jesus was born, surrounded by shepherds and angels and wise ones. He wasn't a great king on a white horse, like Herod feared. No, he was much more. He was powerful, alright, but a powerful surprise. He was just a little one but he was filled with God's hope and peace and joy and love for all people, and he grew up to share those gifts with everyone he met. And he shares them still with us and asks us to share them with one another. So, in honor of Jesus, our Christmas surprise, one more joke:

Knock-knock. "Who's there?"
Nomad "Nomad who?"
...Remember, no matter who you are, no matter where you are on life's journey, God's love is for you. And that's no joke.