A Star of tinsel and shiny foil is suspended from a wire from the front to the back of the Church and will move forward when a fishing thread is pulled from the platform by someone out of view.
Children start sitting on the platform facing the congregation, possibly on benches, at an angle on the organ side of the platform.
Carol, children and congregation, "O Little Town of Bethlehem".
Narrators stand at the microphone.
Christmas is a time for sharing. We give and receive presents which have been carefully chosen and wrapped.
Sometimes we may not know what the present is and this can be very exciting.
Many years ago God decided to give us all a present. This was Jesus. When he came many people did not know who he was and were often surprised by what he said and did.
A long time ago one of God's messengers called Gabriel came to visit a young lady called Mary.
Angel stands next to Mary.
Gabriel stood beside her and told her not to be frightened because God was with her, and He was going to give her a present. This present would be a child and God asked Mary to call him Jesus. He would grow up to be a very special person.
Now Mary was a bit frightened but when Gabriel had finished speaking she felt very happy. She thanked God and sang to Him.
Angel sits down.
Just before Jesus was due to be born, the ruler of the land where Mary and her husband Joseph were living sent a message.
Person with scroll stands up.
The message said that everyone must return to the place where their parents and grandparents lived so a special register could be taken. For Mary and Joseph this meant they had to go to Bethlehem. Mary did not really want to go on such a long journey because she felt weak, but together with Joseph she packed up their donkey and off they went.
All the children sing one verse of "Little Donkey".
When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem there was not any room left for them in the hotels. Joseph was worried because he could see that Mary was very tired and she would need somewhere to rest. As he was standing thinking about what to do a man came up to him and said " I know that I have not got any spare rooms for you in my hotel but around the back I have a stable, it is warm and dry, you are welcome to stay there." Joseph quickly told Mary the good news and they went to the stable and made themselves a place to rest in the hay, among the animals. While they were staying in Bethlehem Jesus was born and Mary laid him in a manger as they had no crib.
The children sing "Away in a manger"
Some shepherds were looking after their sheep in a field at night when the angels appeared to them and told them about Jesus. The shepherds rushed to Bethlehem to see this wonderful new baby.
Angels and Shepherds move to crib.
Some wise men from the East saw a new star in the sky and, knowing that such a bright star must mean something important such as a King being born, they followed the star. The star stopped over the stable. When the Wise Men saw Jesus they gave him their gifts.
When the star begins to move the children point at it , walk towards it and then follow it back to the platform.
Children sing "A baby was born in Bethlehem"
Children sing a verse and chorus of jingle bells then skip back to parents still singing.