Tell the story VERY LOUD #nativity #poetry #God #church

Tonight's the night to tell a story
The tale of the first Christmas day
It's a story you might have heard
But we're telling it a different way

We need your help to tell our story
To be the people near and far
We'll come to you when it is your turn
Guided by the brightest star

The brightest star will show you words
Words for you to shout out loud
This is how we’ll tell our story
We need you, our nativity crowd

Here's a trial for us to warm up
Read the words together loud
"We are the nativity crowd
We tell the story VERY LOUD!"


Act one - Angel Gabriel visits Mary

Our story starts in Nazareth
A small town miles from anywhere
Mary is outside her house
Chatting to God in quiet prayer

Suddenly an angel appears
Stands beside our Mary here
The angel says, not loud, but clearly
"Hello Mary, do not fear!"

Mary sits and rubs her eyes
Is that an angel here on earth?
The angel says "You'll have a baby
To God's baby you'll give birth"

"OK" says Mary in confusion
"OK" says Mary wondering how
"OK" says the Angel fading slowly
"All will be well" his parting vow

Read the words upon the star
The words of angel Gabriel
"Mary you will have a baby
Do not fear, all will be well"

Now it's your turn once again
Read the words together loud
"We are the nativity crowd
We tell the story VERY LOUD!"


Act two - Angel Gabriel visits Joseph

In a house not far away
Joseph lay, fast asleep
When a bright light shone upon him
Woke him from his dreaming deep

"Hello Joseph" said a voice
"I'm an angel here to tell
Mary's going to have a baby
I promise you it will be well"

"A baby, really?" Joseph asked
"How on earth can that be?"
"Trust in God" said the angel
"And go and marry your Mary"

When morning came bright early
Joseph went to see Mary
They shared what each had been told
They were going to have God's baby

Read the words upon the star
The words about a baby boy
"We are going to have a baby
He will fill the world with joy"

Now it's your turn once again
Read the words together loud
"We are the nativity crowd
We tell the story VERY LOUD!"


Act three - No room in the Inn

Six months passed and it was time
To be registered at your family home
So Mary and Joseph found a donkey
And travelled all the way to Bethlehem

Mary was due to have her baby
She needed somewhere safe to stay
But all the hotels were full
There was nowhere she could lay

They knocked on every single door
"We are full" was all they heard
"Every room is gone" they said
Where would Mary now give birth?

Eventually, one inn keeper
Offered the stable safe and warm
Mary had a place to stay
And that was where Jesus was born

Read the words upon the star
Words about a stable birth
"Jesus born amongst the animals
A baby bringing peace on earth "

Now it's your turn once again
Read the words together loud
"We are the nativity crowd
We tell the story VERY LOUD!"


Act four - Shepherds are visited by Angels

Meanwhile on a hillside
Outside of Bethlehem
Shepherds were round a fire
Checking the sheep around them

When suddenly the angels
Appeared from heaven above
"Tidings of good news for you
For all people we send God's love"

"Follow us" said the angels
"Come visit a new baby born
He's lying in a simple manger
He is God's only son"

"He's born for you and everyone
To give love and save you all"
The shepherds knelt down in front of him
Worshipped in the manger stall

Read the words upon the star
Words from shepherds add they fell
"We saw a baby born for all
This is a story we must tell"

Now it's your turn once again
Read the words together loud
"We are the nativity crowd
We tell the story VERY LOUD!"


Act five - Kings follow a star

Many, many, many.....
Many, many miles away
Wise men in the east looked at the stars
Interpreted what they had to say

They could see a king had been born
A mighty king and true
They set off with camels to visit him
How far away they had no clue

For years they journeyed onwards
Following a star that led them on
Kept going knowing they had to
Never doubting they could be wrong

Eventually they arrived at the place
Brought gifts to Jesus the king
Gold, myrrh and frankincense
To the one brought to save everything

Read the words upon the star
The words from men so wise "This king is born for everyone
We found out from the skies"

Now it's your turn once again
Read the words together loud
"We are the nativity crowd
We tell the story VERY LOUD!"


Conclusion

Tonight we told a story
The tale of the first Christmas day
It's a story that you've now heard
We hope you liked it our way

We need your help to share the story
Tell it to people near and far
From now on it is your turn
Just keep following the star

Read the words upon the star
Read them now, remember them
"Jesus brought great light to the world
From a stable there in Bethlehem "

Now it's your turn for the last time
Read the words together loud
"We are the nativity crowd
We tell the story VERY LOUD


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This poem is now available as a kindle book.
To order a copy click on the image below

Christmas with a king #jesus #nativity #homegroup

We are just 2 weeks from Christmas now, so tonight I thought we could again think about the true meaning of Christmas and especially about what it was like for the wise men who journeyed following a star to visit the new born king.

Matthew 2:1-12  (CEV)
The Wise Men
When Jesus was born in the village of Bethlehem in Judea, Herod was king. During this time some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem and said, “Where is the child born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard about this, he was worried, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem.  Herod brought together the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses and asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?”

They told him, “He will be born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet wrote,
’Bethlehem in the land of Judea,
you are very important among the towns of Judea.
From your town will come a leader,
who will be like a shepherd for my people Israel.’”

Herod secretly called in the wise men and asked them when they had first seen the star.  He told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, let me know. I want to go and worship him too.”

The wise men listened to what the king said and then left. And the star they had seen in the east went on ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.   They were thrilled and excited to see the star.

When the men went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they knelt down and worshipped him. They took out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh and gave them to him.   Later they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they went back home by another road.

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1. Who were these wise men?
They came from the east, probably from persia or babylon or through the arabian desert; they were men who examined the skies and knew the movements of the stars.

2.  Why were these foreigners chosen?
It matters that Jesus was visited by foreigners, by people outside of his Jewish faith.  This is a sign of his coming for everyone across the globe.  It also matters because the wise men saw something different, something unexpected and they knew that this was a sign which they had to follow; this was the bringing of people from across the world to Jesus.

3. What does it mean that Jesus is a King?
We might think of Jesus the baby, the gift to the world.
We might think of Jesus the teacher, telling us how to live.
We might think of Jesus the resurrected, forgiving us all our sins.
But we also need to remember that Jesus is our King; the King for all who rules us and guides us and leads us in our lives.

4.  How can we accept Jesus as our ruler and king?
How can we live with this idea of being ruled and led this christmas?
Does this make our christmas celebrations mean something different?

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Prayer
Let us hand over to Jesus all our worries about Christmas as it approaches at full speed.  Let us ask him to still our minds and quiet our hearts and know that Christmas is about love and celebration that Jesus is our king born to be with us always no matter what terrifying circumstances we might find ourselves in.