As written by Arthur Schwabe
NARRATOR
God was looking down from heaven into the world one day. He shook his head. He just couldn’t believe it. The world seemed to be going insane. Men were killing each other in war. People were robbing and stealing and doing all kinds of mean things. There was also a lot of greed in the world. Some people had houses that were too large for them, with more clothes than they could wear, and too much food to eat, so that they became very wasteful.
Many others had very poor houses. Some were naked and many were hungry and starving. The people with plenty did not seem to care for those who were poor. They never thought of sharing.
Soon the poor people of the world decided that they must rise up and take their share of the world’s goods from the rich. Even little children were quarreling among themselves. There seemed to be no peace or love left in the world.
Just then God’s Son came into the throne room.
GOD: I just don’t know what I am going to do to change people. It looks like I am going to have to send someone down to earth to show people how to be human. I must teach them how to love each other and share with each other, instead of being the greedy hateful people they are now.
JESUS: Who do you think you could send to earth? Who could teach man the lessons of love?
GOD: I have been thinking about that. In fact, I have someone in mind who could do exactly what needs to be done. I would like to send you down to earth to teach people how to love each other.
JESUS: How could I do that?
GOD: Maybe you could lay aside all your privileges and powers as My Son, and you could go down to earth and be born into a family like any other child. Maybe you could live in a little village. In fact I would like to see you born into a very poor family, so that the poorest of men and women and children could know that you understand their needs and feel their pain.
JESUS: I would like to do that. Do you have any family in mind?
GOD: Yes I do have a family in mind. There is a young woman named Mary who is a very beautiful and good person. She is engaged to a young Carpenter named Joseph. They live in a little town in the poor province of Nazareth in Northern Judea. Perhaps you could be their firstborn.
JESUS: That sounds great. I would like to be Mary and Joseph’s son. But, how would the people in the world know who I was and why I came to earth?
GOD: That would be a good job for Archangel Michael. He likes to blow his trumpet and make announcements. In fact he could take his Angel Choir with him. They have been working so hard on some songs.
They could go down and sing to the world the story of your birth. In fact, I would like to see them go to the hills of Judea ,where there are many poor shepherds who are minding their small herds of sheep. I would like to have the poor people hear the good news about your coming first.
READER 1:
God began to carry out his plan, and things began to happen on earth.
At that time Emperor Augustus sent out an order for all the citizens of the Empire to register for the census. Joseph went from the town of Nazareth, in Galilee, to Judea, to the town of Bethlehem, where King David was born. He went to register himself with Mary, who was promised in marriage to him. She was about to have a child, and while they were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to have her baby. She gave birth to her first son and wrapped him in clothes and laid him in manger
READER 2:
Then the second part of God’s plan unfolded.
There were some shepherds in that part of the country who were spending the night in the fields, taking care of their flocks.
And the angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone over them. They were terribly afraid, but the angel said to them: “Don’t be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people.
This very night in David’s town your Savior was born — Christ the Lord. This is what will prove it to you. You will find a baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger.
READER 1
Suddenly a great choir of Heaven’s angels appeared with the angel, singing praises to God: “Glory to God in the highest heaven! And on earth goodwill to all men with whom he is pleased!”
The shepherds came back, singing praises to God for all they had heard and seen. It had been just as the angel had told them.
READER 2
Soon afterwards some men who studied the stars came from the east to Jerusalem, and asked: “Where is the baby born to be king of the Jews? The chief of the priests and the teachers of the Law said: “In the town of Bethlehem in Judea!” The men said, “This is what the prophets wrote.”
With this they left, and on their way they saw the star — the same one that they had seen in the East. It went ahead of them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
How happy they were, what gladness they felt, when they saw the star. They went into the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary. They knelt down and worshipped him; then they opened their bags and offered him presents: gold, frankincense and myrrh.
God warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod, so they went back home by another way.
This is the story of how God’s Son, Jesus, became a person like us, so that he could show us how to live as God’s people in the world.
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