Christmas Theatre Show

PRECIOUS GIFT – written by Tanis Harms

TOPIC:        Jesus is the gift of salvation from God
SCRIPTURE:    Gen.22:1-13, Matt.2:11, Luke 21:1-4,
.             John 12:3, Rom.6:23, Eph.2:8-9,
.             1 Peter 3:18, Heb.11:4
Cast:         CHILD 1-7
Set & Props:  chairs, Bible
1 Maria
2 Elias
3 Aida
4 Daniel
5 Miriam
6 Edi
7 ? Jk

SCRIPT:

(CHILDREN enter and see the Bible on the podium.

Curious, they approach it.)

Maria   Someone left their Bible here.

Elias   It’s just a book.

Maria   No it’s not.  These are God’s words.

Elias   God wrote the book?

Maria   Yes, using men and through holy inspiration.

Elias   WHO is it for?

Maria   For everyone.

Elias   It’s still just a book.

Maria   The words in this book tell us

.     about God’s gift to us.

Elias   We get a gift?

Maria   Only if we accept it.

Elias   I like gifts.

Aida   Me too.  So how do we get it?

Daniel   Remember when Jesus came to earth as a baby?      2

Aida   You mean the Christmas story?

.     Isn’t that story only good for Christmas time?

Daniel   I think it’s good for anytime.

.     Jesus is God’s only Son.

Aida   I thought Jesus – is God?

Daniel   Yeah, God came down to earth –

.     in a man’s body – as the Son of God.
.     Anyway, people brought gifts to Him.
.     The magi came with gold, and
.     frankincense and myrrh.

Aida   I have a gold chain I could give.

Miriam   Oh, do you remember the woman, Mary,

.     who gave Jesus some very expensive perfume?

Aida   I could get some perfume too, I guess.

Elias   Too much for me.  I can’t afford anything

.     like that.

Edi   There was that part in the Bible

.     where rich people were giving lots of money
.     to the church.  And then a poor widow
.     only gave a few copper coins.
.     Jesus said that this woman put in more
.     than all of them because
.     she put in everything that she had.

Elias   Everything?  That takes a lot of guts.

Jozsi   Talking about guts – Abraham was

.     going to sacrifice his only son, Isaac.

Elias   You mean – kill him?

Jozsi   Yeah.  Well, Abraham was totally willing

.     to do that for God – but then God provided
.     a sheep for the sacrifice.
Maria   Back in the Old Testament times, people would
.     give sacrifices –
.                                                       3
Elias   Why?  Why would they do that?

Maria   To – cover their sins.  Romans 6:23 says that

.     “The wages of sin is death-“

Elias   What?  Sounds gruesome!

Jozsi   Or the people in the Old Testament times

.     would give sacrifices to show their thankfulness.
.     Like with Abel.  His gift of sacrifice
.     was better than Cain’s because Abel gave it
.     in faith, and with the right attitude.
.     But Abel’s sacrifice was the best
.     from the crops that he was growing.

Elias   So instead of sacrificing one of my pets, I could

.     just give God some fruit and vegetables?

Maria   No, we’re missing point here.

.     Let me finish reading Romans 5:23,
.     “For the wages of sin is death,
.     but the FREE gift of God is eternal life
.     in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Aida   Okay, so what does that really mean?

Maria   We are all sinners.  And where there is sin,

.     there is death.  But Jesus died for us.
.     So if we accept Jesus as our Lord – we will have
.     the gift of God – which is eternal life.

Elias   But – what do we need to give – in order to

.     get that?  I don’t have very much to give.

Aida   I can give quite a bit.

.     My parents are super rich.

Maria   Nobody has enough.

Aida   What do you mean?

Maria   All the riches in the world are not enough.

Aida   Then we’re all doomed?

(CHILD 7 pages through the Bible to find Eph.2:8-9.)

.                                                       4
Jozsi   Let me read you something else, Ephesians 2:8-9,
.     “For by grace you have been saved through FAITH;
.     and that not of yourselves, it is the GIFT of God;
.     not as a result of WORKS so that no one may boast.”

Maria   It is a gift of God.  It is totally free.

.     All you have to do is have faith.

Elias   Ah, what about all those sins and death –

.     that you were talking about?

Jozsi   Jesus died for all our sins.  THAT is the gift.
.     1 Peter 3:18 says, “For Christ also died for sins
.     once for all, the just for the unjust,
.     so that He might bring us to God,
.     having been put to death in the flesh,
.     but made alive in the spirit.”

Elias   That is the best gift anyone could ever give.

Maria   You just have to decide if you want to accept it.

Aida   I suppose the question is – why wouldn’t you?

BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT EVER – written by Tanis Harms
TOPIC:        the Christmas gift, salvation
SCRIPTURE:    Eph.2:8; James 1:17
Style:        drama/conversation: teens discuss
.             the gift-giving process of Christmas
Cast:         PENNY, SIMON, TEENS 1-2
.      NOTE:  with more actors, you can reassign and/or
.             split TEEN lines as it makes sense
Set & Props:  chairs, schoolbooks, paper, pen

SCRIPT:
Penny - Andreea
Simon – Elias
Teen 1 – Daria K
Teen 2 - Miriam

(SIMON and TEENS sit around “trying” to study,

when PENNY enters a school classroom and looks around.)

ELIAS    (mocking a teacher’s voice)  are you ready?!

ELIAS    what a stupid homework! Why do we need to do this? I hate

homework..

ANDREEA    What is it?  

DARIA K   (casually)  it’s useless, that’s what it is

MIRIAM   (saying it hoping kids would ask)

.        We’re supposed to write an essay about
.        the best CHRISTMAS present we’ve ever got.

ELIAS    Which I objected to.

.      

ANDREEA  Did you get out of having to do the assignment?

ELIAS    No. The teacher is so hard on us...

ANDREEA    Seems like a pretty easy topic.

MIRIAM   Totally easy!  No contest!  Last Christmas –

.        I got a phone!  And not just any phone –
.        a shiny, - 2021 - (make the year current)
.        Iphone!

DARIA K   Sweet.
MIRIAM   Yeah, it was.  I’m just curious how
.        my parents are going to top that THIS year.

ELIAS    You actually expect your parents to top that?

MIRIAM   Of course!  ‘Cause that’s how we roll!

.        I always get what I want.

DARIA K   I’m afraid to ask what you want next.

MIRIAM   It just better start with the letter “SEE”ing

.        and ending with the letter “EEUUU”rope. (a trip to Europe –
seeing Europe)

ELIAS    If I ever dared to hint at such a thing-

.        well, I’d be crazy to hint at such a thing.
.        Might as well say the planet Mars!  My parents
.        already think that I’m from another planet.
.        Huh!  I think THEY’RE from another planet.

MIRIAM   So - your family doesn’t celebrate

.        anything at this time of year?

ELIAS    Celebrate?  No!  We do traditional things like-

.        ARGUE!  We argue about how the tree
.        should be decorated – then argue about who
.        has to take it down.  The adults argue about
.        who should clean what and what to cook  The kids argue
.        about who should sit at the adult table.
.        We pretty much argue about everything.

MIRIAM   So you DO get gifts?

ELIAS    Yeah.

MIRIAM   And?

ELIAS    They’re okay.  We’ll always get the latest     3

.        electronic gadget and other stuff like that.
.        Mom and Dad make sure they spend a bit of money
.        on us so they don’t feel guilty about
.        ignoring us for the rest of the year.

(ANDREEA pulls out some paper and begins to write.)

DARIA K   At least you get cool gifts.  Mine are always-
.        practical.  It’s hard to act surprised when
.        you always get a Tee-shirt and socks.  Or-
.        (mock surprise)  SOAP?  How did you ever guess
.        I had an issue with wanting to stay clean?

ELIAS    Well, I’d probably appreciate my gifts

.        a lot more if I thought they cared.

(ELIAS notices ANDREEA writing.)

ELIAS    Looks like someone has something to write about.

MIRIAM   Just curious, Penny, because I know your

.        family doesn’t have much – and you get
.        permission to come to school late because
.        your dad’s in the hospital again.

DARIA K   (annoyed with TEEN 2 and cuts in)

.        Well?  What’s YOUR best Christmas gift?

ANDREEA    (looking up)  Oh, ah, well, it would be –

MIRIAM   Doesn’t sound like you think it’s that great.

ANDREEA    Oh, it’s the greatest!  There’s nothing

.        that could ever compare with it.

MIRIAM   So?  Do tell!

ANDREEA writes. All is quiet.

MIRIAM   (to ANDREEA)  Continue, please.  I’m still curious

.        to hear how some Christmas baby- could be better
.        than a new phone.

ELIAS    Well, I must object, here.  Now we ARE

.        talking about religion and ritual.

ANDREEA    Except that it’s way more than a religion

.        or a ritual.  And this gift is given with
.        love – which goes beyond any kind of love
.        we could ever have anywhere else.

MIRIAM   (to PENNY)  Like money? Is that what you’re talking about?

ANDREEA    Ah, no.  It’s the gift of life – actually.

.        Eternal life.

MIRIAM   I’m confused.

ANDREEA    Sorry.  I’m way better at writing things out   5

.        than explaining something.  I’ll try again.  
.        God loves us so much that He sent His only Son,
.        Jesus, to earth – to die for us-

DARIA K   The baby died?!

ANDREEA    No!  The baby grew up.  Ugh, the Bible says-

ANDREEA    Well, ah, the Bible - tells us about our-

.        well- tells us - so much, really!

MIRIAM   Penny!  The amazing gift?

ANDREEA    Yeah, Jesus came to die for our sins,

.        so we can have God as our Heavenly Father
.        and have eternal life.

MIRIAM   Eternal life?  Like, the fountain of youth?

.        My mom would LOVE that!

ANDREEA    Kind of.  So much comes with that one gift:
.        God’s forgiveness, grace, love, purpose,
.        strength, peace, joy-

ELIAS    Joy?  Even though your dad’s in the hospital?

ANDREEA    God always provides what us with what we need,

.        even when times are tough.  ESPECIALLY when
.        times are tough.  We do not have to be afraid
.        or worry about anything.

DARIA   So what about this Christmas-baby-stuff, then?

ANDREEA    Christmas is just a time when we CELEBRATE

.        God coming to earth for the purpose of
.        saving us.  One can accept this gift any time.

DARIA K   Interesting.  Still need more info.            6

ANDREEA    The Bible explains everything you need to know.

.        And you’re definitely welcome to come
.        to our church where we learn more about God,
.        and we sing, and encourage each other.

DARIA K   Interesting talk, guys!

MIRIAM   Whatever.  I STILL want to go to Europe!

(KIDS head for the tarin, while

ELIAS lingers behind in order to talk to
ANDREEA privately.)

ELIAS    Hey, ah, can you tell me - where I can get

.        one of those Bibles?  I just want to
.        check it out for myself - maybe.
ANDREEA    Sure.(EXIT.)