Not According to Script
I’m remembering a Children’s Christmas Pageant we had in Phoenix about fifteen years ago. It didn’t go according to script. Not even close.
First, one of our sheep strayed. One-year-old Matthew was just fine up there … for about 30 seconds. Then he spotted his former babysitter sitting in the second row and decided he’d like to go and say Hi, so he crawled down off the pasture, leaving one of his hooves/sandals behind. His sheep sister, Sienna, and one of the shepherds, a girl named Shelby, followed him out into the congregation.
Then one of the remaining sheep got sick. Bless his heart, Anthony tried his best to tough it out but finally left the pasture and made a beeline for the bathroom covering his mouth. His cousin Jonas, a shepherd, came over to me and said, “Pastor David, he ate pop tarts and donuts for breakfast. That’s what made him sick.” Shepherds take note: sugar sickens sheep (Say that five times fast!).
Then it was the wise men’s turn. Our first wise man, a boy named Justin, instead of waiting for the cue to process in with his gift, took off down the aisle at the first note and arrived up front with his gold by the second measure. Not to be outdone or to wait for his cue, our second wise man, Tyler, hurried down with his frankincense. Meanwhile, wise man number #3 had wandered off to the bathroom himself where he probably crossed paths with the sick sheep. By the time he returned, both of his compatriots were gone, leaving him holding the bag (literally) of myrrh in the back of the worship space wondering where the other two had gone. As it turned out, he came in right on time, but since the other two had gotten there early, he appeared to be late.
Stray sheep. Sick sheep. Out-of-sync wise men. Kids’ Christmas pageants never go according to script.
I remember a pageant years ago in NC when we were doing the casting and decided to invite the kids in Miss Faye's kindergarten class to dress up as their favorite animal from the manger scene. It was cute that night to see them herded down the aisle by Miss Faye as we sang "Away in the Manger." We watched as several sheep, cows, and even an ox took their place in proximity to the manger. But then I caught sight of an animal that had squeezed in closest to baby Jesus. I turned to Jennie and asked, "What in the world is Zach supposed to be?"
"A buffalo," she said.
I said, "There's no buffalo in the Christmas story."
She said, "There is tonight."
Our Christmas pageant two weekends ago at Broadway was one of the best I’ve seen in years. Absolutely wonderful. Made me button-popping proud of our kids. But it, too, had its off-script moments, one of which involved 2 ½ -year-old angel Callie who suffered a wardrobe malfunction. Her coat hanger halo would not perch properly atop her head. It insisted on drooping down her forehead over her eyebrows. Not one to put up with a shoddy, frowning halo, Callie vacated her spot among the Heavenly Host, traipsed down the chancel steps, and hastened to the third pew where her mother returned the halo to its proper position, pivoted her little angel, and gently nudged her back toward Bethlehem. The above choreography repeated itself several times. Halo droops. Angel leaves manger for the third pew. Mom tends to angel and sends her back to Bethlehem.
My colleague Terry Overfelt witnessed the littlest angel’s halo malfunction as we all did. Later in worship, for her invitation to the communion table, Terry said, “Life happens. When our haloes get tilted, we have a Mother we can run to who will straighten them, encourage us, then spin us around and send us back into Life restored and renewed.” Truth! That’s the good news according to the script that is Scripture.
This is to say that Christmas pageants rarely go according to script. But here’s the thing: Instead of becoming exasperated with the actors-- with us when we don’t get our lines right, when we don’t speak or act as we’re supposed to, God, the Producer and Director of this long-running pageant called Life, continues to patiently direct us, never giving up on us.
It's amazing how God can redeem things that are not going according to script, Christmas pageants included. I know of a church years ago—205 to be exact-- that planned their annual Christmas Eve Service. They had everything worked out just so. The Pastor and Music Director had written a script and added music to be played on their organ only to discover the morning of the pageant that the organ was inoperable. Mice had chewed through the leatherwork so that the organ was unable to sound. Talk about not going according to script!
So, what did they do? Cancel the service? Throw up their hands and quit? No. The way I understand it, the Pastor and Music Director got together and set about trying to come up with something their congregation could sing on Christmas Eve accompanied by the only instrument they had that worked-- a guitar. So the pastor wrote words and the organist wrote music and on Christmas Eve they introduced it.
I can hear Pastor Mohr now: "Things haven't gone according to script this year, brothers and sisters. But even so, let’s stand and sing a carol that brother Gruber and I wrote for tonight."
So they sang a little piece called, "Silent Night."
Let me just say this: Things don't always go according to script in our lives. Did 2023 go according to script for you? Do you think 2024 will? Not a chance. But fear not, because God can redeem things that aren’t going according to script. That includes not only Christmas pageants, but lives: including your life and mine. And worlds: this one.
“In that region there were shepherds in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night.”
Two of their sheep strayed. One was sick.
And an angel of the Lord with an off-kilter halo appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them. And the angel said, “Fear not if things aren’t going to script. For I bring you good news of great joy that has come for all people. For to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord…”
Merry Christmas, all.
