Cast: shepherd 1, shepherd 2, angel, choir of angels
(Two shepherds holding staffs standing at one end of the stage)
S1: Man, this is such a lousy job! Sheep are so stupid, and this job is so boring, and I’m freezing out here! Could there be a worse job than looking after sheep?
S2: Um, how about cleaning latrines?
S1: Yeah, I guess that would be worse. But this is still pretty bad. You know what I hate about this job?
S2: What?
S1: The boss doesn’t trust us.
S2: Yeah, that’s bad!
S1: The boss is always accusing us of sleeping on the job.
S2: Yeah!
S1: And stealing sheep for our own food.
S2: Yeah!
S1: And running away when we see a wolf or a lion.
S2: Yeah!
S1: And not caring about the sheep at all. (kicks an imaginary sheep)
S2: Yeah! … But wait a minute, we don’t care about the sheep, do we?
S1: That’s not the point.
S2: And we do sleep on the job, and we do steal some sheep for our own food, and we do run away when we see a wolf or a lion.
S1: Yeah, but that’s not the point. The boss should trust us! (kicks another sheep)
S2: Oh, yeah.
S1: Man, if I could get another job, I would, but there’s no other jobs!
S2: I just wish half my pay didn’t go to tax collectors!
S1: No kidding! Nobody trusts us, nobody cares about us, and nobody gives us a decent life!
(The LED pulpit lights are turned on and an angel steps to the middle of the stage under the lights.)
S1: Whoa! Who are you?!
A: Don’t be afraid. I’m here to bring you fantastic news for everybody. Today, in Bethlehem, the Savior of the world has been born!
S2: In Bethlehem? In that little village over there? (pointing)
A: Yep.
S1: Not in the palace in Jerusalem?
A: No, right here in little Bethlehem.
S2: But Bethlehem doesn’t have a palace. Where’s the baby?
A: In a barn.
S1: A barn? You’ve got to be kidding.
A: I’m not kidding. If you go to Bethlehem right now and start checking out all the barns you’ll find a newborn baby wrapped in strips of rags, lying in a cattle trough.
S2: The savior of the world is in a cattle trough?
A: Yes, he’s the messiah, and he’s the lord of all.
S1: I know you’re glowing and all that, but this is just a little bit hard to believe.
A: Maybe you’ll believe them. (points to choir of angels assembling on other end of stage)
C: (singing “Hark! The herald angels sing”) Hark, the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king. Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled. Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies. With angelic host proclaim: Christ is born in Bethlehem. Hark, the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king! (choir and angel depart)
S2: Well that was unexpected!
S1: I don’t get it. Why would angels come to us, to shepherds, to tell us this news? Nobody cares about us. We’re nobodies.
S2: Maybe God cares about us.
S1: That’s hard to believe.
S2: Well let’s go to Bethlehem and see if we find a baby in a cattle trough. Maybe it’s true after all.
S1: Do you think we should just leave all these sheep out here unattended?
S2: Sure, we do it all the time! (both exit)