I don’t know who first thought to dress children as shepherds and wise men and have them play the Nativity story. Charles Shultz took over an established practice for A Charlie Brown Christmas, which was an instant hit. Many churches follow the custom.
Our children’s Christmas musical, Jesus, Light of the World, took place last Sunday at both morning services. The program alternated a narration of the Christmas story with solos and several anthems sung by the whole ensemble. Twenty-eight children took part, some dressed in biblical costumes for their parts, and the rest wearing burgundy T-shirts with the musical’s logo printed on them. Children played handbells and percussion instruments during two of the numbers.
The stage featured a free-standing door to the left, the Inn, and the manger in the center. To the right, the leaders had draped the high pulpit with brown tarps to make a pretend outcropping of rock. At the appropriate time, an angel rose from behind the rock and addressed two shepherds below with the news of Christ’s birth.
Attendance was high for both services. Everyone left the sanctuary with smiles on their faces. One man turned to me and said, “I wish we could keep this Christmas spirit all year long.” Maybe for adults, seeing children at play like this awakens something long dormant inside.
