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60866 HOPE, FAITH, JOY, LOVE
Genre: Drama
Time: 2 minutes each
Cast
Breakdown: (M. F): 4M, 3F
Scripture: Luke 1:11-20, 26-38, 39-45; Luke 2:8-20, 21-40
Church
Year
Suggested uses: Appropriate for youth and adult audiences
Purpose: To remind the congregation
of the events before Jesus' birth and to make
hope, faith, joy and
love the focus of Advent
Characters:
Gabriel ~ The Angel; he
is powerful and has a commanding presence
Shepherd ~ He's gruff; not at all refined
Elizabeth ~ Mary's elderly cousin; eight months pregnant; full of joy
Zechariah ~ Elizabeth's husband; he does not speak
Anna ~ Jesus' grandmother; overflowing with a grandparent's love
Simeon ~ Faithful servant of God, waiting in the temple until he sees
Jesus
Anna the Prophetess ~ Widow in the temple with Simeon
SYNOPSIS: These monologues are built around the Advent tradition of lighting a candle each week. Throughout the weeks of Advent, we hear from the Angel Gabriel, a shepherd, Elizabeth, Jesus' grandmother, Simeon and Anna the Prophetess. Each brings a fresh perspective to the season, relating their stories to the themes in the title. If your church doesn't normally use an Advent wreath, look at the Pastor's Notes for more on this worthwhile tradition.
COSTUMES: Biblical garb for all
SETTING: Bare stage
DIRECTING "HOPE, FAITH, JOY, LOVE"
Work with the actors to make these characters real people, not "historical figures." It's important that the audience relate to the emotions expressed by these characters, which is easierif the actors don't get caught up in the "history" of the event. To help your actors inhabit history and a real moment, try the two acting exercises below.
A monologue should still be a conversation, with just one person speaking. Have your actors put marks in the monologues where they feel the natural breaths and pauses would be.
STAGING NOTES
Avoid the "monologue trap" of having the actor walk on stage and stand still. Break each monologue into sections and find appropriate movement for each section. This will keep the monologue flowing and active. See Production Ideas for important information on working with lit candles.
ACTING EXERCISE
Family Circle The cast stands in a circle. Each member of the cast takes turns entering the circle as a favorite relative, friend or teacher from their past. As they walk toward the center of the circle, actors say a single line of dialogue as that character. (It is best to use a phrase often spoken by the person you are imitating. For example, a high school science teacher, Mr. Graves, was noted for saying, "Pop quiz, everyone! Pop quiz!") After the actor says the line, he steps back into place in the circle. When everyone has entered the circle once and established a strong character and line of dialogue, find a starting place in the circle. The starting actor will repeat his character entrance with the same dialogue. Then each of the actors will enter the circle, one at a time, imitating that character and repeating the line the first actor performed. This should be done one person at a time until everyone has "tried on" that character. Continue on to the next actor in the circle and repeat the exercise until all of the characters have been "tried on" by everyone in the circle. This is a great exercise for developing very strong but familiar and real characters.
On Playing an Important
Character
What happens to us actors when we get cast as Mary or Joseph? "Ah, I am playing a historical person. I must
act biblical. I must speak like Charlton Heston and adopt a stiff body posture." It's happened to all of us at least once; we get caught up with the importance of the person and forget she was a person. Kick the habit by setting up two chairs
and asking your actor to sit across from another team member. Now have the actor do her biblical monologue looking into the eyes of her acting partner. By speaking face-to-face, she will get out from under the weight
of a "historical character" and bring a real, conversational quality to the role.
PRODUCTION IDEAS
CANDLES ON THE ADVENT WREATH should be lit as indicated in the script. At the end of the Christmas Eve scene, Simeon and Anna "pass the light" to the congregation. To make this ritual effective and not cumbersome, have ushers hand congregants small candles as they enter. Passing the light is most effective if the actors walk down the center aisle, lighting only the candles of the congregants on the aisle. The congregants in turn light the candle of the person next to them, and so on. If you have a large auditorium, have ushers begin the light on side aisles. Once all candles are lit, dim any house lights so the church is illumined by candles only. This is a great time to sing a familiar carol such as "Silent Night."
Note: Before you plan to make passing the light part of your service, check with a fire marshal. If your space is old or completely carpeted, passing candlelight could be dangerous. Take necessary precautions. Also, rehearse passing the light with the actors in costume. Carrying a lit candle when you're wearing a biblical robe and sandals is a much different feeling than carrying an unlit candle when you're wearing jeans and sneakers.
CHARACTERIZATION
Gabriel: He is a powerful angel with a commanding presence. (Remember, when angels appeared in the Bible, the first thing they usually said was,
"Do not be afraid." They must have been pretty daunting.) There is a difference between the way Gabriel says his
"biblical lines" and his conversation with the audience. We need to see how he was so impressive as to frighten, but we also need to see his compassion.
Shepherd: There are many clues to his character in his lines. Show us why we would be thinking poorly of him, but show us his soft, faithful side, too.
Elizabeth: Though she teases Zechariah, don't turn her into a nag. She really loves him. Remember that both Elizabeth and Zechariah are old. Use age-appropriate actors and borrow an "empathy belly" from a maternity shop or from a childbirth education group for real weight. This will help the actress portray the awkwardness of Elizabeth's condition, especially for her age.
Zechariah: He may not speak verbally, but we should hear a great deal from him nonverbally. Zechariah responds when Elizabeth addresses him, even if he can't make a sound. Be careful not to let him "upstage" Elizabeth, however.
Anna: She is very proud of her daughter and her grandson. When she speaks Scripture, show us how it makes her feel—the love she has for God, for Mary, for her grandchild who will grow up to do great things.
Simeon: He has been waiting a long time for this moment. Ask the actor to think of something very special he has anticipated for a long time (perhaps the birth of his own child) and then multiply that feeling by 1,000. Simeon is old and has been waiting quite a while, but he is faithful and thrilled that God has bestowed this honor upon him. He is filled with joy.
Anna the Prophetess: She, too, has been in the temple a long, long time. Like Simeon, she is filled with joy at being allowed this honor.
WEEK ONE: HOPE
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Now you can listen to a Directors Read-Thru of the script while reading along. Just click on the image to the left for instructions on how to listen. |
GABRIEL ENTERS, holding a lit candle.
GABRIEL
"I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news." This is what I spoke to the priest, Zechariah, when I told him his barren wife, Elizabeth, would have a child in her old age. I told him their child would be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother's womb. He would turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God, and he would be a forerunner to the Messiah, restoring the hearts of fathers to their children and turning the disobedient to righteousness. He would prepare the people for their Savior.
(Pause)
Zechariah didn't believe me. In all fairness, I guess I startled him. But what did he expect? He'd been praying for his wife to have a child and I just came to tell him his prayer had been heard. Because he doubted, God struck him dumb for a while. Don't worry, it all turned out well—when John was born and Zechariah's speech was restored, the people who heard the story said, "What then is this child going to be? For the Lord's hand was with him." They knew.
I also spoke with Mary: "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you!" I told her not to be afraid—that she had found favor with God. Because of this, she would bear a son, and call his name Jesus. "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; his kingdom will have no end.
"Mary was quite gracious. She had a few questions, but listened carefully as I reminded her that nothing is impossible with God. Then she said, quite simply, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."
And it was. So this morning, we light the candle of hope. The announcement for Israel was that their Messiah would arrive soon, the very hope to which they had clung would become flesh and blood.
Lights candle.
The hope that on this baby's hands, one day your name will be inscribed.
Lights Out.
WEEK TWO: FAITH
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Now you can listen to a Directors Read-Thru of the script while reading along. Just click on the image to the left for instructions on how to listen. |
SHEPHERD ENTERS.
SHEPHERD
know what you're thinking. All of you! I know! We're just a bunch of thieves. A bunch of no-good slugs, barely worth the clothes on our backs. Well, you know what? I don't care what any of you think. I'll tell you one thing: shepherding is a skill! (Pause) Fine, fine. Laugh if it will make you feel better. But I'd like to see any of you move the dumbest animal in the world from one place to another. And you probably won't believe this either, but there's something in the air. I know, I know. We're all just a bunch of smelly shepherds—what do we know? (A little pensive) Maybe nothing, I don't know. But sometimes, at night, out in the valley where it's really dark, I look up at the stars and ... and they just seem to twinkle a little brighter, you know what I mean? Of course you don't. If you did, you wouldn't admit it. And that's fine. But I'm telling you, there's something in the air. (Looks around) If I didn't know better, I'd say the Messiah is on his way. I can see him now, riding in on a large horse, breaking down the gates with his brute strength. (Laughs) I may be a dumb old shepherd, but I believe in my God, and I believe he will deliver the Messiah he has promised. Maybe this feeling I'm having is just bad fish. Who knows. But I just can't help thinking something big is about to happen. And the biggest thing that could happen would be the Messiah. So, I light a candle of faith. (Lights candle.) Whether I see him in my lifetime or not, I believe he will come. Still, there's something strange in the air...
Lights Out.
WEEK THREE: JOY
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Now you can listen to a Directors Read-Thru of the script while reading along. Just click on the image to the left for instructions on how to listen. |
ELIZABETH ENTERS, wobbling, cane in hand, very pregnant. ZECHARIAH follows.
ELIZABETH
I'm in my eighth month, if you can believe that. (Chuckling) Well, you better, because my husband didn't and the Lord struck him mute! Right, Zechariah? (Chuckles as ZECHARIAH nods, unable to speak.) I love doing that to him. I was given a child and my husband was struck mute all at once—prayers are answered! (Laughs again.) Yes, times here are joyful. I barely remember the days when I cried and cried because I could not conceive. Joy has a tendency to do that, you know—override all the other emotions. (Pause) You should see the looks I received after I came out of seclusion.
"Oh, Elizabeth, aren't you just ... a miracle!" People didn't know what to say. After all, I'm an old woman. What business do I have bearing a child? Looking like this? (Proudly) Well, apparently the Lord thinks I have plenty of business. (Catching herself:) But more than that, I know the Lord has a purpose for this child. This baby is ... he is ... destined for something. When my relative, Mary, came to see me, this child jumped as if for joy inside my womb. Mary is with child too—conceived as a virgin, a feat greater than mine! You should see her—full of joy and wonder. Right, Zechariah? Just between you and me, I think all of this is more than just an old woman's prayers being answered. (ZECHARIAH nods enthusiastically.) Yes, I think the prayers of an entire people are about to be answered. Prayers for the renewal of joy through the Messiah God has promised to us. (ZECHARIAH nods again.) Today, I light the candle of joy, pink as if blushing, as I did when I found out I was to have a child. (Lights candle.) Joy to the world, our Messiah
comes!
Lights Out.
WEEK FOUR: LOVE
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Now you can listen to a Directors Read-Thru of the script while reading along. Just click on the image to the left for instructions on how to listen. |
ANNA ENTERS.
ANNA
I don't suppose too many people ever thought of the Messiah as having a grandmother. (Pause) Of course, not too many people ever thought of the Messiah coming as a little baby, either. (Pause) Well, he may be the Messiah, but I'm his grandmother and nothing's going to change that. (Smiling to herself) One cannot imagine the love a grandparent has for his or her grandchild until it is experienced. I don't think there's a more joyful love than to see your own child hold her child. To look at her face and know the emotions she is feeling are the same ones you had when you held her so many years
ago.
My Mary, so sweet and innocent. Perhaps that's why she was chosen by our God to bring the Savior into the world. And perhaps our God saw a little faithfulness in her mother, too. (Pause) Mary is visiting our relative, Elizabeth, who is with child in her old age. It would be like me having a child! Who has heard of such a thing? Mary felt it was urgent that she visit Elizabeth, so I let her go. Sweet and innocent, yes, but bull-headed as well!
Mary says the angel of the Lord spoke to her and said she had found favor with God; that she would bear a son and he would be great. He would be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God would give him the throne of his father David; and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will have no end!
A child will be born to us; a son will be given to us; the government will rest on his shoulders. And his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Oh, how I love this child! And how this child will love me, and Israel, and the world!
So I light the candle of love, in celebration of the love of children and parents and grandparents who will come to know the greatest love, the greatest gift of all, the Messiah of Israel. (Lights candle.) He is the Savior of the world, but he will always be my grandson.
Lights Out.
CHRISTMAS EVE: THE
CHRIST CANDLE
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Now you can listen to a Directors Read-Thru of the script while reading along. Just click on the image to the left for instructions on how to listen. |
ANNA THE PROPHETESS and SIMEON ENTER. They carry unlit candles.
ANNA THE PROPHETESS
(To audience) I was married for seven years, and have been a widow for
84 years. My name is Anna, and my prayers—our prayers—have been
answered in the form of a tiny baby. I never left the temple. I have
prayed night and day for the redemption of Israel. I have fasted, waiting
for him to arrive. Behold, the Savior is born. (She lights her candle from
the lit Hope candle.)
The Savior of the world arrived
tonight. The Savior of Israel. The Lord told me, "Simeon, you will not die
until you see my Son—until you see his face." I held him in my arms
today, and I praised God. (He lights his candle from the Faith candle.)
Lord, let your servant die
In peace, according to your word
For my eyes have seen your salvation
Which you have prepared in the presence of all people.
A light of revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of your people, Israel.
SIMEON
Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in
Israel and for a sign to be opposed to the end—and a sword will pierce
even your own soul—that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
BOTH
And his light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overtake
it. Amen.
As the lights onstage fade, SIMEON and ANNA THE PROPHETESS move through the congregation, passing the light.
THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR
You may find it helpful to key in on the varying personality types in these characters. Gabriel is indeed a strong and powerful witness to the mighty work God has done by placing the Savior among ordinary people to become one of them. The shepherd distinctly shows how even the more gruff person can exhibit a stubborn faith and be a witness. Elizabeth's surprise and joy at being with child offer us an example of gratitude for the amazing, unbelievable gifts that God gives to us—and hers is no less amazing than the gift of forgiveness and salvation we are given. Anna dwells on the others God has chosen to carry out his plan, loving them and knowing that they are who she lived her life to raise. Anna the Prophetess and Simeon point specifically to the Christ-child, the Messiah, the One for whom all the others are only stepping-stones, and they are both fulfilled in him. And so it is with us as we reach the climax of the Christmas season. Among all the trappings, among all the characters we see and hear who make up the story, we finally arrive at the Christ-child's manger—and it is here that we find the salvation promise to and through all the others. And as Anna the Prophetess and Simeon say together at the end of their appearance, the light found in this Christ-child overcomes the darkness and will always overcome it, because His birth is specifically for the purpose of bringing salvation to all mankind.
If your church doesn't practice the tradition of the Advent wreath, consider adding it this year. For Christians, the circular shape of the wreath and the evergreens used to construct it represent the eternal nature of God. There are four candles around the wreath, three violet and one rose. Each Sunday, another candle is lit as we focus on a different aspect of Christ's coming. By the fourth Sunday, all four candles are lit. The first candle represents hope; the second, peace; the third, love; the fourth, joy. A white candle, placed in the center of the wreath, is lit on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to point to Christ as the true Light of the world.
STUDY/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1) The characters presented in this drama seem to exhibit different personality types. How can we show our faith through whatever personality type we happen to be?
2) Which character type did you like the best? Which character type did you feel was the closest to your own personality? Why?
3) What is a common thread among each of the characters that leads us to the Christ-child?
4) The candles we light for Advent are about more than just looking pretty and shiny. What does the light shining in the darkness say about the need we have for Christ in the world today?
5) What opportunities do we have in the Christmas season to shine that light in the darkness toward others who may need it or not be as familiar with it? What will encourage us to do this more readily?
MUSIC LINKS
FOR SCRIPT 60866
HOPE, FAITH, JOY, LOVE
Performance Song Ideas
"The Savior Has Become My Son Tonight"
(Prophecy fulfilled) Worshiptoday.com
Musical Style: Medium
"Love Has Come"
(hope) As performed by Amy Grant, from the album, A Christmas Album on A&M
records
Musical Style: mid-tempo pop
"You Are Emmanuel"
(Christ with us) As performed by Truth from the album, You Are Emmanuel on Integrity Music
Records
Musical Style: mid-tempo
"God So Loved the World"
(God's love) As performed by Jaci Velasquez from the album, For God So Loved The World (compilation) on Word Entertainment
Records
Musical Style: mid-tempo
Choruses
"Lord, I Lift Your Name on High"
(God's plan) R. Founds
Musical Style: up tempo
"Meekness and Majesty"
(Christ coming in the flesh) G. Kendrick
Musical Style: medium
"You Have Been Given"
(adoration) B. Kauflin
Musical Style: ballad
"Forever Grateful"
(God's plan) M. Altrogge
Musical Style: ballad
Hymns
"Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus"
(Advent) C. Wesley; R. Prichard
Musical Style: lilting 3/4 time
"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"
(Advent) Latin Hymn; T. Helmore (adapt.)
Musical Style: mid-tempo, minor key
"Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence"
(Advent) G. Moultrie; French melody, 17th century
Musical Style: free tempo, haunting
"As With Gladness Men of Old"
(Advent; commitment) W. Dix; C. Kocher
Musical Style: medium
.GIF)
Performance
and photocopying rights:
Your purchase of this script grants your church unlimited use of these
sketches within your programs and worship services. You may photocopy the
script for each cast member in your church. Scripts and performance rights
are not transferable between churches and cannot be resold. You may not
use the sketches for any commercial or fundraising purpose, and usage
rights do not extend to video, radio, television or film.
Copyright © 2000 by Rene Gutteridge
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