A drama for Christmas, inspired by a short story from ‘Faith, Folk and Nativity’ (Galliard Press) . 

Angels have come to clean the stable, in preparation for the arrival of the Christ Child

 Narrator: And it came to pass, the day before Jesus was born, that the angels all came to Bethlehem to a stable, in the dead of night.

Angel 1: All right gather round all ye angels. I’ve been informed that the biggest event in the entire history of the world is about to happen, right here in this stable tomorrow! And we are here to clean the place up. God’s only Son will be born here!

Angel 2: . But this place is filthy!  It’s a dump! Can’t it be somewhere else? Look at all the litter! And the timing’s bad. Now if it could take place twenty centuries from now, medical care will be so much more advanced. . . and he’ll have had a good welcome into the world.

Angel 1: I’m not sure about that! Right listen up! Let’s get the mops and brooms out. Hey Raphael, go and find some dusters? Michael get some frankincense spray? This stable is putting forth quite a strong aroma!

Angel 2 OK (claps) let’s get going everyone: Pwrrgh! This stable is far too much!  

Angel 1: Well, when the baby is born, we can transport him ‘elsewhere on a wing and a prayer’, somewhere that’s more beneficial to his health!

Angel 2: That frankincense spray’s not making much difference. Should we clean up the animals too? Hose them down?

Angel 1: Just get on with it, do what you can time’s running out.

And listen here all you lot out there (POINTS TO THE SCREEN) and pay attention! We want you to be on your best behaviour tomorrow! This baby that’s going to be born here, is very important! God’s only Son!

Angel 2: What if we run out of time, to sing the Gloria tonight? We’ve been practising it for months now! It’ll just be our luck to end up singing it, to some scrawny shepherds, abiding in their fields, watching over their flocks by night, on that far hillside.

Angel 1: I agree it could be the best musical performance people on this earth will EVER hear, and sadly there may be no connoisseurs to appreciate it.

Angel 2: I don’t know why we couldn’t have sung it in Jerusalem itself. There would’ve been thousands there!

Angel 1: Hang on! I seem to have a message coming through (holds earphone) from the Boss. Yes my Lord. At once Master. It shall be done!

Hold it everyone - orders have just come through…..God wants everything as it was, cobwebs, dirt, dust, smell, litter, everything. Raphael put the dusters back, and Michael STOP SQUIRTING THE FRANKINCENSE. Brooms, mops away; everything must be as it was before, just as if we’d never been here.

Let’s go everyone.

Narrator:. And everything was indeed as it had been before. And the Christ child was born in a humble stable. . .

Since then ‘ALL’ have been invited to welcome the Son of God into their lives. They don’t need stand on ceremony, or even be successful in life. They don’t need to be polished or clean, or even wait until they are good enough.

God calls everyone to receive him, and welcome him, just as they are.