It really happened!
I wrote a play (with a great deal of help from Matthew, Luke and John, and the kind permission of the folks at Crossway) and I got to see it produced.
My friend Claudia in New Zealand said in the comments of an earlier post that she’d like to see it.
So for Claudia, and for all of you, here it is. Think of it as a Christmas card.
Video of the World Premier!
(The run time is about 20 minutes. The video is a tad longer because I included some introductory words to the congregation, and a prayer.)
I am so proud of the brave members of 1st Presbyterian Church in Dubuque Iowa for volunteering to take part in the “world premier.” It was extremely fun working together to live into the really truly story of Christmas. Thank you!
The Wonder of Direct Feedback
It was a fascinating process for me as a writer. For a very long while, I wrote articles for various publications and chapters for books, and never really knew how they were received.
Then, when Kneeling with Giants came out, social media and email brought direct feedback now and again. That was very very exciting.
But with this play it was much more direct.
- I got to be right in the room with actors as they engaged with my words — or my interweaving of biblical words.
- And I got to be with a congregation as they encountered the script and the embodiment of the action I’d imagined and directed.
That, I have to say, was TOTALLY COOL.
The best comment after the production? Check this out:
I was so blessed. I’ve read the story maybe thousands of times. But I’ve never seen it before!
That is exactly what I was hoping for.
As actors explore how to be the biblical characters and show the biblical story, every one who sees it takes at least a little step deeper into it.
We indwell the story of the coming of the Son of God, the Word made Flesh in the person of Jesus.
Then we find out it is really our story. No matter how dark our world, the Light has come.
And the darkness? Darkness can never overcome it.
This is Immanuel — God with us.
Next Year at Your Church?
If your church is considering putting on a Christmas play next year, I hope you will encourage them to take a look at my Christmas Play. They can see it in action right here on this post.
And they can find out about performance licenses and photocopy permissions by clicking right here.
A Possible Favor?
And if you have read it, performed it, or seen it, would you consider posting a review on Amazon? It is one of the nicest things you can do for an author. You can find the page by clicking here.
(That is an affiliate link by the way.)
Congratulations on a successful showing…χρονία πολλἀ!
It reminds me a bit of some very old traditions in Constantinople. There, they would put on “liturgical” plays from compositions called Kontakia. They were, of course, completely chanted. Today, some of the material from these remains in the hymnography of the Orthodox Church (of course, a large part fo the Christmas hymnography comes from St. Gregory of Nazianzus’ Nativity Sermon).
The more I hear the Christmas story, the more I’m convinced that it’s a theological argument for the Eucharist. The Uncreated and Created come together in Christ, just as the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. The Savior is born in Bethlehem, which means “House of Bread.” After he is born, Christ is laid in a manger, which is a feed trough, which is to say that the one born was born to have his flesh eaten and his blood drank.
It’s interesting…the Orthodox Church is so liturgical (which is to say, “play-like”) that one could say that every Sunday becomes a Christmas play with Christ becoming Incarnate before our eyes. I
t is interesting to note that the rule, which says that priests can only serve one Divine Liturgy in a day, is broken at Christmas. At vespers, we hear the Lukan Nativity story and then immediately the Eucharist is celebrated. Then again, after the Matins, the Divine Liturgy is again celebrated, though this time the Eucharist happens immediately after the reading of the Nativity story from Matthew.
It’s seems as if the liturgical cycle of the Orthodox Church tells us that the appropriate response to hearing the Christmas story is to reenact the incarnation – to celebrate the Eucharist.
When viewed in this way, the Nativity story is saying: Yes God really became man, and this bread and wine before you really is the Body and Blood of Christ, and yes, when you partake if it, you are united to divinity as Christ was united to humanity.
Anyway, some thoughts upon hearing your play.
Thank you for putting a play together that remains loyal to Scripture.
Thanks, Fr. Dustin! Great thoughts on the Nativity and the Eucharist. Very very cool.
Well done! I enjoyed watching from afar very much. I particularly liked how you drew in the wider narrative – including from John’s gospel. And yes, your point at the end – this story now also our story!
Many blessings from the “ends of the earth”
Thank you so much, Claudia! So glad you liked it.
Enjoy your sunny weather down there this Christmas…
All blessings to you and your family. Do give my best to the lectio group!
Because of your settings on Facebook, I wasn’t able to share this with you there.
Here’s an article about “Liturgical Dramas” in Constantinople before Christmas. I thought you’d enjoy:
http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2015/12/an-annual-liturgical-drama-that-took.html
Very cool. I’ll have to give it a closer read.
Have you ever read the journal of Egeria/Etheria? Great witness to early (4th century) liturgical drama in Jerusalem and other holy sites.
It’s been a while, but yes I have! Good stuff.