Christmas Believers

Christmas program becomes an inconvenience.

The coach of the school basketball team is not impressed! The theme of the church Christmas program is "believing." Individual segments speak of how for centuries people firmly believed that a Messiah would come, another shows the strong belief that Jesus would rise from the dead, and another showed the faith of Mary and Joseph who believed the message of the angel.

The final segment is a human video, (mime to music), of the song "Mary Did You Know" (written script only, no music or video supplied).

Cast: 15 speaking parts, offstage VOICE OF Jesus (VOJ), crowd.
Bible Reference: Luke 2
Set: 2 scenes: Scene 1 in school gym, Scene 2 in church gym, very little set design needed
Sound: wireless mics where possible
Song: Amy Grant's "Mary Did You Know" song, music is not included in script
Lighting: standard
SFX: none
Props:
Costumes: sports uniforms, traditional costumes for finale
Special Instructions:
Time: 60

Scene I – School Gymnasium
Coach and several players are standing around, coach looking at his watch, glancing
offstage, getting more and more frustrated

Coach: I am about fed up! Kids beg to be on the team, say, “Oh, yeh, you can
count on me, I’ll be at all the practices!”  Yeh, right, every phoney excuse from piano lessons to Aunt Maude’s got the hiccups!

(yells at Billie)

Hey Billie, you seen Tommy anywhere?

Billie: Should be here any minute Coach, I think his youth group should be leaving the church right about now.

Coach: Church youth group? Surely Tommy knows there’s a game Wednesday, surely it’s not gonna toast anybody to miss one church thingie. And where is Seth?

Terry: Seth’s practicing for the Sunday School Christmas drama, likely won't be here tonight is my guess.

Coach: Well if that don’t just beat all! Now it’s Sunday school. Would it be too much to ask that the Sunday school practice be on . . . duh! . . . . Sunday?

Helen and Alex come on stage

Coach: Well at least we got “The man,” Alex! Hey guy, how’s it goin’ tonight?
Alex, looking at Helen, uncomfortable:  Uh, it’s . . ah, OK, I guess.

Coach: Mrs. French, good to see you, thanks for bringing Alex out, gotta tell you,
your son  is gettin’ to be a power player on the team, glad to have him is
what.

Helen: Well actually Coach Anderson, I came tonight because I have to talk to
you about Alex’s . . . . . .

Alex, begging: Please Mom!

Coach: Is there a problem with Alex? Look we can work things around I am sure if we just work together, all will be . . . .

Helen: Well I hope so, it’s just that Alex tells us that you are scheduling practices every Sunday morning and . . .

Coach: Yeh, Sunday seems to work best for most kids . . . and for me to, for a fact, so . . . . 

Helen: Well, unfortunately Sunday morning practices will conflict with church
service and we just aren’t prepared to forego church, it is too important in
our family.

Coach: Hey listen, Alex’s a great little player, we all want what's best for him, we can work things out, maybe once a month, once every 6 weeks Alex gets to go to church, I mean I want what's best for the kid, same as you do Mrs.
French, for a fact!

Helen: Yes, well yes, Coach Anderson, Alex’s dad and I definitely do want what's
best for Alex, and we believe that on Sundays what's best for Alex is
church. 

Coach: I got no argument with that Mrs. French, like I say, have Alex miss practice every month or so, stay in touch with his friends at church.

Helen: Well Brad Rice’s mom told me you had told her that Brad must attend every Sunday practice or he would be removed from the team.

Coach: And so I did, but Brad he’s a small kid, not much in the way of skills, only
way he can learn the game is work extra hard in practice. Alex on the other
hand, he’s a natural basketball player if I ever seen one. He can afford to
miss a practice here and there, go to church, so long as it doesn’t get to be
a habit.

Helen, smiling: Well, fact is Coach Anderson, Alex’s dad and I are quite eager that
attending church become very much of a habit, now and throughout his life.

Coach, getting annoyed: Look here, do you have any idea how tough it is, trying to bow to every mom’s wishes for their little darlin’? Fact is, there’s just not enough days
in the week to look after everyone’s demands!

(softening, smiling)

Look, what I meant to say is, we both want what's best for your son.
Helen: Yes, I hope we do, and much as Alex would like to play basketball, and as
much as his dad and I want to support that, if we must choose between
basketball and spiritual training, what's best for Alex is and always will be
spiritual training. 

Image by Michelle Raponi from Pixabay