A Christmas Miracle

"JVs plan and hold an advent service.” That was the assignment Michelle and I were given for December 19 in the dorm calendar. Frightened by the prospect of forced prayer with kids already anxious for break and hyped up by classroom parties with too many candy canes, we decided on the only alternative: a pageant. When we got down to writing the script, we realized we had a great opportunity to let the kids work with scripture. So, after Michelle did the dirty work of consolidating the gospel accounts of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, we opened up the draft to the students. Many of them had pretty insightful and fun responses when they were asked to improvise for their characters. When asked how Mary would have felt when the angel Gabriel told her she would be pregnant, one girl responded “My parents are never going to believe this. What am I going to tell them?” When the innkeeper was asked to improvise his rejection of Joseph, one student offered bluntly “There’s a haystack around the corner.” These emendations, along with others, made the final script.

Then, on the Tuesday before break, we herded the newly-discovered Thespians into the living room of the dorm for a final rehearsal. Disaster seemed to be looming throughout the practice. To start, one of the three wise men nearly knocked Michelle over as she tried to direct from atop a chair. He was rolling around on the floor in a hysterical fit of laughter. Then, when she was asked to open the play by flirting with Joseph, Mary argued that “I’ve tried, but he’s unresponsive.” As those two got over the inevitable awkwardness, others were distracted by their costumes, and a shifty narrator ran off with the doll who would be Jesus. She and the baby made it back just in time for the miracle to begin.

And it was a miracle. With the exception of the one wise guy who laughed uncontrollably at the Holy Family, the play went off without a hitch. Students, teachers, and staff looked on with excitement as they discovered previously unknown talents. And, after their final bows, the actors and actresses were supported with surprised acclamations like “that was actually really, really good.” And, in the greatest endorsement of the night, Joseph Witiw proudly stated that he hadn’t fallen asleep even once during the whole play!