Join us this Christmas season for the story of a rag-tag bunch of church members who set out to perform a Christmas play, and the director who tried his hardest to just keep it all together!
St. John’s Church – 683 Steelstown Road, Annville, PA 17003
Mary – Sunday, December 6 (8:30 am in-person, 10:30 am in-person & live-stream) When she’s cast as Mary in the church’s production of “The Glory of Christmas” stage play, Heather is convinced it’s only because she’s 31 weeks pregnant. Struggling with her identity as mom of two college-age kids with a new baby on the way, she begins to identify with Mary, realizing that neither of them were prepared for how their plans for the future would be disrupted. Ultimately Heather realizes that Mary trusted God, and she could let go of her plans, her questions, and, like Mary, let the Good Shepherd carry her.
Joseph – Sunday, December 13 (8:30 am in-person, 10:30 am in-person & live-stream) When a young man named Joseph is cast as Joseph in the church’s production of “The Glory of Christmas,” it quickly becomes clear that he has no idea what to do with babies. Ever the optimist, the director, Joel, gives him a few tools to help him learn about caretaking and fatherhood, and points out to Joseph that the man he is depicting from the Bible was also radically underqualified for what he was going to encounter. But God tends to use the most unlikely folks to do the biggest things, because He’s a God who never gives up on us.
The Shepherd – Thursday, December 24 (7:00 pm in-person & live-stream, 9:00 pm in-person) Dan, a formally-trained “prodigy of the theater arts,” is the longest-running cast member, reprising the role of the Shepherd in the “Glory of Christmas” year after year after year after year. Though his method-acting may annoy the other cast members at times, Dan reminds us all that God gave the lowest in the land the highest honor, to share the message of the birth of the Savior.
The Wise Man – Sunday, December 27 (8:30 am in-person, 10:30 am in-person & live-stream) Tony comes across as a know-it-all to everyone else involved in the church’s production of “The Glory of Christmas.” He shares useless facts with everyone, but when he doesn’t know something, he gets “creative” with his answers. But Tony has the kind of heart that understands where the real treasures are, what they are, who they are, and he understands that the King of Kings came first as a lowly Servant.
The Director – Sunday, January 3 (8:30 am in-person, 10:30 am in-person & live-stream) Joel is the director of the church’s production of “The Glory of Christmas.” He’s got the challenging job of holding together his team of rag-tag actors who portray the key characters from the Christmas story. His passion for telling the story of Jesus’ birth is contagious, even though the stress of the production overwhelms him at times. He inspires viewers to consider the nativity story. He asks them the all important question: “Are you willing to kneel at the manger and believe in the miracle of Christmas?”