Christmas Family Service – Search for a Superhero
WELCOME and arrival of Peace Light
CALL TO WORSHIP
SONG 1- The First Noel
PRAYER and LORD'S PRAYER
2 hand held mics required
1: Ready? Turns camera on and runs back to position
2: is it on?
1: Yes.
2: Well go on then...
1: Don't worry, we'll edit this bit out later...Good morning, I'm Chick McKay...
2: And I'm John Young,
1: Middle East reporters for Liberton Kirk TV.
2: We're trying something new. We're making an online video diary of our latest assignment, to show you the creative process behind the headlines.
1: We hope you find this interesting and informative, but more than that, we hope to stay 1 step ahead of STV, where my brother John works. His 'Real McKay' blog was our idea, so we're out to go one better than him, with what we hope is the scoop of the century...
2: The message of the millennium...
1: ...Yes...So...This is day 1 of what we're calling our Search for a Superhero. We've been reliably informed that change is in the air.
2: Our sources tell us that someone is coming. A leader, a king, someone with amazing powers. In short, a Superhero.
1: But what kind of Superhero?
2: What powers will they have? What is their mission?
1: Where will they be born?
2: Well, we've narrowed our search down to the Jerusalem area. Now we're checking out the truth behind the stories from 2 principle leads- Luke and Matthew. We are re-interviewing key eye witnesses to ensure that we have the whole truth before sharing our good news with the world.
1: And collecting the credit for the innovation and cutting-edge journalism that LKTV has built its reputation on, no thanks to my brother John, or your brother Chick. He couldn't even get me a St Mirren season ticket this year.
2: That might have turned out for the best!
1: True. But we're wasting precious megabytes here. This download will take forever, especially for you poor souls watching via Virgin. Our first interviewees have just arrived. So glad you found us. Please come this way.
Enter Simeon and Anna
Interview 1: Simeon and Anna
2: We find you in Luke Chapter 2. Who are you and where do you spend your time?
Simeon: My name is Simeon. I am an old man. I spend my time with God. I am often in the Temple.
Anna: My name is Anna. I am 84 years old. I stay in the temple all day and night. I worship God by praying and fasting
1: Who are you searching for?
Anna: I am waiting for a King who will save Jerusalem
Simeon: I am waiting for the Messiah- the leader who will save Israel
2:What are you expecting?
Simeon: He will be a light of God, for all nations. The glory of Israel. But some people will reject him, causing pain like a sword through the heart.
1: Oh...well...yes...pain...of course...Thanks for your time. We hope you find this King very soon.
Anna and Simeon take places in the Tableau.
2: Wow! A king. Sounds like a mighty warrior.
1: Yes! I'd follow a king like that. He'd be worth the wait, if he set his people free from their enemies. This is a great start. I'm desperate to find out more.
2: There was that bit about the sword in the heart, but I'm sure that's just an old man's imagination.
1: Yes. Who's next on our list?
2: I've arranged to meet some Wise Men from the east. Sounds exotic and exciting. I hope we don't embarrass ourselves by doing something silly. We don't want a repeat of the time you got your head stuck in a toilet seat!
1: Yes, the whole experience left me quite flushed. My pride went down the drain. I've been the butt of many jokes ever since. Don't worry; I promise I'll be on my best behaviour.
Interview 2: Wise men
2: Ah. Here they are now. Welcome into our studio.
1: We find you in Matthew chapter 2. Who are you and where are you from?
W1: We are Wise Men.
W2: We have come from the palaces of eastern kings, across rivers, mountains and deserts.
2: That's a long way. What are you searching for?
W3: We study the stars to find the most important news around the world.
1: What do you think you have found?
W1: We have found a star that points us to a new king, born here in Israel.
2: Where are you going to find him?
W2: We are going to the royal palace in Jerusalem, to give him gifts and worship him.
1: We wish you good speed in finding him. Thanks for taking time to share your news.
Wise Men take their place in the Tableau.
2: Fantastic! A king so powerful that wise men from distant lands are coming to worship him!
1: This king is a history maker. The whole world will be turned upside down by him.
2: He even has his own star in the sky. We really are searching for a superhero. I wonder what his magic powers will be?
1: And what is his name? I bet it'll be a name that is greater than any other name we've ever heard.
2: And everyone will fall on their knees before him- even kings- because he controls the earth and the stars. Wow, we are onto something BIG. The networks need to know about us. We are going to be HUGE. This is the break we've been waiting for our whole lives! Fantastic! Etc.....
Interview 3: Elizabeth
1: You're going to like the next person I've lined up. Her husband is the top man in the church, so none of those jokes you wrote for Forth FM, she's probably more of a Radio 4 person, like our minister.
2: Cool! So far we've met royal geniuses. Now it's the most spiritually enlightened people of our generation. What an experience.
1: That's the door. Please come in. (Elizabeth and Zechariah enter) It's lovely to meet you both. We find you in Luke chapter 1. Who are you?
E: My name is Elizabeth. My husband Zechariah is the Chief Priest of the Jews.
2: We hear you have some surprising news. Tell the viewers.
E: Well, my husband met an angel of the Lord last year while he was serving in the holiest part of the temple. The angel told him that, although we are very old, we are going to have a baby boy. As you see from my tummy, we are now going to have a baby. If the promise comes true, and our miracle baby is a boy, we are going to call him John, as the angel told us. Zechariah would tell you all this himself, but he's a bit tongue tied at the moment.
1: Who are you searching for and why?
E: This might sound strange, but I'm searching for the birth of our God. When I met my cousin Mary, my baby boy within me jumped. Words from God rushed out my mouth. I told Mary that she had a miracle baby boy inside her tummy too. He won't be any old man. He is going to be God on earth!
2: Unbelievable! God on earth! So is there something special about Mary?
E: Well, she is a lovely girl. She's kind and helpful and she follows God carefully. But she's just a normal girl from a poor family in a small town. She's not a princess, if that's what you mean.
1: Then why Mary?
E: Why? I don't know why. And neither does she. But we know what we've seen and heard, don't we Zechariah (Zechariah nods his head), and Mary and I know we are going to have miracle baby boys. But only God knows why. We'll just have to trust that he knows what he is doing.
2: Thank you both for your time. You have an amazing tale. Best wishes for the new baby when he comes. Good bye.
E and Z take their places in the Tableau.
1: Well what do you make of that?
2: Amazing! God on earth. Angels. Miracle babies. Bring it on. We're searching for a superhero. Watch out Bafta, here we come!
1: So you believe all that?
2: And you don't?
1: Well God coming to earth is big enough, but why would a superhero God have a normal mum? He should be in the palace in Jerusalem with the Wise Men, eating Turkish Delight.
2: I see your point. This story is taking us down some unusual side-streets. But I think that it's becoming a bigger story. If this is true, our search for a superhero is going to be even more spectacular than we first imagined. Let's not give up yet, even though the story makes no sense. We're on the brink of something big!
Interview 4: The Shepherds.
1: Do you smell something?
2: What do you mean?
1: Well, I'm not sure, but I think I smell animals. Country smells, like when your Dad winds the car windows down as you drive past a field and says “Breathe it in, that'll clear your lungs!”
2: In a good way?
1: I'm not so sure. Why does our office in the middle of town smell like a bull's breakfast?
2: Ah, that will be our next guests.
1:Bulls?
2: No, it'll be sheep that you're smelling (1 looks shocked). I rounded up a flock of shepherds on their way past the door. It took a bit of doing, as they were flying along at great speed, but when I got their leader, the rest soon followed. They're in a rush though, so we better see them straight away. Come on in, lads.
Shepherds and sheep enter
2: We find you in Luke Chapter 2. Why aren't you looking after your sheep?
S1: We've been sent to Bethlehem by a sky full of singing angels.
1: Angels? Who are you searching for?
S2: We are searching for a Saviour, the Messiah, who is going to rescue his people.
2: But Bethlehem has no palace. It is a bit of a dump.
S3: Is that a question?
2: Well, no. I know that it used to be called the City of David, but where in Bethlehem would be fitting for a Saviour?
S2: A manger
1: Why is a Saviour Superhero born in a manger in Bethlehem?
S1: Dunno, ask the angels.
2: Well thanks, but we'll ask his parents. So long boys. We won't keep you from your Superhero in a Stable.
1: Yes, your King in a Cowshed!
2: Your Messiah in a Manger!
1: Nice one. Don't think I can top that... Well, where does that leave us? We were making so much progress. I don't want this story to turn us into a laughing stock.
2: I think the one we printed about fairies at the bottom of the garden did that for us long ago. No. Unlike the fairy story, I still feel we're onto something real here. We've got more and more to back this up. Our Superhero is a royal baby who is going to save his people. Mary is going to be his mum, and she just happens to be arriving in Bethlehem today. We know Bethlehem is packed full of travellers. Let's see if she's managed to find a hotel room for her and Joseph.
1: Otherwise they'll be camping out in a barn, and with her baby due any day...
2: Messiah in a manger!
1: King in a Cowshed!
2: Quick. Get your coat. We've got a story to tell. Our search for a superhero could be nearly over!
2 switches off camera on the way out. 1 follows
SONG 2 Away in a Manger- Solo V1? Greg Sinclair
The angels, Mary and Joseph take their places in the Tableau during song
Interview 5. Mary and Joseph
1 switches on camera and gets into position
1: We find you at the start of Matthew and Luke. We're told Jesus is royal. Where does he rule?
Joseph: in the hearts of those who follow him.
2: In Bethlehem, or in other local villages?
Mary: In Bethlehem, Israel, Samaria and the ends of the earth. We're here because of the Roman Census.
1: We're in humble surroundings, here in a stable, and neither of you are from wealthy families. What are the challenges you face in raising royalty?
Joseph: We'll teach the importance of obedience, to us and to the law.
2: Do you see a bright future for your son, the king?
Mary: We are excited at all God has planned for our baby boy, but we've been promised that things will not always be easy. The Wise Men brought us gold, for a king, but also bitter myrrh to warn of the pain of death.
1: Death? Your Superhero Son has just been born. I really don't think we should be talking about his death. Especially in Roman times. That could even mean death on a cross!
Joseph: It's not something we want to think about, either, but God has given us this miracle baby. Like the angel told us, we have called him Jesus, which means Saviour.
2: Before he dies?
Mary: Today, God has given up all his heavenly power to lie in a manger as a tiny baby. No one could expect that. I think that our miracle baby will do lots of unexpected things. I'm sure God will save his people. The angels promised that to us, and to the shepherds. We'll trust God to do it his way, no matter how unexpected.
1: Mary, you must be exhausted. Thank you for letting us join this fantastic event. We look forward to seeing how your boy grows up.
2: Well, we found our Superhero. He's not very impressive, really; just a baby born in a barn in a village on the dusty edge of the of the Roman Empire.
1: True, but look at the Angels, Wise Men and stars, the miracles the promises and the presents. This is no normal baby. I think this story is going to run and run. And we are here right at the start. We could make our fortune if we get the story right.
2: Yes, but we've got to get to it before these shepherds. They've told everyone they've met. It won't be long before they're signed up on an exclusive deal with Hello Magazine.
1: Hello Magazine interviewing shepherds? That's a bit upmarket for them, isn't it?
2: True. Best be off though. Stop the press, we've got the story of the year.
2 turns off camera on the way out
SONG 3- Shout It. Choir and all children
READING Philippians 2:5-11 Good News Bible JY
TALK based on: God JY
Man
Humble
Obedience
Death
Death on a cross