HE STORY OF THE FIRST HRISTMAS

Report as inappropriate Your report has been received

Shared by: danman21

Tags

HE, STORY, OF, THE, FIRST, HRISTMAS

Stats

views:: 18
posted:: 10/31/2008
language:: English
pages:: 7

Public Domain

Document Sample

! The Son of God became one of us The Story of the First Christmas
_____________________________________________________________________________

THE STORY OF THE FIRST CHRISTMAS
This PowerPoint presentation, intended for primary school children, tries to inspire a childlike awe
and wonder for the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The story is based the gospels of Luke and
Matthew.

Narrators:
Narrator 1: Story teller
Narrator 2: Story teller
Narrator 3: God, Gabriel, Roman soldier, inn keeper and angel.
Mary
Joseph

Slide 1: Notes
CLICK (notes disappear)

Slide 2: Cover slide - The Son of God becomes one of us!
CLICK (Intro slide and background music for introducing the theme. Magi appear)

Slide 3: Title of the presentation
CLICK - (Music. A book appears, it opens and the first page turns over)
Nar 1: Once upon a time, about two thousand years ago, there was a small town called
Nazareth. In this town lived a young girl, whose name was Mary.

Slide 4: Mary and Joseph
CLICK - (Birds chirping.)
Nar 2: This is Nazareth, a small and simple town in Galilee. Galilee is part of the northern
territories in Israel, the kingdom of God’s people. The Messiah was to be born from
this nation.

CLICK - (Mary appears.)
Nar 1: Mary might have lived together with her parents in a house just like this one. Mary
was engaged to a man called Joseph.

CLICK - (Joseph enters)
Nar 2: Mary loved Joseph very much. Joseph was a carpenter and worked in Nazareth. He
was a good man. He loved Mary and took great care of her. Both of them had been
waiting for the Messiah. God’s chosen nation has long waited and prayed for the
coming of the Messiah who would be a Saviour to all. This was promised by God
himself. However, this promise was made long time ago.

Slide 5: God commissions archangel Gabriel with a message
CLICK - (Music. Heaven and the Trinity)

1.
! The Son of God became one of us The Story of the First Christmas
_____________________________________________________________________________
Nar 1: God, in all his wisdom, was waiting for the appropriate time to send the long awaited
Messiah. He would be his OWN ONLY SON – THE ONLY SON OF THE LIVING
GOD! Wow!
At the right time God sends for his messenger Archangel Gabriel.

CLICK - (Archangel Gabriel appears)
Nar 2: God said to Gabriel:
Nar 3: “I need you to take a most important message to a young lady named Mary who lives
in Israel in a small town called Nazareth,
Nar 1: God asked him to bring back Mary’s reply.

CLICK - (The archangel departs. Wait until the music ends.)

Slide 6: The annunciation
CLICK - (Mary is praying)
Nar 2: Mary really loved her God. She led a good life, loving everybody and praying daily.
She prayed during the day…

CLICK - (gets dark)
Nar 2: ... and at night, whenever she could find time. Mary did not know that on that
particular night, something very special was about to happen. Sometimes very special
things happen during prayer.

CLICK - (music, the archangel appears)
Nar 1: A radiant angel appeared in front if her. She is so overwhelmed with awe that she
was speechless. She felt afraid, even though the angel smiled at her and said to her in
a reassuring way :

CLICK - (The archangel stretches out his hands)
Nar 3: “Hail Mary, you are full of grace and the Lord is with you. Do not be afraid! I am
angel Gabriel. God is very pleased with you. You will give birth to a child and you
will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give to him the throne of King David. His kingdom will have
no end."

Nar 2: After reassuring herself that this was not a dream, Mary said to the angel:
Mary: “How can this be since I am not yet married to Joseph?”

CLICK - (Light shines from above)
Nar 1: The archangel replies:
Nar 3: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be holy and he will be called Son
of God.”

CLICK - (Mary bows down)

2.
! The Son of God became one of us The Story of the First Christmas
_____________________________________________________________________________
Nar 1: And Mary bows down and replies:
Mary: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it happen to me according to your word.”

CLICK - (Light overshadows Mary)

CLICK - (The archangel departs. Wait for music to finish)

Slide 7: The census
CLICK - (The sound of chirping. Mary and Joseph)
Nar 2: Joseph had a dream in which the angel told him that Mary’s baby was to be the one
spoken of by the prophets. So Joseph married Mary. Months passed and soon the
time for the baby to be born was very close. Before this time, however, something
unexpected happend.

CLICK - (Drum roll; a Roman soldier appears.)
Nar 1: The Romans ruled the known world of the time. This included Israel, the land where
Joseph and Mary lived. A Roman soldier cames to Nazareth, with a message from the
emperor. He said:

CLICK - (The soldier raises his hand.)
Nar 3: “The emperor wants to know the number of people in his whole empire. He orders
everyone to register his or her name in the town of birth. “

Slide 8: Leaving for Bethlehem
CLICK - (Mary. Start reading as Joseph appears)
Nar 1: Since Joseph was from a town called Bethlehem which was far away from Nazareth,
they had to set out on a long and difficult journey that would take many days.

CLICK - (Joseph enters with a donkey)
Nar 2: Joseph got the donkey ready

CLICK - (Mary climbs on to the donkey)
Nar 1: and helped Mary on to it.

CLICK - (Joseph and Mary move on)
Nar 2: And off they went

Slide 9: The journey
CLICK - (The wind howls. The Holy Family enters and keeps on moving. Read as the howling
stops.)
Nar 1: The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem was long and difficult. Mary was worried
because she did not want to hurt her baby or herself. Joseph got very tired because
he walked for the entire journey. At last they arrived in Bethlehem - the same town
where the famous King David was born.

3.
! The Son of God became one of us The Story of the First Christmas
_____________________________________________________________________________

Slide 10: Arrival at Bethlehem
CLICK - (Sound of a cricket. The Holy Family enters and stops.)
Nar 2: It was evening when they arrived and it was nearly dark.

CLICK - ( The Family moves on. Read while they are still walking)
Nar 1: Here Mary and Joseph looked for a place to spend the night.

Slide 11: The search for an inn
CLICK - (An inn – the Holy Family enters the scene.)
Nar 2: Although Bethlehem was a small town, at that time there were lots of people there
because of the census which the emperor had ordered. Joseph and Mary could not
find a room because the inns are full.

Slide 12: Mary and Joseph talk to an innkeeper
CLICK - (Sound of a cricket and Joseph enters.)
Nar 1: Joseph did not give up and kept looking for a place.

CLICK - (Joseph knocks and moves back – a door is opened)
Nar 2: The inner owner asks
Nar 3: “Welcome my friend, you seem to have been travelling for a long time; can I help you
with anything? “

CLICK - (Mary approaches Joseph)
Joseph “My wife and I have just arrived from Nazareth; do you have a room where we can
have shelter for the night?”

CLICK - (Innkeeper stretches out his arms.)
Nar 2: The innkeeper does not have good news for Joseph and says.
Innkeeper : “I am sorry, we are full and there is not even a single corner where you and your
wife might stay. I am really sorry.”
Mary: “What a pity! My baby will soon be born and we do not even have some shelter!”
Nar 1: When the innkeeper hears this, he replies;
Nar 3: “Let me tell you …

CLICK - (Innkeeper giving directions)
Nar 3: ... just some distance away, just outside town, there is an animal shed. Shepherds
often take shelter there. It is not at all comfortable , surely not fitting for a baby to be
born in but it is better than staying out in the open air. This is the best I can offer.”
Mary: “Thank you, good man, you will always be remembered for this good deed!”

Slide 13 : Approaching the animal shed
CLICK - (Sound of an owl. The Holy Family enters and stops.)
Mary: “Joseph … I feel that the baby will soon be born”.
Joseph: “It will be all right ”.

4.
! The Son of God became one of us The Story of the First Christmas
_____________________________________________________________________________

CLICK - (Family exits. Movement in the animal shed.)

Slide 14: Joseph and Mary in the cave
CLICK - (The Family approaches the cave. Read while they are entering it)
Nar 1: At last Mary and Joseph found the animal shed which was a cave in the rock. They
entered and Joseph put the place in order as best as he could.

CLICK - (Music and movement in the skies. Wait until movement stops.)

Slide 15 : The birth of the Messiah
CLICK - (The Family in the cave.)
Nar 2: During that night Jesus was born. – the one Israel had waited for for so long.

CLICK - (Baby Jesus cries – Carol singing together ‘Away in a manger’.)

Slide 16: The angels singing in heaven
CLICK - (Angels appear)
Nar 1: Hundreds of angels appeared in heaven, singing and praising God!

CLICK - (Music and movement of angels. Wait till the music stops.)

Slide 17: The shepherds in the fields
CLICK - (Sound of a cricket)
Nar 2: Some distance away from where Jesus was born…

CLICK - (Sound of sheep – shepherds tending their flocks)
Nar 1: ...there were some shepherds tending their flocks. Who would have thought that the
simple shepherds of Bethlehem would be the first people to come to know of the birth
of Jesus?

CLICK - (Music and angels)
Nar 2: Some angels of the Lord appear to them in all their glory. The poor shepherds were
so stunned and terrified by their presence. An angel told them:
Nar 3: “Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the
people. To you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah.
This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying
in a manger."

Slide 18 : The shepherds visit baby Jesus in the cave
CLICK - (Shepherds and sheep in the cave.)
Nar 1: The shepherds hurried and found exactly what the angel has told them. They saw
Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in the manger.

Slide 19: The arrival of the magi

5.
! The Son of God became one of us The Story of the First Christmas
_____________________________________________________________________________
CLICK - (Music and the magi. Start reading as soon as the music stops.)
Nar 2: Later on, there were three very important people approaching Bethlehem. These
were wise men coming from far off countries. They have observed an unusual bright
star in the sky and have found out that this was a sign that a great king was to be
born. They decided to follow the moving star and start on a long journey. The star
stopped over Bethlehem and they knew that it was the right place.

Slide 20 : The magi adore Jesus
CLICK - (Music and the magi enter.)
Nar 1: The magi entered the cave and were very surprised to find a new born child, just as
the writings had said. They were filed with joy. They bowed down before the baby.
Before leaving, each one gives Jesus a gift.

Slide 21: The presentation of the gifts
CLICK - (Gold.)
Nar 2: The first wise man gave him a box of gold. This is a sign that Jesus was a king.

CLICK - (Frankincense.)
Nar 1: The second one offered frankincense, a nice smelling resin made from trees. This was
a sign that Jesus is the Son of God.

CLICK- (Myrrh.)
Nar 2: The third wise man offered myrrh. Myrrh is obtained from trees and is used as
medicine to heal wounds. This is a sign that Jesus would suffer when he grew up.
After presenting the gifts, the wise men returned to their countries following a
different road.

Slide 22: Final scene in the cave
CLICK - (Scene in the cave.)
Nar 1: This is the story of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ; the story of the first Christmas
when Jesus was given to us as a gift from our loving Father in heaven.
We can try to be like the people in this story:
• We can be like the angels when we make Jesus known by living as he taught
us to.
• We can be like the shepherds when we recognise Jesus especially in the
Eucharist.
• We can be like the magi when we share our gifts with others.
We can live the story of Christmas every single day of our lives.

Slide 23: Christmas collage
CLICK - (Music ‘O silent night’. A nice collage is created and finally the book appears.)

Slide 24: The book appears

Slide 25: Final scene of the Holy Family in the animal shed

6.
! The Son of God became one of us The Story of the First Christmas
_____________________________________________________________________________
CLICK
The End.

Adapted from original text with permission from

SDC ADELAIDE
96 EAST ST
BROMPTON
SA 5007
http://sdcprecaoz.org
http://www.sdcmuseum.org
preca@chariot.net.au

TO BE DISTRIBUTED FREELY
SO THAT JESUS WILL BE KNOWN AND LOVED

SPECIAL THANKS TO ORIGINAL CREATOR NEVILLE GALEA PIROTTA, A MEMBER OF SDC

Related docs