Baa... Baa... Why Nativity Plays Are Important

By Rosemary Johnson

Today is General Election result day.  I wonder how many of you will read this post.  I’m expecting most Christian writers to be transfixed by television presenters with red stare-y eyes, grey faces and crumpled shirts, trying to work up enthusiasm for the declaration of results of some constituency they’ve never heard of, where the people taken on to do the count have been very slow.

As you read this first thing in the morning, I shall be at my swimming lesson, practising immersing my head as I do breaststroke.  Under chlorinated water is probably the best place to be.

So… you’re still here and you want a post on Christians and writing? 

A few days ago, I attended my grandson’s nativity play, Baa… Baa… Bethlehem by Daisy Bond and Ian Faraday.  Baa… Baa… Bethlehem is written specifically for KS1 and KS2 children (two versions available), words and music.  At my grandson’s school, all of Year 1 and Year 2 - in other words, about 120 six and seven year olds – took part.  To write something to be performed by such a large number of small children is a massive achievement.

What came across to me was how earnestly the children played their parts and how much they enjoyed performing.  Their little lips were bursting with grins which they attempted to suppress because doing a nativity play was serious stuff. The narrators read, those with speaking parts said their lines, all of them sang and the boys in Year 1 (including my grandson) did a comic dance.  Jesus told us that ‘…unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’  (Matthew 18:1–5)  Watching these children, I understood fully what He meant.

Although the Baa… Baa… Bethlehem play covers the birth of Jesus, this is not the central plotline and I wonder how many of the children really understood what was going on as well as we older generations who went through Sunday School.  My grandson’s place of learning is not voluntary-aided or voluntary-maintained, so religious education is perfunctory and embraces all religions equally.  This situation is not ideal but it’s a base we Christians can work from.  They enjoyed what they were doing and that’s the main thing. 

Last Sunday my husband and I took my grandson and granddaughter to Christingle at our own church (in Essex).  They made Christingles from oranges and our vicar, crouching down to be at my three-year old granddaughter’s height, explained that the orange represented the world, the red ribbon the love and blood of Christ, the candle Jesus’s light to the world and the sweets all God’s creations.  Once again, children were enjoying themselves.

Our children, growing up in this horrible secular world, must know that church is a fun place to be and that Jesus is a good person to know.  Christian books for children, including Bible stories for children and young adults, are very important.  Those of you write Christian books for children have a very special role.

Rosemary Johnson has had many short stories published, in print and online, most recently at The Copperfield Review, 101 Words and Café Lit.  She has also written a novel about the Cold War which she is – take deep breath – trying to get published.  In real life, she is a part-time invigilator and verifier, living in Suffolk with her husband and cat.