A Little Christmas Worship, Right In Your Own Front Yard
This year, those of us at Christ the King are being called to a more vibrant life of worship, a life of worship that spills out and can even be shared with others. I don’t know about you, but often that seems like a hard thing to me. The great news is that we are about to enter a season that comes with an opportunity to openly worship with our friends and neighbors!
An old journal reminds me of a scene from our front yard a few years ago – “It is the first Sunday afternoon in December. I watch three small kings wandering around my front yard. A drummer boy beats on his drum. The baby Jesus gnaws away on a gold ball that one of the kings has handed him. Two shepherds are jousting with their crooks. A cluster of little angels stand by sipping hot chocolate and looking adorable. Mary just looks around at everything - it's like she is pondering these things - to store up in her heart. Our Fifth Annual Front Yard Christmas Pageant is about to begin.”
Why did we have a Christmas Pageant in our front yard? Maybe it is because Luke 2 is my favorite part of the whole Bible, with the glory of all those angels announcing the birth of the Messiah. Or maybe God just put it on our hearts to have a simple little Christmas pageant right in our very own front yard. I'm not sure why we decided to have a Front Yard Christmas Pageant. I'm just glad we did.
So how does it work? Does it take a lot of energy? Is it expensive? A Front Yard Christmas Pageant is about the least expensive and easiest Christmas party you could ever want to throw. Email – or Paperless Post – your friends. Procure costumes for the primary characters from Party City or online. (Actually, inexpensive towels with a rope belt work fine.) Stick flyers in your neighbors' mailboxes. Invite the children to come as angels, shepherds or livestock.
The pageant itself is as simple as it gets. The children stand around the stable. The baby Jesus is in his manger between Mary and Joseph. The kings carry bags with gold (ping pong balls wrapped in gold foil), frankincense (perfume) and myrrh (a bottle of lotion). One person reads Luke 2:1-20. Another plays the guitar and leads everyone in "Away in the Manger," "O Come, All Ye Faithful" and "Silent Night." Just two verses each. The whole thing takes seven minutes.
When the pageant is over, the party begins. Over the years our party grew from 50 to almost 150 people. We get a big Jesus’ Birthday Cake from Costco, add hot apple cider and accept all offers of food from friends.
Within an hour or so, the party is over. You will feel tired but satisfied. You have given glory to God. You will have woven true worship into your neighborhood. How fabulous would it be to see front yard pageants popping up all over Houston? What a witness for Christ our King!
We Dollingers would love to share our details and maybe even help with a stable!
An old journal reminds me of a scene from our front yard a few years ago – “It is the first Sunday afternoon in December. I watch three small kings wandering around my front yard. A drummer boy beats on his drum. The baby Jesus gnaws away on a gold ball that one of the kings has handed him. Two shepherds are jousting with their crooks. A cluster of little angels stand by sipping hot chocolate and looking adorable. Mary just looks around at everything - it's like she is pondering these things - to store up in her heart. Our Fifth Annual Front Yard Christmas Pageant is about to begin.”
Why did we have a Christmas Pageant in our front yard? Maybe it is because Luke 2 is my favorite part of the whole Bible, with the glory of all those angels announcing the birth of the Messiah. Or maybe God just put it on our hearts to have a simple little Christmas pageant right in our very own front yard. I'm not sure why we decided to have a Front Yard Christmas Pageant. I'm just glad we did.
So how does it work? Does it take a lot of energy? Is it expensive? A Front Yard Christmas Pageant is about the least expensive and easiest Christmas party you could ever want to throw. Email – or Paperless Post – your friends. Procure costumes for the primary characters from Party City or online. (Actually, inexpensive towels with a rope belt work fine.) Stick flyers in your neighbors' mailboxes. Invite the children to come as angels, shepherds or livestock.
The pageant itself is as simple as it gets. The children stand around the stable. The baby Jesus is in his manger between Mary and Joseph. The kings carry bags with gold (ping pong balls wrapped in gold foil), frankincense (perfume) and myrrh (a bottle of lotion). One person reads Luke 2:1-20. Another plays the guitar and leads everyone in "Away in the Manger," "O Come, All Ye Faithful" and "Silent Night." Just two verses each. The whole thing takes seven minutes.
When the pageant is over, the party begins. Over the years our party grew from 50 to almost 150 people. We get a big Jesus’ Birthday Cake from Costco, add hot apple cider and accept all offers of food from friends.
Within an hour or so, the party is over. You will feel tired but satisfied. You have given glory to God. You will have woven true worship into your neighborhood. How fabulous would it be to see front yard pageants popping up all over Houston? What a witness for Christ our King!
We Dollingers would love to share our details and maybe even help with a stable!
Jan Dollinger
Christ the King Member
Christ the King Member
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