The Wise Still Seek Him

Drama Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Pantomime the story using a shadow screen to show how God can lead us to Jesus and that we are called to offer gifts.
[Note: 4th – 6th graders visited this workshop.]

For scripture, objectives, and background- see above.

Leader Preparation:

• Read the scripture for this lesson.
• Read and reflect on the overview material provided for this lesson.
• Gather the materials.
• Read tips for Shadow Theater.
• Before class lay out the costumes for easy access and to avoid a lot of time wasted searching for a costume.
• Write the key Bible verse on the easel.

Supplies List:

• Easel; appropriate marker
• Bibles; use the Good News version
• Map: showing Persia and Babylon
• Shadow screen (a large piece of shear fabric) attached to the drop ceiling with banker’s clips
• Bright light -Options:
  • use a set of work lights on a stand, sort of like this one pictured.
  • Moderator adds: we used an inexpensive goose neck desk lamp, raising it by sitting it on a table or chair for height, worked fine; our performance area to be lit was only the width of a double door.
• Extension cord
• Costumes
• Props: Wise men head gear, Crown for Herod, Scrolls, Three packages or containers to be the gifts
• Optional: consider taking photos or video of the shadow pantomime with your phone and playing it back for discussion. Helpful tips here.

Presentation

Opening- Welcome and Lesson Introduction:

Greet your students warmly, welcoming them to the Drama Workshop. Introduce yourself and any other adults.

Ask: Are you excited about Christmas?
Do you know what we call the season we are in? (Advent)
What is Advent ? (a time of getting ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus)
What preparations have you been making to get ready for Christmas?

Say: This Rotation we are studying a story that actually happened after Christmas. It has it’s own day of celebration called “Epiphany” which is January 6 (and is celebrated this year on Sunday, January 4).
Ask: Has anyone heard of Epiphany?
What is Epiphany? (it’s the celebration of the wise men visiting Jesus)

Say: We are learning (continuing to learn) about the story of the Wise Men visiting Jesus. Today we will retell the story of the Wise Men by acting it out in pantomime using a shadow screen.
Ask: What does pantomime mean?
Say: Pantomime means acting without speaking, just using gestures. With a shadow screen we create our drama with our shadows. The audience will only see the shadows, not the actors. So you’ll really need to think about what you are doing because people won’t see your facial expressions. We will take turns so that everyone gets to be an actor and an audience member.

First let’s review our story.

Dig- Main Content and Reflection:

Ask: Where in the Bible would we read a story about Jesus? (in NT)
What are the first four books of the New Testament?
What do we call those first four books? (the Gospels)
Say: The word Gospel means “good news.” The news of Jesus’ birth was very good news.
Ask: Why was it good news?
Say: Jesus came to earth as a human to teach us about God’ love and how we should act. Jesus also died for us so that our sins could be forgiven. That is very good news.

Distribute Bibles. [Use the Good News Version.]
Have everyone find Matthew, chapter 2, verse 1 in the Bible.
If this is a week early in the Rotation, read the scripture together: verses 1-12. Towards the end of the Rotation, ask the students if they can tell you the story. Have them check their Bibles for accuracy.

Discussion:
Ask: Who were the Wise Men and where did they come from?
Say: All we know is that they came from the east, probably Persia or Babylon. [Point out on the map: Persia, Babylon and Israel.] They had to travel a long way. These wise men probably studied the stars. They are often called kings but they were probably not kings.

Ask: How did the Wise Men find Jesus? (followed a star)
Did they stop to ask for directions? (yes, in Jerusalem)

Refer to the easel and the key Bible verse.
Say: They asked… [read the key Bible verse.] We find that verse in Matthew chapter 2, verse 2.

Ask: Where was it that King Herod told them to go? (Bethlehem)
How did Herod find out where Christ would be born?
Say: Herod consulted with the Jewish religious leaders to find out himself where the Messiah was to be born. He might have asked them: “There are these wise men saying that a king is born. They claim to have seen his star. What do your scrolls have to say?”
Ask: What would the Jewish religious people have been consulting?
Say: They would have looked up in their Bible, which was the Old Testament. The word of the Prophets from a long time before that time, people who were God’s messengers, is written in the Old Testament.

Have the student notice that at the bottom of the page where Matthew 2:6 is on, there is a note which says “2:6 Mic 5:2” - Point out that this tells us that the passage that is Matthew 2:6, is actually quoted from Micah chapter 5, verse 2. [If time allows you could have them find Micah 5:2.]

Enact the Story:
Have the students bring chairs to sit on the audience side of the screen.
Turn on the light behind the shadow screen. Show the students how they will need to be:

• between the light and the screen in order to make a shadow.
• close to the screen but not touching it. Shadows are clearest when performers are close to the screen; farther from the screen the shadows get fuzzy.
• spread out a bit as they perform.
• Their movements and actions need to be exaggerated.

Do: Have one student join you on the “stage.” Pretend that you are two wise men, both studying their scrolls. One sees the star and alerts the other wise man. Act out this scenario silently.

Ask: Does the Bible tell us how many wise men came to visit Jesus? (no!)
Say: Tradition assumes there were three wise men because of the three gifts mentioned but we don’t know for sure if there were only three.

Point out how not everyone can fit behind the screen – maximum of 4 or 5 in our space.
Ask: How many wise men should we have?
Have that number of students come up and enact by themselves this same scenario of first seeing the star. Point out the value of spacing (some high, some low – i.e. some standing, some stooping) and exaggerated movement.

Ask: What were the three gifts that the wise men brought? (gold, frankincense, and myrrh)
Say: These gifts had significance for Jesus. They were gifts given to kings. Now we need some costumes and some props.

Have 3 or 4 different students than have acted so far get into costume as wise men and one as Herod. Establish one side of the stage as the “east” where the wise men start off and the other side of the room as Jerusalem where Herod is. Have them enact the story of the wise men traveling, (walking in place exaggeratedly perhaps) stopping to confer as if which way should they go, looking up for the star, etc. Then have Herod come on the scene and enact them asking for directions.
As the students enact the story you can narrate it or ask one of the students to narrate. [They can read from the Bible or just tell the story.]

Stop and have other students get into costume. Set the scene for Herod to be asking new students posing as chief priests and elders who consult their scrolls and then point to Bethlehem.

Ask: When the magi found Jesus did they visit Jesus when he was a baby in the stable?
[If they seem uncertain, have someone check Matthew 2:11 and notice how it speaks of a house.]
Say: It is thought that when Jesus was staying in the stable is probably when the wise men started out on their journey. Jesus could have been up to two years old when the wise men visited.

Enact the rest of the story, wise men traveling again. Seeing Mary and Jesus. (Perhaps have a student get down on their knees to play a toddler-sized Jesus?) Have the Wise Men bow down and worship Jesus. Have Mary accept the gifts of the wise men.
Re-do the story with different actors. It is important to have some students be the audience. (Remind them to use their good audience manners.)

Allow some time for more discussion and closing.

More Discussion:
Say: The Wise Men were people who studied the stars. They saw stars as signs of
important events; this particular star they followed led them to Jesus.

Ask: Do you suppose that God placed the star as a signpost for the Wise Men so that
they could find Jesus? (accept all answers)
Say: When we were acting out our drama we didn’t actually have a star as a prop. But everyone knew it was there.
Ask: I’m wondering if there’s something in our lives… something that we know is there but it’s not something we see… something that that leads us to Jesus? (accept all answers)
Do you suppose that we are led to Jesus without even knowing it?
What has helped you to find Jesus in your life?

For the 6th graders:
Say: John Wesley, who was the founder of Methodism, had a word for that kind of thinking – he called it “prevenient grace.” It means that God offers us a chance to have a close relationship with him before we even decided to say yes to that relationship.
God wants you to be a part of his great, big family, even before you’ve even heard of it. That’s prevenient grace. It’s a concept you’ll learn more about next year if you take the confirmation class.

Closing:

Ask for any prayer requests. Ask if anyone would like to lead the group in prayer. Be prepared to say a prayer yourself, working in prayer requests. Use the Lord’s Prayer as the ending. A suggestion: “Holy One, at this busy season of Advent help us to focus on the reason why we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Thank you for offering us the chance to have a close relationship with you. (End with everyone joining in on the Lord’s Prayer.) Amen.”

If you have extra time:
Take photos or record the shadow pantomime and play it back for continued discussion.
Have the students enact other parts of the Christmas story using the shadow screen.

Resources:

• Faith Quest Lesson Sets at Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church. “Wise Men: Apostles Playhouse.” 2003. http://www.kirkofkildaire.org/...ostlesPlayhouse.html
• SHADOW DRAMA, SHADOW PLAYS - HOW TO & RESOURCES

A lesson written by Carol Hulbert for First United Methodist Church, Ann Arbor, MI

Copyright 2008 First United Methodist Church, Ann Arbor, MI.
Permission to copy materials granted for non-commercial use provided credit is given and all cited references remain with this material.

If you use this material, even in a modified form, please include the following reference:
Hulbert, Carol. "The Wise Still Seek Him: Drama Lesson." Dec. 2008. Place URL where lesson found inside angle brackets<>.

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