Conversations in the Staff Lounge

By Deb Bertrand

Summary

Angels and shepherds discuss the events of Christmas as they relax in their various staff lounges.

Characters

Five angels and five shepherds
(but you can easily re-write to accommodate more or fewer.)

Setting

Two staff lounges, one for the angels, one for the shepherds, on opposite sides of the stage. Each will have a low table with newspapers and magazines, a few chairs, coffee pot, cups, bulletin boards, posters, etc. Newspapers are the “Bethlehem Star” for the shepherds, “Heavenly Herald” for the angels.)
Note: The angels and shepherds CANNOT see or hear each other. Their conversations overlap, but there is NO interaction.

Props

Shepherd staffs, halos, musical instruments (real or cardboard), signs reading “Staff Lounge”. These should incorporate a shepherd's staff as logo on one, and a musical staff with treble clef on the other.

Script

(Two shepherds are drinking coffee, reading the newspaper, studying the bulletin board. One angel is doing the same in the
other lounge.)
Shepherd 1: (turning away from bulletin board to speak) So, did you get Judah to take your shift last night?
S2: (still reading newspaper) Yeah, and he says I owe him big time. Hey, did you see this ad? "Antique slingshot for sale. Used only once. Comes with four smooth stones." I'll bet there's a story behind that!
S1: Yeah, those were the days, for sure. Nothing exciting ever happens around here. The biggest item in today's paper is a weather report. Something about a new star. Big deal. (Tosses newspaper aside).
(Enter Shepherds 3,4 and 5, very excited.)
S2: Hey, guys, how was work yesterday? Hope you didn't get too bored.
S3: Are you kidding? You would not believe what happened last night!
S4: Yeah, I can hardly believe it myself – and I was there!
S1: What do you mean? What happened?
S3: Well, while we watched our flocks last night --
S5 (interrupts) All seated on the ground --
S3: An angel of the Lord came down!
S5: And glory shone around!
S3,4,5: (all together, arms around each others' shoulders, singing from the last line of “While Shepherds Watched”) And glory shone around.
(S1,2 react with suitable awe and amazement.)
Angel 1: Boy, it's quiet around here. I wish the other angels would get back from their mission pretty soon. If only I had been one of the multitude chosen to go. Oh, well, I guess it serves me right for not joining the choir.
(Enter Angels 2,3,4 and 5, excited.)
A1: Hey, you're back at last! How did it go?
A2: Absolutely amazing! (Angel 2 speaks entirely in two-word alliteration. As the skit progresses, and this becomes more noticeable to the audience, the other angels will react with looks of affectionate exasperation).
A3: Yes, Gabriel was wonderful at making his announcement. He has such a way with words.
A2: Sensational speaker.
Shepherd 2: (reacting to the previous shepherd's revelations) Unbelievable! An angel! Weren't you scared?
S4: Scared? We were terrified!
Angel 4: But did you see those poor shepherds? Were they ever frightened!
A2: Scared silly.
A1: What did Gabriel say to them?
Shepherd 1: (follows immediately after the A1 question) What did the angel say?
S3: I'll never forget it.
Shepherd 3/Angel 5 (together) He said “Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.”
A2: Wonderful words.
S1: (flipping through newspaper) Is that in today's birth announcements?
S2: Wow! Finally – this must be the Messiah we've all been waiting for. Just imagine – right this very minute that new baby is probably sleeping on silk sheets in a golden cradle.
S4: No, no, you've got that all wrong. The Messiah was born in a stable. Right this minute He's probably sleeping on straw, in a manger.
S2: What? A manger? No way. The Messiah will come as a king, to rescue us from our oppressors.
A4: And the shepherds were amazed at Gabriel's next words, when he told them that the Saviour could be found wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.
S5: Well, He sure started His life on earth in humble surroundings - a cold, dark stable.
S3: But He's the Messiah, all right. No ordinary birth is announced by a million angels.
S4: It's so amazing that God would send those angels all the way from heaven just to tell poor shepherds like us about the birth of the Messiah.
A3: It was pretty awesome for us to be part of such a celebration. It was a privilege to make that joyful announcement.
S5: It was a privilege to hear the angels singing those joyous praises to God.
A1: What did you say, exactly?
S2: What did they sing?
A5/S3: (together) “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
A2: Majestic message.
S4: So then we went and saw the baby, the Messiah.
S5: We fell down on our knees and worshipped Him.
S3: And we've been telling everyone we've seen that the Messiah is born.
S4: He's come to save us from our sins.
A1: I don't really understand why He went to earth, anyway.
A5: To save His people from their sins.
A1: I still don't get it.
A2: Most mysterious.
A5: We can't ever completely understand, because we angels don't sin. But the Lord's coming is the most important thing for those human beings He created.
S1: How is He going to save us? He's just a baby.
S5: I don't know. But I trust God, and I know that the Scripture says “He bare the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
A3: Well, I guess we'd better start practising for the Easter celebration.
A2: Rapturous rehearsals!
A1: Easter? What's that?
A3: Well, in about thirty years, the Lord Jesus has to go through some pretty agonizing suffering, and sacrifice His life to save His people.
A4: But then, after three days, He will be raised from the dead.
A2: Resurrected Redeemer!
A5: And we'll all be rejoicing in heaven.
(Angels begin to pick up musical instruments.)
S1: I think we should all go out and tell more people about the Messiah.
S3: Great idea! But first, let's have a song of praise to the Lord.
S4: We won't sound as good as those angels.
S5: Doesn't matter. Let's just praise the Lord, and maybe the angels will be praising Him along with us.
(Shepherds also pick up instruments, and the whole group plays/sings a carol. Michael Card's “Celebrate the Child” goes well after this skit.)

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Copyright Deb Bertrand, all rights reserved.
This script may be used free of charge, provided no entrance charge is made. In return the author would like to be told of any performance. She may be contacted at tandelaya@hotmail.com