Christmas Musicals for Church
Issue link: https://read.jwpepper.com/i/514932
2 65/2069&70L-2 Foreword Christmas is a season of joyous sounds. Familiar strains of timeless melodies fill the air in our places of worship, our homes and concert halls, and in the places we shop. It is also a season of stories as we recall meaningful traditions, memorable experiences, and joyous family moments. Most importantly, Christmas is the season to revisit and celebrate Christ's story: the prophecies which pointed to His coming, His birth, and His life. It is the incarnation story which is front and center: God coming to earth to live among us. There are also other stories within the bigger story: the stories of Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, aged Simeon, and the Wise Men. Each of these people played significant roles in the context of the larger story of Christ's birth. A Noel Celebration, in part, tells their stories as we see them reflect on their own place in the unfolding narrative of God's miraculous plan. But Christmas is also about our story. It is a time to recall the impact of Christ's arrival into your world, my life. It is an opportunity for us to rejoice in the news that God has shattered our own night of darkness with good news: "Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord." It is an opportunity to celebrate anew with music, scripture, meaningful traditions, and the story of "….the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us…." Not all sounds and stories are created equal. The sounds and stories of Christmas endure because they are centered around the life-changing, yet changeless message of God's love. And that is something to celebrate! As you join others in the presentation of this cantata, may you rejoice in the good news of God's great Gift as you sing carols – both old and new – and as you recite the stories of Christmas. O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord! —Lloyd Larson Production Notes A Noel Celebration is flexibly conceived so that the monologues may be presented by actors in costume with memorized scripts. It can be equally effective with a single narrator or multiple narrators in "street clothes" reading the optional introduction that precedes each narrative followed by the character monologue itself. In the final monologue designated for Pastor, Choir Member, or Lay Person, a scripted narration has been provided which works adequately as is. However, this is a place where a pastor could offer a brief meditation or a choir member or lay person may wish to share their own story about the meaning of Christmas. Being creative here within the context of each church's own worship style will enhance the meaning of the cantata. Some of the cover-art images and graphics from this work are available as free downloads. We hope that you can use them to assist in the making of your bulletins, posters, flyers, website and email announcements, and in any other way that's within your organization and in conjunction with performances of this work. To access these files, please visit www.lorenz.com/downloads and navigate to the desired folder. PC users should right click and choose "Save Target As…" and Macintosh users should click and hold the link, then choose "Save Target As…" We have provided standard file formats that should be usable in most page layout or word processing software. Due to the vast number of differences in computer system setups, we are unable to provide technical support for downloadable images/graphics by either phone or email.