Church Skits & Plays
A Christmas skitSupporting Roles7–8 actors · 8–9 min

Christmas · 7–8 actors · 8–9 minutes · Readers age 10 and up

Supporting Roles

A neighbor, an innkeeper’s wife, a baker, a census clerk, a young shepherd, a camel driver and a temple guard tell the Christmas story from the edges. A narrated readers’ theater with no memorizing that can double as your nativity.

$8USD, tax included
  • Instant PDF download, yours to keep
  • Performance rights for your whole church
  • 30-day refund if it doesn’t fit your church
Running time8–9 minutes
Cast7–8 roles · Readers age 10 and up
PrepRead from script, with one rehearsal. Every reader keeps a binder open, so nobody memorizes.
Best forChristmas program, Christmas Eve service, Advent Sunday, a choir or small-group program
ScriptureLuke 2:5–30; Matthew 2:9–11 (KJV)
ThemeGod does His most important work through people nobody thinks are important.
FormatPrintable PDF

About the skit

Every Christmas we tell this story with the same cast. Tonight, a few other people would like a word. In the first half they’re funny and busy: a census clerk whose hand won’t close, a baker who ran out of bread by noon, a camel driver who can’t talk about the camels yet.

Then the readers slow down, and each one tells what they saw: a couple at the clerk’s table, a lantern behind the inn, a baby in a manger, an old man at the temple gate, a little house under a star. One by one, they realize it was the same Child.

Everyone reads from a script, so nobody memorizes. Seven or eight readers, ten and up. A staging note shows how to add a silent nativity behind the readers, a good place for your youngest children.

Read the first page

(The readers sit in a row with their binders. The NARRATOR stands at the lectern.)

NARRATOR: Every Christmas, we tell this story with the same cast. Mary and Joseph. The angels. The shepherds. The wise men. (a beat) Tonight, a few other people would like a word.

(The NEIGHBOR stands, very eager.)

NEIGHBOR: Have you heard?

NARRATOR: Heard what?

NEIGHBOR: Anything! I live across the street from the inn. It's the census. Every cousin of King David showed up in Bethlehem at once. I've never had so much to talk about.

(The INNKEEPER'S WIFE stands.)

INNKEEPER'S WIFE: Don't get the neighbor started.

NEIGHBOR: She's the innkeeper's wife.

INNKEEPER'S WIFE: Guests in every room. Guests in the courtyard. My husband rented out the stairs. One man asked me for extra towels. I said, "Sir, it's a census, not a vacation."

NEIGHBOR: She turned away a whole family from Hebron. Eleven of them. Have you heard what the grandmother called her?

INNKEEPER'S WIFE: We are not repeating what the grandmother called me.

NEIGHBOR: (to the audience) I'll tell you after.

(The BAKER stands, brushing imaginary flour off both hands.)

BAKER: You think you had a busy week? Bethlehem means "House of Bread." That's me. I'm the house. Four hundred loaves a day, and I ran out by noon. I haven't slept since Tuesday.

NEIGHBOR: Have you heard about the Tuesday loaves?

BAKER: The Tuesday loaves are between me and God.

The script continues in the full PDF.

Characters

  • Narrator, tries to keep the story on track; fails
  • Neighbor, lives across from the inn; favorite words: “Have you heard?”
  • Innkeeper’s Wife, exhausted, practical and kinder than she lets on
  • Baker, up all night with the dough
  • Shepherd, the youngest on the crew, always stuck with the night watch
  • Camel Driver, works for some very wise men; not a fan of camels
  • Temple Guard, guards a gate where nothing ever happens
  • Census Clerk, optional: thousands of names, one tired hand

Props

  • Stools or chairs in a row, and a lectern
  • A black binder for each reader
  • A battery candle on a small table
  • Optional: one small prop per reader
  • Optional: a manger and simple costumes for a silent nativity

What you get

  • The full script with stage directions
  • Cast list, props list and simple staging notes
  • Four discussion questions for a small group, youth group or Sunday school class
  • Performance rights for your church: perform it as often as you like and print copies for your cast

Performance rights

One purchase covers one church or ministry. Perform it as many times as you like, make copies for everyone in the cast and crew, adapt the lines and include it in your livestream. Please don’t resell the script or share the file publicly. Read the full license.

More for your Christmas program

Questions

Can I change the names or lines?

Yes. Change names and genders, trim lines for time or adapt a joke for your church. The script is yours to fit to your people.

Can we record and stream the performance?

Yes. You can include it in your livestream and post the recording on your church’s own channels.

How do I get the file after I buy?

Right after checkout you get a download link on the confirmation page and by email. It works for up to 20 downloads, and each copy is marked with your order so it stays licensed to your church.

Who is the seller on my receipt?

Payments are processed by Link, Stripe’s checkout, which acts as the reseller. Your card statement shows LINK.COM* CHURCHSKITS. Questions about the script itself come to us at hello@churchskits.org.

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