The Wise Men's Tale - another interactive all-age story

The Wise Men’s Tale 

If you should have read my last post but one about a Christmas all-age idea and liked it – but it came too late to include in your Christmas programme, here’s a further opportunity to use the idea – this time linked to Epiphany, the coming of the Wise men to Jesus.

As a reminder, it works this way. Get the children to join you and split them into five groups and sit on the ground in their groups (they won’t be sitting still for long so don’t worry if the floor is a bit cold). If you have a centre aisle of reasonable length, spread the groups down the aisle so all the congregation are as near a group as possible.

.

One group has to remember ‘Caspar’, traditionally the name of one of the wise-men; the second remember ‘Melchior’ another wise man; the third group ‘Balthazar’; the  fourth ‘Camels’ and the fifth group ‘Servants’. (This can be played with only one child –or willing and agile adult - to each name instead of a group)  ALL THE CHILDREN have to listen out for their group’s name AND FOR the word ‘Caravan’

As you tell the story - Click here for the script which follows the Shepherd’s tale (but don't go to it until you've finished reading this column as it will then replace these instructions: so you might best be served by copying these instructions to a separate document first. - each group has to stand up, turn round and sit down again whenever ‘their’ name is called and to do the same when ‘Caravan' is read out.

Start to read the story slowly so the children get the idea and so the smaller ones have a chance to follow the lead of the older children in their group. Then gradually speed up so the children soon have hardly time to sit down before they have to get up again. The children will enjoy the muddle and so will the rest of the congregation (unless they are very, very staid!).

THEN: stop the story where indicated in the script and invite everyone who can to join in each time ‘Caravan’ features

Once the script ends, go straight into whatever message fits your situation best. I like to go simply to how clearly God demonstrated the Good News of Jesus was for all people – not just the Jews.

The full text for The Wisemen’s Tale can be accessed HERE where it follows the Shepherds’ Tale.

I only hope that if you chose to use this story or the earlier published Shepherd’s Tale (or your own similar story-line developed on this idea) you have as much fun as we have had with both of them.

You might also like to consider using the Carol of the Cosmos (Be Still Small Earth) Click here which celebrates the cosmic disturbances that attended the Birth of Jesus. It is sung to the lovely Sibelius melody from Finlandia so the tune will be familiar to many people.

AND there is further original Advent and Christmas material on this blog which you can access through the special index HERE