The Incarnation

The Incarnation, Part I

I stumble at the thought of God sleeping on hay,
With scent of cow manure and cud-chewing blank stares;
Or of God twisting a tiny finger around the young mother’s hand,
As he nurses and drifts to sleep to her weary psalm.
I stumble to see the slow afternoon, the rhythm of planing wood,
Halting to fetch Joseph a saw.
Or figuring accounts of his father’s business
As God plans to change his career.
I stumble to believe that he fluffed and propped a pillow,
Then fell into sleep too deep for storm to waken;
Or to see God, dust covered, with tired feet resting;
Longing for a drink and talking to a cheap woman.
To be found wandering Roman territory without papers—
No letter from Heaven certifying his claim.
To be lumped with every radical with blazing eyes
And visions who portrayed the certainty of society’s fall.
A wine making, mud dabbing, temple brawler God,
Broke, homeless, surrounded by weak and foolish men.
God can be myth and metaphor and image;
A rock, a mountain, sun, light, or sea;
But the sweating flesh of a middle age man—
A descent that would so easily be heresied away.

I stumble at the thought of God incarnated—
But not drunken night stumbling down an empty road;
I stumble at the thought of God incarnated—
Intensely light blinded, fearfully secured, irresistibly drawn.

The Shepherds' Play--A Modern Medieval Work

In Medieval times, the Gospel and stories and themes from the Bible were often presented to the public in the form of plays. Even today this tradition survives in the form of the famous Passion Plays still performed in such places as Oberammergau, Germany and Eureka Springs, Arkansas. The movie "The Passion of the Christ" is simply a modernized version of a great Medieval tradition.

In our recent program at Veritas Academy--the Veritas Medieval Christmas Festival--we had a play that took place within the scope of the greater play and program. The whole program was built around dialog among three hearty Medieval fellows who talked, sang, and explained the different parts of the festival to the audience. In an attempt to explain the Christmas celebration to a Viking who interrupted the feast, the key characters donned shepherd cloaks and performed this play based on the events of Luke chapter 2.

We originally read and considered using an actual Medieval play called "The Chandler's Play--the Shepherds." It really did not fit our needs, but it gave me the inspiration to pen this play. So this is a modern version of a Medieval art form written by a middle age modern man.

THE SHEPHERD’S PLAY

Three shepherds walk out with cloaks over their heads so that they look like shepherds. Shepherdess joins the troup. The talking sheep and others in the flock stand or sit off to the side. The sheep will 'baa' every time the word 'sheep' is said in the script.

Shepherd 1:Ah the stars shine brightly on the meadow this night;
The sheep are sleeping and eve is quiet.

Shepherd 2:Not like David’s city filled with Judah’s tribe;
Caesar’s register has brought from every side.

Shepherd 3:Yes, Romans, countrymen, Jews from far away—
All flocking to the city like sheep to fresh hay.

Shepherdess (in an angry and complaining tone, mainly focused on S3):
Bring me firewood and on sheep soup we’ll sup tonight;
You should have gathered it before the dying of the light.

Shepherd 1: A strange sight I saw along yonder road with my flock today—
A blessed maid great with child with her man going that way.
Twas a strange feel inside like it was the parting of the sea,
I bowed my head and I asked the Lord what could it be.
For many years I have tended these sheep and tended them well
Searching for the lost ones—the ones who strayed and ones who fell.
My days on earth have been long and soon the Lord I hope to see
For as David sang, The Lord is a shepherd, just like me.

Shepherd 2:Elder shepherd, ancient one with a crook in thy hand,
Why think ye a shepherd gets to dwell in Beulah land?
We are poor, a despised lot, lacking withal a good name,
The Lord would not take heed to us or give us fame.

Shepherd 3:Tell me of the woman—blessed be her name—you did see.
For I saw one like her in Bethlehem—she seemed so weary.
She sat by the well and did drink, meanwhile her man
Went about looking for a room at the crowded inn.
Alas, poor dame, they went to the stable out back
For the innkeeper said that any room in the inn he did lack.

Shepherdess (busy cutting up a vegetable):Pity a stranger, pity a woman!
Why not pity me?
I’ve still a meal to fix and I need to burn a tree!

One of the Sheep walks to the front of the scene and speaks. A Talking (The talking Sheep serves the role of the chorus in ancient Greek plays or that of the narrator in more recent plays.

Sheep:We sheep settled quietly munching along the hillside;
While our shepherds ate and talked and close by did abide.

Shepherd 1(lazily):Night, ho. My aged bones do call for sleep.
I’ll shut my eyes and let you saplings watch the sheep.

Shepherd 2 (lazily as well):The stars have many eyes, so I rest my two.
Wake me on the next watch and I shall relieve you.

Shepherd 3 (alert):‘Tis well, I am awake, these stars are like suns of day;
By the fireside, I will watch and keep the wolves away.

Shepherdess (Even more angry and irritated, especially at S3):
Talk, talk, Sleep, sleep, while I mend cloaks for the morrow;
A shepherd has an easy life; his woman a life of sorrow.

The Sheep steps in front again and speaks.

A Talking Sheep:And so the night grew deep and long, like any other time,
Until all changed and an angel appeared and glory did shine.

Shepherd 1 (Lying down, suddenly he jumps up):What ho! The sun!
Be it noon time? What ho!

Shepherd 2 (Rising up also): Oh woe! What light! Even the stars begin to fade!

Shepherd 3: Alas, the day of the Lord is come! The end, the end is near!

Shepherdess (pure stark terror):Hark! Look an angel doth appear!
Death, death, the death angel shall passover here!

Angel Voice: 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, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. (Luke 2:10-12)

Voice of Many Angels: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:14)

Shepherd 1:Praise be and worship to God on high.
Let us to Bethlehem fly!

Shepherd 2:The Lord had promised that Messiah be
Born of a maid and born of David’s seed.

Shepherd 3:We must be off, this swaddling babe to see;
The Lord will watch our sheep when we take leave.

Shepherdess:Here take this lamb for the Lamb a lamb to see.
Hasten quickly to the star in yonder city.

Shepherds run to hallway, wait for sheep to speak, then enter and kneel before an imaginary manger.

Talking Sheep:Then ran the shepherds through the night to town
To the place where the sacred manger was found.

Shepherd 1: Blessed maid! Noble gentleman! Blessed Savior Babe!

Shepherd 2: Tis joy abounding! Angels told it to shepherd men!

Shepherd 3:Blessed be this humble earth, this mere cattle stall—
Earth cannot contain the Jehovah who is the All in All—
Yet here is the Christ—our long prayed for King—
In this manger—of whom the angels did sing.

Shepherd 1: What ho! Praise the King!

Shepherd 2: Let all men joyfully lift high His name!

Shepherd 3: For shepherds and all men to save, this Christ child came.

All Shepherds: For shepherds and all men to save, this Christ child came.

Veritas Medieval Christmas Festival

On Tuesday, December 13, Veritas Academy will celebrate the Advent Season and Medieval Christendom with an evening of music and entertainment. Our high school Humanities Program, which is studying Medieval history and literature this year, will be teaming up with the elementary and junior high students for this great occasion. There will be spirited songs, hymns of praise to God, comedy, dramatic performances, including a Medieval Shepherds' Play, singing troubadours, tumblers, and refreshments.

For this occasion, the Veritas students and faculty will be dressed in Medieval costumes. So expect to be surrounded by lords and ladies, knights and damsels, monks, peasants, and serfs. Whether one's tastes are genteel or barbarian, this program should have something to satisfy all.

Originally we had planned a feast with the program. But we are blessed with having more children and thus more parents than we have room for in our great hall. So the eating part of the feast has been scaled down, but we will still have wassail and bread pudding.

I know that in some cases we are extending the boundaries beyond the Medieval period with certain songs and language used. But we contend that the Medieval period never really ended. Much that we call modern grew out of the Middle Ages. We stand on their shoulders in many respects. In certain areas, we have lost some of the glory of the Medieval world. Medieval people knew how to celebrate. We want to capture that part of their world and restore it to our own times.

After the program, I will post the script and shepherds' play, both of which I wrote, so that see what a fun time we will have had, D.V., and so you can advise me on whether I should change careers and go into drama productions.

Below is a poem that will be read by Master Joseph Benjamin in the program.

MEDIEVAL CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL POEM

Think not we Medievals lived in Ages Dark
Think not of Middle Ages so grim and stark.
Our fathers lived in dark ages with evils near.
But in our times we learned to celebrate with cheer.
For we heard a heavenly message filled with light:
So we burned as firewood pagan gods with delight.
And worshipped the Christ-child born long ago
And Him we celebrate tonight with this show.
Christ’s nativity is for us a season, not a day.
We pray and praise and fast and feast all the way
Through winter’s longest spell into Janus’ time.
So join with us with hearty hearts in love and rhyme.
The Veritas’ Medieval Christmas celebration—
Where happy hearts are the finest decoration.

Advent in Poetry and Great Words

Herod’s Legacy

Herod listened to the triumphant sound of Rome:
Armed legions would protect his well-deserved king’s throne.
In Jerusalem, the stones he laid would ascend
Into the temple for his glory without end.
Subjected Jews would fall to honor or to die:
Beneath his scourging wisdom usurpers would cry.
The happy pawn of Rome’s latest power would rule
Killing sons of ambition with whims justly cruel.

But the Magi stormed his fort with most haunting news,
Asking “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?”
Profiting from the scribes pointing to Bethlehem,
Pious Herod spoke, “I too must go worship Him.”
The gift bearers left, camels ambling to the star
Where the God-baby’s birth drew them from lands afar.
Herod waited, but the wise men never returned–
Their cradled Gentile promise having been discerned.
Warned in a dream, by a different way they went east.
Ravenous for a kill, from the sea rose the beast.
“Death to all male children”–stated the king’s decree.
The night before, to dark Egypt the Church did flee.

Herod saw the future–Rome blinded in fire light.
Herod killed a pathway to make secure his might.
First in line, Herod broken by the iron rod
Swung in righteous wrath by the toddling infant God,
Reduced to an evil footnote in history–
Crumpled as the foil told in Luke’s Christmas story.

Take heart, Herod, your political spawn still try
To kill the Christ child with sword, fire, spear, or crossed tree.
Like you, they perish in the dust of tyranny
When the Son is called from Egypt to victory.


And more to words to ponder and celebrate

The Son of God became man to enable men to become sons of God.
C.S. Lewis (1898--1963)

You have come to us as a small child, but you have brought us the greatest of all gifts, the gift of eternal love. Caress us with your tiny hands, embrace us with your tiny arms, and pierce our hearts with your soft, sweet cries.
Bernard of Clairvaux (1090--1153)

Infinite, and an infant. Eternal, and yet born of a woman. Almighty, and yet hanging on a woman’s breast. Supporting a universe, and yet needing to be carried in a mother’s arms. King of angels, and yet the reputed son of Joseph. Heir of all things, and yet the carpenter’s despised son. Oh, the wonder of Christmas.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834--1892)

On this day earth shall ring
With the song children sing
To the Lord, Christ our King,
Born on earth to save us;
Him the Father gave us.
Ideo, Ideo,
Ideo gloria in exelsis Deo!
Charlemagne the Great (742--814)