The Bethlehem Innkeeper's Busy Night

A "Reader's Theater" Drama Script with Lots of Sound Effects

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Students will read the story of the Bethlehem innkeeper in their Bibles and then re-enact the story of the innkeeper using a Readers’ Theater script (no staging required) and generating lots of fun story-inspired sound effects.

Scripture Reference:
Luke 2: 4-7

Lesson Objective:

• Jesus Christ is the new covenant.
• People come to know Jesus in many different ways, and those who knew of His coming had different perspective on the story to tell.

Leader Preparation:

• Read the scripture ahead of time.
• Become familiar with the script.
• Gather the materials.

Materials List:

• Copies of the script for "The Innkeeper’s Busy Night." (Enough for each child)
• Highlighters (optional)
• Class set of Bibles.

Lesson Plan

Opening

Greet the children and introduce yourself and any helpers that you have. Let them know what they'll be doing and learning about today.  Today, we are going to be doing our own "drama" of a possible exchange between the innkeeper and the visitors who came to see the baby Jesus.

Begin by have students find the scripture Luke 2: 4-7.
This is the only place in the Bible that mentions the role of the inn or the innkeeper. There have been many stories about what people have "guessed" must have gone on the night Joseph and Mary came into Bethlehem looking for a place to stay.

There are even some cultures that have a special traditions to highlight this small, ambiguous part of the story. For example,

The Mexican culture participates in the ritual of the posadas. Beginning on December 16th, and continuing through the next eight evenings until Christmas Eve, they reenact the Holy Family’s search for shelter (posadas literally meaning, "inns"). In each of the first eight posadas family members, representing innkeepers and pilgrims, play out the story of frustration on the road to Bethlehem. To Joseph’s every inquiry comes the same answer, "No room at the inn." But then, miraculously on Christmas Even, the final innkeeper recognizes the holy couple and joyfully offers them shelter. In some parts of the country the "pilgrims" travel from house to house, visiting friends and asking the traditional posadas question: "Who will give shelter to those travelers who come with their songs of walking the roads?" In either case, the ritual ends on Christmas Eve, with song, celebration, and –to the great delight of children from Mexico City to Santa Fe—the game of the piñata. (From An American Christmas,A Celebration of Our Heritage from Around the World. Copyright 1989, Allied Books Ltd.)

• Distribute scripts.
• Assign parts and have group practice making the "sound effects" before beginning to read.
• For maximum fun and participation, the ENTIRE group should do the sound effects, except for the person who has the line in which they occur.
• You may want to let them highlight their parts, if it will be easier to follow along.
  (It is OK to double-up on parts, if you don’t have enough students for each character.)
• After reading through the script once, discuss what seems "realistic" and what doesn’t, about the story.
• If there is time, you can re-assign the parts and let the students read through it again.

The Innkeeper's busy night

Characters:
Narrator 1
Mary & Joseph
Narrator 2
Shepherds
Innkeeper
Kings

Sound effects:
KNOCK DOOR SHUTS DOOR SLAMS
COVERS SWISH BED CREAKS SINGING
STAIR STEPS SNORING "Glo-ooo-ooo-ria"
FLAPPING NOISES DOOR CREAK
MATCH STRIKE CURTAINS SWISHING
FOOTSTEPS Groggy People/Rejoicing People

Narrator 1: There was nothing the innkeeper liked more than a good night’s sleep.

Innkeeper: (Yawns.)

Narrator 2: But one night there was a knock at the door. Sound effect: KNOCK

Narrator 1: The innkeeper got out of bed, Sound effect:COVERS SWISH
Stumbled down the stairs, Sound effect: STAIRSTEPS
Lit his lamp, Sound effect: MATCH STRIKE
And opened the door. Sound effect: DOOR CREAKS

Mary & Joseph Hello, sorry to bother you, but we’re in desperate need of a place to stay the night.

Innkeeper: No room.

Mary & Joseph: But we’re tired and have traveled through night and day.

Innkeeper: There’s only the stable around the back. Here’s two blankets. Sign the register.

Narrator 2: So they signed it.

Mary & Joseph: Mary and Joseph.

Narrator 1: The innkeeper shut the door, Sound effect: DOOR SHUTS
Climbed the stairs, Sound effect: STAIR STEPS
Got into bed, Sound effect: BED CREAKS
and went to sleep. Sound effect: SNORING

Narrator 2: But then later, there was another knock at the door. Sound effect: KNOCK

Narrator 1: The innkeeper got out of bed,Sound effect: COVERS SWISH
Stumbled down the stairs, Sound effect: STAIRSTEPS
Lit his lamp, Sound effect: MATCH STRIKE
And opened the door. Sound effect: DOOR CREAKS

Joseph: Excuse me. I wonder if you could lend us another, smaller blanket?

Innkeeper: There. One smaller blanket.

Narrator 1: The innkeeper shut the door, Sound effect: DOOR SHUTS
Climbed the stairs, Sound effect: STAIR STEPS
Got into bed, Sound effect: BED CREAKS
and went to sleep. Sound effect: SNORING

Narrator 2: But then, a bright light woke him up.

Narrator 1: He went downstairs, Sound effect: STAIR STEPS
opened the door, Sound effect: DOOR CREAKS
walked outside, Sound effect: FOOTSTEPS
and looked up.

Innkeeper: (surprised) What in the--?

Narrator 2: Up in the sky was the biggest, brightest star that the world has ever known. It was as light as day.

Innkeeper: Great. That’s all I need!

Narrator 1: Then he shut the door, Sound effect: DOOR SHUTS
Climbed the stairs, Sound effect: STAIR STEPS Drew the curtains, Sound effect: CURTAINS SWISHING Got into bed, Sound effect: BED CREAKS
and went to sleep. Sound effect: SNORING

Narrator 2: But then there was another knock at the door.
Sound effect: KNOCK

Narrator 1: The innkeeper got out of bed, Sound effect: COVERS SWISH
Stumbled down the stairs, Sound effect: STAIR STEPS
Lit his lamp, Sound effect: MATCH STRIKE
And opened the door. Sound effect: DOOR CREAKS

Shepherds: We are three shepherds.

Innkeeper: Well, what’s the matter? Lost your sheep?

Shepherds: We’ve come to see Mary and Joseph.

Innkeeper: AROUND THE BACK.

Narrator 1: Then he shut the door, Sound effect: DOOR SHUTS
Climbed the stairs, Sound effect: STAIR STEPS Got into bed, Sound effect: BED CREAKS
and went to sleep. Sound effect: SNORING

Narrator 2: But then there was yet another knock at the door. Sound effect: KNOCK

Narrator 1: The innkeeper got out of bed, Sound effect: COVERS SWISH
Stumbled down the stairs, Sound effect: STAIRSTEPS
Lit his lamp, Sound effect: MATCH STRIKE
And opened the door. Sound effect: DOOR CREAKS

Kings: We are three kings. We’ve come---

Innkeeper: AROUND THE BACK!!!

Narrator 1: He slammed the door, Sound effect: DOOR SLAMS
Climbed the stairs, Sound effect: STAIR STEPS Got into bed, Sound effect: BED CREAKS
and went to sleep. Sound effect: SNORING

Narrator 2: But then, a chorus of singing woke him up. Sound effect: sing "Glo-oooo-o-oooo-o-
oooo-o-ria!"

Innkeeper: ALL RIGHT—THAT DOES IT!

Narrator 1: So he got out of bed, Sound effect: COVERS SWISH
Stomped down the stairs, Sound effect: LOUD STAIR STEPS
Threw open the door, Sound effect: DOOR BANGS
Went around the back Sound effect: FOOTSTEPS
Stormed into the stable, and was just about to speak when….

EVERYONE (except innkeeper) SHHH!

Narrator 2: whispered everybody.

EVERYONE (except innkeeper) You’ll wake the baby!

Innkeeper: Baby? Baby?!

Shepherd: Yes, a baby has this night been born.

Innkeeper: Oh? (grumbles a little)

Narrator 1: The innkeeper looked crossly into the manger.

Narrator 2: And just at that moment, suddenly, amazingly,
his anger seemed to fly away.
Sound Effect: FLAPPING NOISES

Innkeeper: Oh….isn’t he …beautiful!

Narrator 1: In fact, he thought the baby was so special…

Narrator 2: He woke up all the guests in the inn.

Innkeeper: Hey, everybody, come and see, come and see… Wake up, wake up, …come and see…
Sound Effect: Groggy People waking up, "huh?
What's all the fuss, etc."

Narrator 1: He was so proud that he wanted them all to come and look at the baby, too.

Narrator 2: No one got much sleep that night.
Sound Effect: Rejoicing and singing "Joy to the World"

Script inspired by the book, Jesus’ Christmas Party, by Nicholas Allan. Copyright 1991, Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.

Closing: Close with a prayer thanking God for all those who "make room" for Jesus in their lives and hearts.

Additional Suggestions:
Have kids come up with sound effects ahead of time and practice.
Use props to make the sfx, like they do in a radio show.
In fact, you could do this as a radio show.

A lesson written by Sharon Troxell from: Marvin UMC, Tyler, TX