Production Script

INTRODUCTION

Guide – Shalom, my name is (say biblical name), may I join your caravan? (You do know what Shalom means don’t you? or So you know what shalom means!)  It means “peace to you!” From where I come from we use it as a greeting and as a goodbye. Where are you traveling from? (wait for an answer. Be confused by an answer that wouldn’t make sense to first century traveler as in “I’ve never heard of a city named [Atlanta], is that in the Far East?”) Are you on your way into Bethlehem for the census? (Wait for a response. Assuming that they do not know about the census.) Oh! How is it that no one has heard the decree by Caesar Augustus, the emperor of the Roman empire, that every person must go to the town of their ancestors to be counted and pay taxes? Not to brag but I am of the tribe of Judah and in the lineage of King David, the greatest Israelite king, therefore I must go back to Bethlehem, the place of his birth, to be counted. I love Bethlehem, it is where I grew up, but (whispered) I wish for salvation from the Romans. (regular tone) Their taxes are too high, and their soldiers think that they can do whatever they want to us. I despise them. The only thing I despise more are those worthless tax collectors who profit off the Roman’s cruelty. They collect the taxes plus some extra for their own pockets. God judge them for their treason against us! Oh, we are almost to the city. The first thing I must do is register and pay my taxes. Then as a thank you for allowing me to travel with you, would you care if I showed you around the city?

CENSUS TAKER

Census Taker – Welcome to Bethlehem. Caesar Augustus has decreed that the entire world should be registered and taxed, everyone in his own city. Are all of you from the lineage of David?

Guide – No no, It’s just me who’s here for the census. These people are traveling from (insert the place they said earlier.)

Census Taker – Where is that? I’ve never heard of such a place?

Guide – I think it’s the Far East, or Africa. Not sure.

Census Taker – Well… welcome to the city. (In a hushed voice as he leans in towards the group) and do be careful, the Roman guards are in a foul mood.

Guide – Let’s go ahead into the city.

Roman Guard – Halt, by order of Caesar Augustus. Have you been counted in the census? (Guards will likely add some interaction by picking on your group for a bit.) Keep your group near you or we will throw them in jail. And make sure you pay your taxes.

TAX COLLECTOR

Tax Collector – How many are travelling in your party? (guide answers) You have to pay one half–shekel for every man, woman, child, slave and animal. (You can add a couple of personal things like saying “I am just a public servant trying to do my job”)

(Guide reluctantly pays his taxes. Feel free to add a line or two about the unfairness of the tax such as “How am I supposed to afford to eat!”)

Guide – (As you move away from the tax collector.) We know that he charges too much, but there is nothing we can do about it. He pays the Romans what they require, but he keeps the rest. ­

OIL & LAMP

Guide – (Approaching the oil & lamp merchant) Here we have the oil and lamp merchant. Oil is very necessary to our way of life. Shalom. What oils do you have for sale?

Oil Merchant – Shalom. I have many different types of oils for sale. Our selection includes oil for temple worship, medicine, anointing, perfumes, skin care, cooking, lamps and soaps.

Guide – How do you make all of these?

Oil Merchant – (motioning and moving towards the press) Here… let me show you. This is the olive press where we press the oil right here at our shop. Our finest oil is made by positioning the weight over the first notch. This is the oil we use for temple worship and medicinal anointing oil. The second press uses the second notch and is used for cooking, eating and perfumes. The 3rd notch is for pressing out the lamp oil for lighting our homes. The 4th notch is for the final press to make wonderful soap.

Guide – What is that basket used for?  (referring to cornucopia basket hanging in window)

Oil Merchant – This is used to purify our finest oil that is used in Temple worship. It is used to anoint kings… just as King David was anointed right here outside this city long ago. And one day, when the Messiah comes, he will also be anointed with the finest oil!

Guide – Shalom.

FRUIT & VEGETABLE

Guide – (moving away from oil; looking towards group; excitedly) There’s so much more to see! Come along!

Fruit Merchant – (looking at guide; excitedly) There’s a familiar face!

Guide – (Looking to the fruit merchant) Shalom Rachel!  It is so good to see you. (Looking back at group) I always come to Rachel when I want the best figs and dates in all of Judea! (Looking back at Rachel) But I must say…. Your selection looks thinner than usual.

Fruit Merchant – Well, with so many people in town for the census, we don’t have a lot left, but what we do have is very good. We have delicious dates, figs, melons, and almonds, and they are priced very reasonably. You need to purchase some now, because later it might be too late. (Holding up a piece of fruit)

Roman Guard – (Taking a piece of fruit from her without paying) STEP ASIDE, STEP ASIDE!

Fruit Merchant – These Romans take anything they want, and there’s nothing we can do about it.

Guide – No we can’t… but when the Messiah comes… He will do something about it. (Slight pause) So, Rachel, tell us… is there anything special going on in the city?

Fruit Merchant – You’d think the census would be the talk of the town, but rumor has it that a baby was born in the stables last night!

Guide – Why on earth was a baby born in the stable!

Vegetable Merchant – Well I heard that the Inn was full, so they had no choice… poor thing. (Going back in to sales mode) But you fine people must be hungry. We have a wide selection of vegetables! Even herbs and honey too! These would make a hearty meal for weary travelers.

Guide – Well… we still have to find a place to stay before we think about our evening meal. Shalom.

BASKET WEAVER

Guide – (Pick up a basket or point one out) Baskets are so important to our way of life; we use them for bread, vegetables, grain, and for taking offerings to the Temple. Shalom! What beautiful baskets you have for sale!

Basket Weaver – Thank you, we have been so busy with all the travelers coming to Bethlehem, we can hardly keep up with the orders. As a matter of fact, I’m so busy that I can’t even make my deliveries. If you are going that way… would you mind taking this to the city oven?

Guide – (hands basket to child if they want) We would be happy to! Shalom.

CITY OVEN

Guide – Shalom. The weaver asked us to deliver a basket to you.

Bread Baker – (Taking the basket) Thank you!

Guide – Your oven looks very busy!

Bread Baker – Well as you know, Bethlehem does mean “House of Bread” Our oven stays very busy all the time because bread is our main food. Each person eats about three loaves a day. And as you can see, everyone is involved in making the bread. And the entire process takes place right here in Bethlehem. The wheat is grown in the fields right outside the city and then its brought to our threshing floor. This is where we separate the grain from the chaff. The grain is used to form our dough these ladies are kneading. And finally, we bake the bread here in our city oven. Today we are using wheat, barley, and millet. Would you like to try a piece?

Guide – Thank you! (Give time for your group to sample the bread)
Bread is very important, but not nearly as important as the Word of God. Remember… Moses tells us that “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” Shalom!

WINE MERCHANT

Guide – Shalom.  Does your wine taste as good as these grapes look?

Wine Merchant – Certainly! We have the very best in Bethlehem. It’s aged a full 40 days, unlike some merchants across town who only age their wine for 20 days. We also have wine made from pomegranates, dates, and apples. And we never put our new wine in old wineskins. Will you stay and partake in some refreshment?

Guide – (Give time for your group to sample juice)
Thank you, it’s delicious.

SALT MERCHANT

Guide – Over here is a seller of salt. Shalom.

Salt Merchant – We have fine salt for sale. Salt is not only used as a preservative and for seasoning but is used for sacrifice and temple worship. (Lifting bowl up, guide reaches out to try to touch) NO, NO, NO, do not touch, do not defile. This is my very best salt for temple worship. This comes from the Phoenician coast where the very best salt is mined.

Guide – (Sarcastically) I am sure we will find out just how precious this salt is when she tells us the price. How much is this fine salt?

Salt Merchant – Only a denarius.

Guide – A Denarius!?!? A full day’s wages for such a small amount of salt! We can only hope that God will bless us without this Phoenician salt! Shalom!

SYNAGOGUE
(Moving over in front of the synagogue)

Guide – Here is the city’s Synagogue. The Synagogue does not replace or imitate the functions of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. There are no priests, or any sacrifices offered here. It is the focus of the Jewish community in the city. It is a religious center, meeting hall, courtroom and school.

(Pointing out the Scribe)

Guide – In the center section, you can see the scribe making a copy of the Torah. He writes on parchment made of treated sheep or goat skins. The ink is a diluted mixture of lamp black and gum. The pen was made from a reed split at the end to form a nib. The words of God are perfect and without error, so if the scribe makes any error while writing the book, the entire book must be destroyed, and he must start over. No corrections or errors are allowed, because then those would be passed down. Because of this standard, we know that the scriptures are perfect. We are blessed to have a scribe here.

(Moving toward the school)

Guide – This section is our school. Boys come here to study from sunup till midday to learn the Torah…The first 5 books of our Scriptures. The boys learn by listening to the teacher and repeating it after him. Memorization is a very important skill and by the age of ten, most of the boys have memorized all 5 books. After the age of ten, some of the boys will go on to more advanced classes dealing with the more complex Jewish laws

School Teacher – Excuse me, can you help me? I’ve been waiting on Isaac, one of my students, for the last hour and he has not shown up. That is his home right there across the street! Will you go tell his mother that if he doesn’t take his studies seriously I cannot teach him? This is the third time he’s missed this week!

Guide – Yes, we will stop there on our way.

(Moving toward the Elder)

Guide – In the center section, we often find some of the town elders and men discussing community issues, or questions about the scriptures. Elder, can you tell us if scripture has anything to say about the Messiah’s birth?

Elder – The scriptures tell us many things about the Messiah. The prophet Isaiah says that only the Messiah can take away the sins of the world. Isaiah said. “All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid upon Him, the iniquity of us all.” When the Messiah comes He will bring peace with God to those who follow Him. The Prophet Micah tells us that from the little town of Bethlehem, among the clan of Judah, one will go forth for God to be the ruler of Israel.                                                                           

Guide – (With excitement) So our town of Bethlehem is to be the birthplace of the Messiah?

Elder – Yes indeed!

Guide – Would you pray a blessing over us as we continue our journey?

Elder – May the lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.  May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. Shalom.

JEWISH HOME
(Group moves to Jewish home and guide knocks on door)

Mother – Who is it?

Guide – Its (says their name) and some of my friends…

(Mother cracks the door open and then pokes her head out and looks around)

Guide – Isaac’s teacher sent us to…

Mother – (interrupting) Come in quickly… hurry…

(As group is entering home)

Guide – Umm… so as I was saying… Isaac’s schoolteacher has been wondering where he’s been…

Mother – Hurry hurry hurry… come inside… quickly quickly… keep quiet.

(Mother closes door)

Mother – You’re lucky you came to our door when you did…

Guide – What’s going on?

Father – Son… tell them what you saw…

Boy – I saw an angel talking to shepherds outside the city last night.

Mother – Do you know what this could mean! The prophecy says the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem! Could it be true? Is God finally sending the Messiah to deliver His people?

Father – Woman… you know children have wild imaginations!

Mother – But it’s not just what Isaac saw… the women in the marketplace heard a rumor that a woman gave birth to a son last night in the stables.

Father – Whether this is true or not… rumors do not warrant keeping our son from his studies!

Mother – But if they are true, and the Romans realize what is happening… Isaac could be in danger!

Guide – The prophet Micah did say that a child, the Son of God, would be born in the city of David.

Father – But how could our King be born in a stable and not a palace!

Mother – But what about the great King David! He was just a shepherd… not born in a palace.

(Sometime around this point the guard should knock on the door but continue dialogue until they do)

Guide – Could it be that our prayers are finally being answered?

Father – I can only hope that the prophecy is being fulfilled… I will be so glad for my family to be out from under the rule of the Romans. I’ve never known what it means to truly be a free son of Abraham…

But my Father’s father used to tell me stories of when he was boy… in the time of Judah Maccabee… when our people were free from pagan rule. We were free to worship our God. There were no taxes, there was no Caesar… We were free then… and one day we will be free again.

(Line after knock)

Roman Guard – Hey Who’s in there!

Mother – Quickly quickly, out the back door! Be on guard… if the Romans catch wind our King has been born, they will use any means necessary to find him.

FISH MERCHANTS

Fish Merchant – (Yelling out to general audience) Fish for sale, fresh and salted, only 3 mites

Guide – How fresh are they?

Fish Merchant – My brother James caught them this morning. Would you like to try a piece?

Guide – Thank you, tastes great!

POTTER SHOP

Guide – The potter is always on the edge of town. They throw the broken pottery pieces into the field behind them and it gets so mired into the ground that it becomes worthless. That’s where the saying comes from “worthless as a potter’s field”.

Potter – Can I interest you in some pottery today? We have some cooking and food storage containers made of the fine red clay from the Jordan River.

Guide – (Pointing to some broken pottery) What happened here? Why is there broken pottery all over the ground?

Potter – The soldiers were by here earlier and broke these. And there is nothing we can do about it. We are at their mercy. But we still have several pieces for sale.

Guide – Indeed, you do have some nice pieces, but we are not in the market today. But I do hope the Romans don’t break any more. You know I am reminded what the prophet Isaiah said – God is the potter and we are the works of His hand. He will mold us into useful vessels for His work if we allow it.

CLOTH WEAVER

Guide – (Move to Cloth shop) Our next stop is our cloth weavers. (While admiring their cloth) Your cloth is so beautiful.

Cloth Weaver – Thank you! We have a variety of cloth. We have cloth made from camel’s hair. (Picks up a piece of cloth) And this is made from the best goats hair. But our finest and softest cloth is made from sheep’s wool. We are proud of our products, especially our woolen cloth.

Guide – (feeling the cloth) This is very nice, I’m curious… do you get your wool from the shepherds here in Bethlehem?

Cloth Weaver – (Excitedly) Yes, we get our wool from the shepherds over on the hillside, (lean in and speak softly) and they told us a strange story this morning!

Guide – What did they tell you?

Cloth Weaver – They said that Angels had appeared to them last night and told them that the Messiah was born here in Bethlehem! And they went to see him in the stable at the inn.

Guide – Really? So, you’ve heard this story too. We would like to talk to them; you say they’re just over on the hillside?

Cloth Weaver – Yes, Just outside of town.

Guide – Thank you, we will look for them.

THE WELL

Guide – Here is the city well, every day the women must come and get their daily supply of water.  It’s also a great place to get information. This woman is always in the know, as you can see; she is very friendly with the Roman guards.

Woman at the well – Are you talking about me? At least I know what is going on. That’s why you always come to me when you need information.

Guide – Yes, and you are always so happy to oblige. (Sarcastically) Please tell us about this baby that was born last night.

Woman at the well – Well, His parents are ordinary people, but I have heard that He is the promised messiah. They say His mother is a virgin, Ha. A VIRGIN!!

Guide – Maybe this could be true! Over 700 years ago the prophet Isaiah said that the virgin shall be with child. Could this prophecy have finally come to pass?

Roman Guard – Are you bothering this woman? Move on, get away from our well.

Guide – Maybe we had better move on, QUICKLY.

CLOTH MERCHANT

Guide – Next, we have our cloth sellers. Shalom. I see you have some purple cloth today.

Cloth Merchant – Yes, but it’s not for sale. We do have fine yellow cloth that we make from saffron and this beautiful red comes from pomegranates. But our purple cloth is made from the costly Murex shell and it is not for sale. Purple is reserved for kings.

Guide – (excitedly) Well we have heard that the Messiah might have been born last night here in Bethlehem. Are you saving this purple cloth for him?

Cloth Merchant – No, this purple cloth is for a king, not some baby.

Guide – Perhaps this baby will be our king.

Cloth Merchant – Perhaps.

BLACKSMITH / METAL SHOP

Guide – Shalom Reuben, I see business is plentiful today!

Reuben – Yes, we’ve had more business during these registration days than ever before. John has been working from sunup till sundown on special orders for the travelers. We can’t keep up.

John – And not to mention the repair work we have had to do on all of these Roman weapons.

Reuben – How dare they! Accusing me of playing favorites! (looks around to make sure guards are not nearby)
(pointing to swords) I mean if I forgot to sharpen a Roman sword or two… it wasn’t intentional I assure you. (flashes a grin and winks)

John – Questioning our integrity! These Romans are unbelievable! We are working as fast as we can. I can’t help it that the turnaround time on orders is a week at best!

Reuben – We just can’t work any harder! But if YOU need anything… (leaning in close) John and I can have it to you by noon tomorrow.

Guide – Thank you, Reuben. You are a true son of Abraham. But we have nothing that needs repaired and we are weary from our travels. Shalom.

CARPENTER

Guide – Nathan, what are you working on here in the carpenter shop?

Carpenter – There is always work for a carpenter, making tools, farm implements and furniture. Today I am working on a chest made from cedar.

Guide – (Picks up and smell some chips of cedar) Ah! Cedar wood from Lebanon. You can always tell a carpenter by the cedar chip behind his ear– it’s the mark of his trade.
(Turns to carpenter) Have you heard anything about a baby being born in the stables?

Carpenter – Yes, not only have I heard about this, yesterday the family stopped by here looking for the stable, and the father is a carpenter from Nazareth.

Guide – Well, it is true what we have been hearing.

THE MUSICIANS

Guide – (Hears music coming from the minstrel booth) I don’t remember seeing you around here before…

Judas – Ah yes… that is because I am new here! My name is Judas, and this is my brother Levi. As minstrels from the Temple in Jerusalem… we desired to come to the birthplace of King David… the great psalmist and musician of long ago.

Levi – Did you know that nearly half of the psalms were written by King David! And did you know that with only a simple strum of his lyre, David was able to relieve King Saul from his madness!

Judas – Ah Yes! David! Our inspiration! We desire to be just like him!

Guide – Well if David is your inspiration… then surely you must have a song for us!

Levi – Silver or Gold we have not, but my gift is my song… and this one’s for you.

(Minstrels play their song)

(Guide claps for minstrels)

Guide – Thank you for your gift of song but we must be on our way. For I have weary travelers with me who need rest. Shalom.

Levi – Shalom

THE INN

Guide – Do you have any rooms available for us? We have travelled a long way and we need a place to stay.

Inn Keeper – Look around you. Do you think we would have any room with the census going on? My own children have to sleep on the roof. I’m sorry, but we have no more room in the Inn.

Inn Keeper’s Wife – It’s true, just last night he sent a couple to the stable, and she was very heavy with child.

Inn Keeper – Maybe you too would like to stay in the stable.

Guide – I hope you would not charge us to sleep in the stable.

Inn Keeper – No, no it’s from the goodness of my heart.

THE SHEPHERDS

Guide – (Moving out of city into shepherds’ field) Are you the shepherds that saw the angels last night?

Shepherd 1 – Yes, we were in the fields watching our flocks, and an angel of the Lord came upon us, and the glory of the Lord shone around us, and we were terrified.

Guide – So it is true! What message did the angel give you?

Shepherd 1 – He said, “Do not be afraid, I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today, in the town of David, a savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord.”

Shepherd 2 (if available) – And then the Angel said, “This will be a sign to you. You will find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

Guide – Where do we find this baby?

Shepherd 2 (if available) – In the stable at the Inn.

THE STABLES

Guide – (Moving over to stable) What is the child’s name?

Mary or Joseph – His name is Jesus

Guide – Jesus… that name means God saves! So, It’s true! The Christ child has been born. After all this time the scriptures have been fulfilled.

(Guide then takes the group over to the animals and past the angel choir before loading onto the wagon.)

AFTER RELOADING

Guide – It was no mistake that Jesus was born in a stable. We Jews were looking for a king to come and rescue us from the Romans, but Jesus came as a servant to give us the greatest gift of all.

Guide – Look, I’ve never noticed that star before.  Let’s talk to these men.

Wise Men – We have studied the stars and writings and have learned of the prophecy of a King coming to Israel. We have traveled a very long way and have taken years to get to Bethlehem. We did see Jesus and worshipped Him, giving him gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. Frankincense is burned in the temple as a sweet-smelling aroma to God. Myrrh is used for wrapping a dead body to control the odor. All are very costly and represent the best we have to offer. We first went to Jerusalem. You would expect a newborn king to be found in the capitol city. But in speaking to Herod we found out that He was not there. The prophecy was that He would be born in Bethlehem. In fact, Herod tried to deceive us into telling him when we found the King, so he could kill Him. But God warned us to not go back to Herod and tell him where Jesus was, but to return a different way.

TRAVELING FROM STOP TO TRAVELERS

Guide – Aren’t you glad that we serve a God so mighty that he knows everything? Herod was so mad that he killed every child in Bethlehem under the age of 2. That is why we believe it took about 2 years for the wise men to travel to Bethlehem. Since God told Joseph to leave quickly and to go to Egypt God must certainly know the whole picture. How many times in our lives have we had to do things we don’t understand, but may understand later? If we listen to Him, He will protect us. It was not till Herod was dead that God told Joseph to return to Israel. Joseph did not go back to Bethlehem, but went to Nazareth, where Jesus grew up. We don’t know a lot about Jesus as he grew up in Nazareth, but we do know that he was around 30 years old when He began His public ministry.

(Sees a group of travelers along the side of the road.)

THE TRAVELERS

Guide – Shalom friends, where are you traveling?

Traveler 1 – Anywhere but Jerusalem.

Guide – What has happened in Jerusalem?

Traveler 1 – Are you the only visitors to Jerusalem who have not heard about the things that have happened there in recent days?

Guide – What things?

Traveler 1 – The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth. He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.

Guide – What happened to Him?

Traveler 1 – Many people began to follow Him. You see, we Jewish people knew that God had promised in Scripture to liberate His people. And we knew that at the right time He would send a king to free us from our slavery. Many of us believed that Jesus was indeed God’s promised King. He did things no man had ever done before. He spoke with such wisdom and truth! And more than anything, he proclaimed the arrival of God’s Kingdom in Himself.

Traveler 2 – Jesus grew famous throughout the entire region. But not everyone liked Him. The Jewish rulers felt threatened by Him because he challenged them and their understanding of God. Many of the Jewish leaders were simply puppets to the Romans. We all knew that eventually, at the right time, Jesus would overthrow the corrupt Jewish leaders and the Roman Empire and deliver Israel from her oppression! We knew that Passover week would be the perfect time for Jesus to start a revolt because the city was full of people. And we were so tired of being ruled by pagans. Jesus even rode into Jerusalem on a donkey just as the prophet Zechariah said Gods King would do! Jesus was welcomed as Israel’s King and we were all ready for Him to set up His Kingdom.

Traveler 1 – But then something terrible happened… Jesus was betrayed by one of His own, arrested on trumped up charges, convicted as a criminal, and sentenced to die a humiliating death by crucifixion. As you can imagine everyone was devastated. We had hoped so much that He was the one to redeem Israel, but instead he died on a criminal’s cross outside the city walls. How humiliating! Moses said, “cursed is anyone hung from a tree”. Still, as I think back on it, it was as if Jesus intended for this to happen. He had every opportunity to fight back, and He had more than enough support to start a revolt, and yet he did not open His mouth as He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. Jesus was silent as they convicted him and crucified Him. Truly there was something very different about this man….

JOHN AT THE CROSS

Guide – (Arriving at Calvary) You there. You were one of His disciples, weren’t you? Surely you were devastated when they killed Jesus.

John (at the crosses) – Yes, I am John the Beloved, and we were all devastated. But I did not understand that it was necessary for Jesus, our Messiah to die.

Guide – What? Necessary for the Messiah to Die? How can a dead Messiah liberate us from the Romans?

John – Oh, Foolish Man, do you not realize that Jesus’ mission was to do something much greater than liberate us from the Romans? Moses and the prophets all told us we needed liberation from our sins and from death. We are all in bondage to sin and deserve death. God sent Jesus to be the perfect sacrifice so that we do not have to die. Because He had no sin, He could die for our sin. The amazing thing is that our God loves us so much that he sent His only Son, so anyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. You see, by Jesus dying for us, we can live forever.

Guide – But if Jesus is dead, how can He free us from the power of death?

John – What you see here is not the end of the story, my friend. Jesus did die on this cross and they buried his body in a tomb not far from here. But then something unexpected happened! Something amazing! Something that has changed everything!

Guide – What happened?

John – You must go and see for yourself.

Guide – (Travelling to Tombs) When they took Jesus off the cross they had to bury Him quickly before the Sabbath day began. The Jewish leaders were fearful that some of His disciples would come and steal the body because Jesus had predicted that He would rise again. They went to Pilate and petitioned for him to put Roman guards and a seal on the stone covering the tomb. Everyone knew that if anyone broke the seal, they would be put to death.

ANGEL AT THE TOMB

Angel at the tomb – Who is it you seek?

Guide – Jesus of Nazareth.

Angel – Why do you seek the living among the dead? Jesus is not here. He is risen. God has raised Him from the dead and has demonstrated once and for all that Jesus has power over sin and death. Rejoice O Man, for what you could never do, no matter how hard you tried, God did. By sending His own son to die, He has condemned sin in the flesh, and by raising Him from the dead, He has defeated death. Therefore, if any one of you who repents of your sin and believes Jesus died for you, will be saved. Some of you may have already accepted God’s gift, some may have not. I urge you to accept this wonderful gift right now. It can be as simple as praying to God and saying, “I know that I am a sinner and I repent. I know that Jesus died for me and I trust Him and want to follow Him with my whole life. The Bible teaches that if you repent and trust in Jesus, you will be saved. If you’ve decided to follow Jesus tonight, all of heaven is rejoicing with you!

Guide – (Travelling back to hospitality room) If you have decided to follow Jesus tonight, please talk to someone in our counseling area to let us help you with your next step on the Christian journey.

This is also a good time to recognize that we tend to stray, even if we have already accepted this wonderful gift. If we are not living the life we need to, now is a good time to rededicate our lives to Him and put Jesus in charge of all parts of our life. We have counselors available who would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about how to become a Christian or what it looks like to go deeper in your faith.

Thank you for coming tonight and we hope you enjoyed learning more about Jesus and what He did for us. We would love for you to complete a survey for us when you unload. There are QR codes posted in the hallway that you can scan with your phone or we have paper copies of the survey that you can complete before exiting and place in the box.

AS GUESTS ARE UNLOADING

Please let our guests know that we have QR codes posted and feedback cards available, and that we would love to see them on Sunday mornings.