No Room at the Inn (Stage Play)

 John Bevalere Cox

Inn Keeper:	Be off with you, peasant. We have no room for the likes of you here.
Traveler:	But I must find lodging for the night. My wife is heavy with child, and her time is very near.
Inn Keeper:	Alt the more reason why you cannot stay here. We have no facilities to accommodate such events.
Traveler:	Please, don't you have something- anything- a smaller room, a closet? Anything, anything to get us in off the street and out of the weather? See how she travails.
Inn Keeper:	Be off with you, I say there is NO ROOM at this inn! Away with you!
Traveler:	Come, Mary, there is no room for us here. We'll have to look elsewhere.
Inn Keeper:	(Overheard  as  the  travelers  are  leaving) Of course we have room for you Rabbi.  There are always accommodations at our inn for such a noble person as you.   You shall have our finest.
Mary:	But Joseph, I don't know how much farther I can go. The time is very near.
Traveler:	(Turning back to the Inn for one more plea to be considered.) Sir, Please!
Inn Keeper:	BE OFF WITH YOU, I SAY. THERE IS NO ROOM FOR YQU AT THIS INN!
Mary:	Joseph! Oh, have mercy! JOSEPH! JOSEPH!! Ohhh!
Joseph:	I know, Mary, I know, I know. We'll find something.
Narrator:	They try a second inn
Second Inn:	Sir, I truly wish I had room for you, but I do not. I am full and then some. The taxation decree, you know. It would seem all of Judea is here tonight.
Mary:	Joseph! What are we to do? The time is near. I cannot bear this child in the middle of the street.
Joseph:	Try to be patient, dear. God will provide.
Narrator:	They try a second inn
Third Inn:	Sorry, no room.
Narrator:	They try a second inn
Fourth Inn:	Full up!
Narrator:	And yet another.
Next Inn:	Begone! Our rooms are all full.
Narrator:	After several other tries.
A later Inn:	Sir, I am bulging at the seams with lodgers tonight.   I have no rooms - none at all.   I am truly sorry.   (He sees Mary’s urgent need.)   But there are the stables outback.  Perhaps you can find shelter there, if you can squeeze in. They too are full - the animals of the guests, you know.   You'll find the stables in  the  cave  just  across  the  way
Joseph:	Bless you, Sir. Bless you. We'll find our way.
Narrator:	Joseph cleared out a stall and cleaned away the animal residue, as best he could. He found some clean straw and placed it on the floor to make a bed for Mary. He spread a blanket down. (It was certainly no suite at the Royal Inn. The smell of the animals was heavy.)
Joseph:	"This is no place to bring forth the Son of God! But under the circumstances, it will have to do. "Are you comfortable, Mary?"
Mary:	As well as can be expected, I suppose.
Narrator:	Seeing that Mary was settled, Joseph turned his attention to preparing a place for the child whose arrival was now imminent.   Again he found straw, as clean and soft and tender as possible.   He spread it with care in the manger and covered it with the blanket which they had brought for this purpose. Although it was night, and they were well into the cave, it was curiously light.  It was as though daylight had followed them into their makeshift shelter, and they were comforted by it.
Mary:	It's time, Joseph. It's time! Help Me. Help me!
Joseph:	Of course. Of course.
Narrator:	Joseph crouched beside Mary. His heart ached for her, seeing the pain that racked her weary body. There were no doctors.   There was no midwife.   There was no sterile delivery room, warm and clean.   There was only Joseph, and the cattle - and the caring, loving, protecting hand of God - the Father. The Inn keeper's wife had been kind enough to let Joseph have a pail of warm water and some soft cloths, which he might use to clean the baby, and the mother, after the ordeal.   "Let me know when it is time," she said, "and I'll try to come and help you."   But there was no time, and the babe was delivered into the hands of loving Joseph. The child was born!  It was a boy!   A strong, perfect, healthy boy!  THE SON OF GOD HAD BEEN BORN OF MARY, A VIRGIN! For truly, Joseph had not known her.     Joseph washed the tiny infant, wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and lay him in the manger bed he had prepared. Then he ministered to Mary's needs. The curious light shown brighter, and seemed to gather directly over the manger where the baby lay. All the while, outside the cave, the night sky was wondrously aglow as though some heavenly presence were near.   Shepherds watching over their flocks on the Bethlehem hills were astonished by the phenomenon and wondered what it meant.
	Read the record of the event from Luke 2.
Song:	"It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" or "Hark! The Harold Angels Sing". Perhaps both. "The First Noel"
Narrator:	The shepherds did as the angels bade them, and came to the manger, led by the heavenly choir, and by the light.   They found the holy babe, as the angels foretold, lying in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes. They worshiped him! Joseph was curious about how they knew, so quickly,   of the birth, and where to find them.   The shepherds told Joseph and Mary of their heavenly visitation, and of the light that had guided them. Others came to see what great event had transpired,  and to learn the cause of the curious light that shown from the stable cave.  Their curiosity turned to awe and wonder,  when they saw the child,  and they too worshiped him. At length, Joseph prevailed upon the visitors to leave, so that Mary could get some much-needed rest. Joseph took note of all that had happened this night and gave thanks to God. Mary pondered these things in her heart. She took the babe and cradled it in her arms and sang.
Song:	“MARY’S LULLABY”
Narrator: Meantime	Across the world, in a land that Joseph and Mary and the shepherds knew not of, another scene was unfolding.  A scene mixed with hope and sorrow; faith and apprehension. It was now 600 years since the fathers had left the homeland. The prophets of this land had all prophesied that by this time, the Lord God was to have sent His Son into the world to save mankind from the fall of Adam. As late as five years ago, a Lamanite prophet named Samuel had prophesied, "Behold, I give unto you a sign; for five years more cometh, and behold, then cometh the Son of God to redeem all those who shall believe on his name. "And behold, this will I give unto you for a sign at the time of his coming; for behold, there shall be great lights in heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it were day. "Therefore, there shall be one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night; and this shall be unto you for a sign; for ye shall know of the rising of the sun and also of its setting; therefore ye shall know of a surety that there shall be two days and a night; nevertheless the night shall not be darkened; and it shall be the night before he is born. "And behold there shall be a new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign unto you." (Helaman 14: 2-5) Now there were many who believed the words of the prophets, and they looked steadfastly toward the time that their words would be fulfilled. But there many who did not believe the words of the prophets, and they began to rejoice saying, "Behold the time is past, and the words of Samuel are not fulfilled; therefore your joy and your faith concerning this thing hath been vain." (3 Nephi 1:6)
	We go now to the household of Jacob and Sarah.
Sarah:	What is troubling you, Jacob?  For weeks now, and especially for the past few days, you have been beside yourself with apprehension.  You keep looking toward the sky, as if you expected some great disaster to befall us.
Jacob:	Do you not know?  Are you not aware?  The time is almost spent, which Samuel the prophet said should expire, before the coming of the Son of God to redeem the world. The disaster comes not from the sky, but from the unbelievers who have set a day that all those who believed in those traditions should be put to death except the sign should come to pass which had been given by Samuel the prophet. (3 Nephi 1:9)  How can I not be concerned?
Sarah:	You have reason to be concerned. But the day is not yet. Have faith and be of good cheer.
	Several days later
Sarah:	(Calling to children at play outside the door of her home.) "Come in now, children. The sun has gone down. It's time to get ready for supper."
Child:	But, mother, it's not dark yet. It's not even getting dark!
Sarah:	Now, Aaron, you know the sun went down some time ago. I'm sure you are having fun with your games, but you mustn't exaggerate. Come on in now, and get ready for supper.
2nd Child:	But, mother, It's true! It's not getting dark! In truth, the sun did set – quite a while ago - but it is NOT getting dark. It's as light as noonday.
3rd Child:	Yes, mother, come and see. What can it mean?
Sarah:	(At the door.) You are right! But I myself saw the sun sink below the horizon. Why does it not get dark, as always?
Narrator:	As they stand and wonder, Jacob comes rushing toward them, breathless with excitement.
Jacob:	Do you see! DO YOU SEE!  The sun has set, and it doesn't get dark! It is the sign! IT IS THE SIGN foretold by the prophets! The sign that the Son of God is to be born on the morrow!  Do you know what this means?!? The threat of extermination of those who believed the prophets has been averted!  Tomorrow was to have been the day, but the sign is here!  IT IS HERE! GLORY BE TO GOD! We are saved! We are saved. But, better than that, the Son of God is born. The LORD is come. THE LORD IS COME! GLORY BE TO GOD, AND HALLELUJAH!! HALLELUJAH!!
Song:	“Joy to the World” or “Far, Far Away on Judea’s Plain”
Narrator:	And thus began the greatest story ever told, about the greatest life ever lived.  The life that has affected ALL of mankind, the whole world over, whatever land they live in. This tiny babe, born to a virgin mother in a manger, grew in stature, and waxed strong in knowledge, and wisdom, and in faith, a wondrous life to live, and an awesome mission to fulfill. His life was an example for all who would follow.  His sacrifice brought immortality to everyone; and eternal life to those who believe on His name, who repent, and who love Him sufficiently to follow His teaching and obey His commandments. We celebrate the great event of His birth as Christmas.  And we do it by the singing of carols, and with the giving of gifts, symbolic of the great gift He gave to us. HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD DAY!
Benediction:	By Invitation