With everything that’s going on, it’s easy to forget that in the world of church and Sunday school, children’s ministry teams would normally be dominated by one word at the moment—nativity!! A stress-fueled time of rehearsals, costumes, children trying to learn their parts, performances, tears and tantrums—and that’s just the adults! Tensions ordinarily would be running high; no one would be able to find the stuffed sheep; the star would be looking a bit crumpled, and someone would have to tell little Jack that the actual shepherds didn’t wear Spiderman dressing gowns.
All of that might be a bit different this year. Whether we end up being able to arrange a nativity at all is very uncertain, and if we can, then whether it is online, in-building, broadcast or pre-recorded is all dependent on what happens over the coming weeks.
If, and it’s a big IF, there is a possibility of arranging a nativity this year, it is more important than ever that this should be a nativity for everyone: a nativity that includes and involves everyone, a nativity that doesn’t isolate or marginalize children and families that are already feeling pushed to the edges (or over them!).
A while ago, I read an article in The Independent about what the nativity role a child is given might say about him or her. It’s a great article, spot on in many cases, and even manages to introduce a new part to the nativity performance…‘First Lobster!’
There’s plenty written in the article about what it takes to be Mary, Joseph, the Star, shepherds and wise men, but as I read it I was distracted by the thought that in arranging a nativity play, we do actually have the unenviable task of allocating these roles. Whatever method we use to choose, there will be accusations of favoritism, partiality, preference or discrimination leveled against us, sometimes fairly, often not.
We have two children, now young adults, who have had markedly different nativity play ‘careers’ in the past. Our eldest, Phoebe, has played every role except Joseph—she did try, the beard wouldn’t stay on!—over the years, and at even 21 is still on standby to do a reading or to narrate if required. James—aged 18, autistic, with learning disability and epilepsy—on the other hand, was shuffled onto the stage wearing his dressing gown and a tea-towel a few times when he was little, but there the creativity ended.
So, what nativity play part is there for a disabled child, and what does the answer to this question tell us about society as a whole and church as a part of it? Well, the starting point has to be that EVERY part should be open to ANY child who might want to participate. To exclude children with additional needs or disabilities from certain ‘high profile’ roles, limiting them to very minor—sometimes made up—parts is to discriminate against them. To exclude them entirely is inexcusably shameful.
Photo credit: Allison on Lightstock.com.
I have, however, been encouraged and thrilled to see stories of disabled children being actively and creatively included in nativity plays. A friend of mine has a disabled daughter who was cast in the role of Mary. Everything was arranged so that she could play this part, wonderfully capturing the beauty of God’s radiance shining from her. Then there was a boy who found it impossible to stay still, so he was cast as the Star and given freedom to run around, recognizing that—according to ‘The Sky At Night’—the star of Bethlehem was probably a comet, and comets move very fast!! There was also a boy who, in the past, would cling to his children’s worker’s leg, but one year was encouraged and helped to take part in the play, and shouted out his line with considerable confidence and enthusiasm!
Here's a video clip from the BBC’s YouTube channel that shows a school putting on a Christmas performance with children with a range of additional needs and disabilities; it might give you some ideas! As one of the teachers says, “I think it’s just really looking at what they’re good at and then using that… think how you can link (the Christmas story) with their talent and what they have learned over the year.” The teachers made the play really sensory, and paced it so that everyone could enjoy taking part.
Any part can be adapted or creatively arranged so that any child can be given a specific role, whether they have a disability or not. If we can get this right at Christmas time, the time when the God-child entered the world to save everyone, not just those without disabilities, then this can help us get it right for the rest of the year, too. Christ’s birth wasn’t a sanitized, well-behaved, professional, slick, orderly event. Childbirth rarely is, even in the most clinical of environments, but throw in an innkeeper, some shepherds, animals, the filth of a stable, a myriad of angels, some random wise men, and the chaos must have been extraordinary (poor Mary!).
During his ministry years, Jesus didn’t just say important things, he did them; he modeled them in his life so that we could follow His example. He included everyone; no one was left out. In fact, he actively accepted and included many that the world rejected, and so should we.
As Jesus himself said,“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” Matthew 19:14. He didn’t add “…except the one who has meltdowns sometimes and can be bit noisy, who runs around a bit and won’t sit still, don’t let that one through.…” I think that is the child that would have ended up on Jesus’ lap!
Let’s see the nativity play this year, whether online, in-building, or both, as a gauge of where our church has got to on the road to accessibility, acceptance, inclusion and belonging. For a few churches there is indeed ‘good news for ALL people!’; for others, they are arriving at Bethlehem, but still have a lot more to do. Many haven’t even left Nazareth yet, there is a long journey ahead, and they haven’t even borrowed a donkey.
Where is your church on that scale?
Blessings,
Mark
Mark Arnold is the Additional Needs Ministry Director for Urban Saints Church, Luton, Bedfordshire, UK. Follow his writing at https://theadditionalneedsblogfather.com.
