Story: Mary, the innkeeperâs wife at the inn that had no room for Jesus,
retells the story of the night that Jesus was born in the stable at the
inn. She recounts how she was changed by the experience of realizing who
it was that was born that night. (Told with ãattitudeä and a jewish
accent)
Theme: Christmas in the City
Cast: Monologue by young woman dressed in period costume.
Props: Wicker basket with bedding, sign that reads ãroom/board, 2
denarii per night, short table
Lighting: Spot on sign, stage lighting

Begins with spot up on sign for about 5 seconds , then lights up on Mary
who is folding clothes on table.

Oye! Am I glad that this is the last basket of sheets to fold! I could
fold these things in my sleep.  And you think that that lazy husband of
mine would lift a hand to help? (Waves hands over head like pushing
something away while shaking her head) Heâs down at the city gate again
talking to everyone he sees about what happened last week.  You donât
know what happened last week? Where have you been? I think everybody in
town has heard about it. I canât even go to the market without having
people I donât even know ask ãMary, how did it feel to have the Messiah
born in your barn?äMessiah...Oye! How do they know my name? And what do
they know about the Messiah? All they know is the latest bit of gossip.
I wish they would just leave me alone!
Well, if you must know what happened...(pause to pick up a sheet) It all
began with the Romans...Oye, what a bunch of barbarians...they take over
a country and expect everyone to fall at their feet! Theyâll wait a long
time before I do! And theyâre just like everyone else: all theyâre
interested in is money. Taxes, taxes, taxes...how do they expect an
honest person to make a living? Anyway, their king, Caesar they call
him, made a law that all the world should be taxed... And everybody had
to go to their hometown so they could be counted, so they could squeeze
every last denarii out of us! (pause to put down the sheet) So, for the
past several weeks, all these strangers have been coming into town,
claiming that were the descendants of David...I couldnât even get to the
market last week because of the mobs of people. If Davidâs son Solomon
had been satisfied with his first wife!...(Waves hands over head like
pushing something away while shaking her head)
(pause to pick up another) Where was I? Oh, the big night last
week...well, Jacob - thatâs my husband - and I were getting ready for
bed, when we heard a knock at the door. Jacob looks at me with a worried
look on his face, because we knew if would be somebody looking for a
room, and we had to turn the last 10 people away. Youâd think people
would make better plans when they go out of town and reserve a room in
advance! I told him to just tell them that there was no room, and they
would go away, but he just couldnât send them away without apologizing.
Heâs such a push-over for a hard-luck case. I told him heâll have an
ulcer before itâs over with! So, he went to the door and talked to the
man.  Then I heard him go out and shut the door. After about 15 minutes
he came back with this sheepish grin on his face,  and told me that he
had put them up in the stable, because the woman was about to have a
baby, and he could nât turn them away......AND, would I mind going down
to check on this pregnant woman! Oye, I knew it! He got me involved in
another one of his rescue missions again! (hands in air with eyes closed
as if praying)Father Abraham!  If my father had just given my dowry to
me instead of my husband!
So, I got dressed and went out to the stable. I got there just in time
to help her with the ãblessed event.ä It was one of the fastest
deliveries I had ever seen...all that bouncing on the donkey must have
helped! I tried to get Mary - we have the same name - to bring the
infant into the inn where we could make him more comfortable, but she
said no, she didnât want to impose, so I found some old clothes and
brought them out to wrap the baby. Once they were settled, I asked if
this was their first-born and it was. Joseph, the father, said that the
baby, they would name him Jesus, was a special child. I told them that
any child born in a barn was ãspecial.ä They just smiled and looked at
each other. I guess that it was then that I began to realize that there
was something more here than met the eye.
I didnât have long to think about this, because the door of the barn
opened to a bunch of shepherds. Oye! What else is going to happen
tonight?! ãHey! What are you doing here? Donât you have sheep somewhere
that need to be tended?ä I said. Then one shepherd stepped forward and
said, ãYes, but we where invited by the angels.ä(pause) I started to say
something, but I couldnât. For the first time in my life, I had nothing
to say. So I stepped aside and the shepherds came in and gathered around
the little family and made over the baby Jesus. They didnât stay long,
but they left all in smiles. I, too, left quickly after offering to get
them anything they needed for the night.
I came back to my room, and husband was asleep, as usual. But I could
not sleep. Maybe I was in shock, but I know I heard them refer to the
child as the Messiah, our rescuer. Could he be the one promised to us?
Born in a barn? I donât know.
So thatâs the story. At least the part I know. Iâm sure that in a few
weeks everything will die down and our little inn will be forgotten. I
mean, if he turns out to be somebody important, who will remember a
little inn in Bethlehem?