Rationale for Biblific

Writings to capture some of the essence of what is important in each section of Scripture.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Daniel Ch2: Christmas Play

Based on the dream of Nebuchadnezzar - the Emperor of the Babylonian Empire in 600BC, as recorded by Daniel, in the Book of Daniel (Chapter 2)     (NIV) biblegateway.com

Cast

John:    A history teacher
Frank: A student                                                            
Statue:  Covered in colours from top to bottom: Head - Gold; Chest – Silver;  Belly and thighs  - Bronze; Legs - iron; Feet – Clay and iron mix / Brown
and grey
Gold actors: Walk like Egyptians across stage - to represent the golden age of Babylon

Silver fairy dancer: Dances across stage to represent the Medo-Persian Empire
Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie:  Dressed with Bronze coloured clothing to represent the conquering hero, Alexander the Great.                                                        
Mary and Joseph:  Dressed as Mary and Joseph, push the baby Jesus in a pram and stroll    onto the stage.

A fearful student walks out onto the stage, looking extremely worried. His friend, a history teacher,  greets him.
 

John:    Frank! How are you? 
Frank:    Oh, Hi Mister … (John).
John:    You look worried, what's the matter!
Frank:    Well tomorrow is 2012-12-21...
John:    Sooo?
Frank:    The Mayan Calendar ends on this date. You know, the end of the world!
John:    Hey, you really seem bothered!
Frank:   Yes, I'm really freaking out, just think... no more MacDonald's, no more exams, or  movies...and…no, no more College (Looks around the room and into the corners carefully) and, … no Christmas dinner to look forward to!  (howls/sobs)  You know, everything, all gone!
John:    I see what you mean!  Don’t worry! Come over here, I want to show you a 'Power Point' presentation that I've been working on.

John and Frank move over to one side of the stage. They go through the motions of preparing a computer, but the screen is the stage, and the presentation is done by actors.

Onto the stage walks a statue. The statue is covered in colours from top to bottom: Head - Gold; Chest – Silver; Belly and thighs  - Bronze; Legs – iron grey; Feet – Clay/Brown and  iron grey)  The statue’s clothes and skin are covered in bright body paint/Coloured wrapping paper/ other solutions?


John:    You see, this is how the history of the world was described to the Emperor king  of  the golden Babylonian empire, God gave Nebuchadnezzar a dream. God’s servant, Daniel told him his dream and its meaning.
Frank:    Wow, look at that, a golden head!
John:     Yes, you see, the Neo-Babylonian Empire is represented by the statue’s golden head. This Empire was very powerful and very luxurious. It flourished in the entire civilized world at around 600 BC. Nebuchadnezzar was in charge, with Daniel explaining his dream.

As they speak, some actors in gold costume and / or paint walk like Egyptians across the stage.
 

Frank:    And the statue has a chest and arms of silver; what empire do they stand for?
John:     Uh huh, they match the Medo-Persian Empire, with King Cyrus the boss, in about 340 B.C.

A fairy with a silver blouse dances ballet across the stage to Asian type music.
 

John:    You'll have heard of the next Empire: The statue’s bronze belly and thighs represent Alexander the Great, and the Greek Empire he established in around 330 BC.
Frank:    Oh yes, I remember the film with Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie.

Farrell and Jolie,  warriors with drawn swords and bronze t-shirts, go rushing around the stage, sword fighting … and then they go off.
 

John:    Look at those iron legs. They represent the Roman Empire under the Caesars; notice how the feet are a mixture of iron and baked clay.
Frank:    Yes, why are the feet made of a mixture like that?
John:    Well Roman law and discipline were bringing order to a formerly wild and undeveloped known world, when it happened.
Frank:    What happened? And what has all this got to do with the end of the world?

While John and Frank are talking, Mary and Joseph, pushing a baby in a pram, stroll onto the stage. Mary stumbles and accidentally pushes the pram into the feet of the statue. The statue crashes to the ground and rushes off stage.

Mary picks up the baby and comforts Him, Joseph puts an arm around them both. 


John:    Well, in the King's dream, a rock was cut out by God, and sent crashing into the feet of the statue. The statue dissolved and was blown away in the wind, but the rock then grew into a huge mountain, and filled the whole earth!
Frank:    Alright, but what does it mean? And what does it have to do with the end of the world?
John:   Mmm, well let me quote to you from the book of Daniel, he said… aah, here it is, ”In the time of these kingdoms, God has set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed.  It will crush all the other kingdoms, and bring them to an end, but it will itself last forever!”

At this point, Mary and Joseph are joined by all the actors wearing something red and Christmassy and singing the Christmas carol / they say together: "We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!"

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