Telling the Christmas story in a different way

Monroe - On Sunday, Dec. 16, the Christmas story will come to life in a new way at Monroe United Methodist Church through an intergenerational Christmas pageant to be presented during morning worship at 10:15. The multimedia presentation places the Biblical narrative of the birth of Jesus in the context of the Native American tradition of the give-away. All are welcome to attend. According to Lisa Hughes, who is one of the directors of the program, a widespread practice among Native Americans, the give-way is both a physical event and a spiritual concept. It goes beyond gift-giving to denying oneself for another’s benefit. The Christmas pageant at Monroe UMC opens with a presentation in movement and music based on “The Give-Away,” a Christmas story by Ray Buckley, who is director of the Native People’s Communication Office for United Methodist Communications. The story tells how the animals (“four-leggeds”) and birds (“those who fly”) realize that humans (“two-leggeds”) have lost their sense of who they are. To help the humans, the animals and birds offer their most precious gifts. Ultimately, it is the Creator who must choose to give-away the most precious gift of all—the “Son of the Great Mystery—to the humans. The story of the give-away sets the stage for a multimedia retelling of the Biblical account of Jesus’s birth. The Christmas pageant features children and adults from the Monroe UMC congregation. It is directed by Hughes, Judy Moran and Nancy Quackenbush.