Mary’s Friends
- An Advent Play
by
Ann Pollock
Introduction: Scholars tell us that Mary was probably just a
teenager when she gave birth to the baby Jesus. If today’s
technology had been available back then, this is how her friends
might have reacted.
Characters
READER
an off stage narrator
RACHEL
teenage friend of Mary
SARAH
another teenage friend
BECKY
a third teenage friend
SETTING
The three girls are in their bedrooms with cell phones in their
hands. On “stage” they would be in separate areas
TIME
In the present during the month of December
READER
(Off reads Luke 1: 26-38)
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud.)
Check out Mary’s Facebook.
SARAH
(Picks up cell phone and reads text, then texting on her
cell phone as she reads out loud)
Oh my gosh!
She’s pregnant!
BECKY
(Picks up cell phone and reads text, then texting on her
cell phone as she reads out loud)
Not a huge surprise. She and Joe have been engaged for awhile.
RACHEL
(Reading text, then texting on her cell phone as she reads
out loud)
Yeah, but she says Joe is not the father!
BECKY
(Reading text, then texting on her cell phone as she reads
out loud)
What! Call me!
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(RACHEL dials on cell phone and
BECKY answers.)
BECKY
(Speaking into cell phone)
Joe is not the father of Mary’s baby?
RACHEL
(Speaking into cell phone)
Her post says she never slept with him.
BECKY
(Speaking into cell phone)
Then she is in big trouble! I mean, if Joe disowns her – and why
won’t he if she slept with someone else? The authorities could
have her stoned to death. If I were her, I wouldn’t be bragging
about this on Facebook, I’d be keeping it as quiet as I could.
RACHEL
(Looking at cell phone then speaking into cell phone)
Me too! Got to hang up. Wow! You guys should look at SARAH’s
tweet!
SARAH
(Reading “Tweet” then texting on her cell phone as she
reads out loud)
Mary says she was visited by an angel.
BECKY
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
She’s going to need an angel to get through this!
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
She is losing it!
SARAH
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Actually, when I talked to her, she seemed quite thrilled.
BECKY
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Thrilled?!?
SARAH
3
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
She said her baby would be so special, that God would be his
father.
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
She has gone right round the bend!
SARAH
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Mary says the baby will be God’s Son and will rule as David did.
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
That does it! She is seriously crazy. Why would God chose her to
have such a baby?
SARAH
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Why not her? She’s a nice kid.
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
But she has no money and she lives is this dump of a place!
BECKY
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
True. She is really going to need our support.
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Not from me, I don’t need that kind of grief.
SARAH
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Yeah, but she seemed so happy. I think I am kind of jealous.
BECKY
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
My house tonight! We need to talk!
(BLACKOUT)
(Congregation sings Hymn 5: “All Earth is Waiting”)
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(play continues)
Reader
(Off Reads Luke 1:39-45)
SARAH
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Mary left.
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
What do you mean, Mary left?
SARAH
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
According to her Facebook, she went to visit some cousin.
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Smart move. If I were her, I’d get out of town too.
BECKY
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Who’s the cousin?
SARAH
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Mary says she’s the wife of one of the priests in Jerusalem.
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
She must be old then.
SARAH
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
She is. In fact she is too old to have a baby, but Mary says
she’s pregnant, too.
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Another miraculous pregnancy! Give me a break!
BECKY
5
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
I think it’s nice that Mary will have someone she can talk to,
who will understand.
SARAH
(Looks at cell phone then texts on her cell phone as she
reads out loud)
Hold on, Mary just added updated her Facebook status.
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
What now??
SARAH
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Some story about how the cousin’s baby knew Mary’s baby was
special.
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Right! And pigs can fly! How could that happen? These babies
haven’t even been born yet.
SARAH
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
The cousin, Elizabeth’s baby gave a huge kick, the minute Mary
said, “Hi.”
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Come on! Babies kick all the time. This whole thing has totally
gone to Mary’s head.
BECKY
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
I don’t know. I think it’s kind of sweet, the baby reacting like
that.
SARAH
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Mary’s sure is having an amazing experience. Maybe this baby of
hers really is special.
RACHEL
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(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Not you, too, SARAH! One person getting caught up in this whole
special, religious baby thing is enough.
SARAH
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
But what if it’s true? Maybe Mary will give birth to the
Messiah. Maybe she really is blessed. Imagine what that might be
like! Giving birth to that kind of new life!
(Blackout)
(Congregation sings “Song of Mary”, pg 899 or MV 120, “My
Soul Cries Out”)
(play continues)
BECKY
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Have you seen the YouTube video?
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
What video?
BECKY
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
The one of Mary singing
SARAH
(Looks at cellphone then texting on her cell phone as she
reads out loud)
I just checked it out. Mary always did have a nice voice.
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Yeah. But it’s not how she sang but what she sang.
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BECKY
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
A hymn?
SARAH
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
What’s wrong with her giving thanks to God, if that’s what she
wants to do.
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
I know. It’s a free country – well sort of. She can sing what
she wants.
BECKY
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
So what’s the problem?
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Did you listen to her words? She’s thanking God for choosing her
to be blessed.
SARAH
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Yeah, and?
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
And because of that, she thinks God is going to turn the whole
world up side down! This whole thing has seriously gone to her
head.
BECKY
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
The hungry being fed, our high and mighty rulers being kicked
off their thrones. I kind of like it.
SARAH
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Me, too. God treating us with mercy, instead of judgement? I
think it’s about time we had some good news.
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
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Yeah, but because of little old nobody, Mary? Who does she
think she is – Hannah or Miriam, or somebody, making up her own
song like that?
BECKY
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
It’s a good thing to have dreams.
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Sure, but let’s be realistic! The whole world is not going to
change just because Mary is having a baby.
SARAH
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
I don’t know. Maybe it could if we would all be like her.
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
What!!!!
SARAH
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
What if we all were as excited about doing what God asks of us
as Mary is?
BECKY
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
You mean, what if we all worked toward making things better for
the poor?
SARAH
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Yeah. What if we all got enthusiastic about making the world
better for everyone, and did something about it? What if we
trusted God enough to do that? Maybe the world would be turned
upside down.
RACHEL
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Leave me out of it! I’m beginning to think you are all crazy!
SARAH
(Texting on her cell phone as she reads out loud)
Not crazy. Maybe just hopeful. Something has to be done about
the way things are. And I think a baby is as good a way to start
as any.
9
BECKY
(Looks at cell phone then texts on her cell phone as she
reads out loud)
Another post on Mary’s wall. Seems she is going to be coming
home again in a couple of months. I guess we will see what
happens then.
(Blackout)
(Congregation sings Hymn #29 “Hark the Glad Sound”)
The End
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