X-mas Eve Reading: Darkness/Light
Here is a dramatic reading for a Christmas Eve service of worship inspired by John 1.
- A cantor and three readers (Darkness 1, Darkness 2 & Light) are needed.
- Hymn tune for cantor part is the traditional, “Coventry Carol”
- The reading is in two parts: 1) Darkness, 2) Light. The first part could be used as a Call to Worship or a “cold opening” before a prelude. The 2nd part is meant to be read towards the end of the service (e.g. perhaps as the last of the lessons and carols).
Darkness/Light: Darkness
Cantor: This Dark-ness grows, what can we do? Yes, the Dark-ness, o’er comes!
Darkness 1: Peace, hope, joy, love and Light.
Darkness 2: All this waiting. All this longing. All this expectation.
Darkness 1: Don’t they know they are never coming?
Darkness 2: Don’t they recognize their folly?
Darkness 1: This is all there is.
Darkness 2: This is what we get:
Darkness 1: thickening frost;
Darkness 2: spreading shadow;
Darkness 1: endless night;
Darkness 2: Darkness!
Darkness 1: Darkness!
Darkness 2: Darkness!
Cantor: This Dark-ness grows, what can we do? Yes, the Dark-ness, o’er comes!
Darkness 1: The good news is that there is anxiety among the people.
Darkness 2: There is malaise, cynicism, and despair, too!
Darkness 1: We won’t have to work very hard.
Darkness 2: The seeds have been sown.
Darkness 1: The harvest is looking abundant.
Darkness 2: All we have to do is to hold on.
Darkness 1: To stay the course.
Darkness 2: To await the advent of Darkness!
Cantor: This Dark-ness grows, what can we do? Yes, the Dark-ness, o’er comes! (x3)
Darkness 1: Wait a minute!
Darkness 2: Hold on a sec!
Darkness 1: What’s that over there, shining in the darkness?
Darkness 2: Dayspring? Bright…Morning…Star? Light?
Cantor: [HUM COVENTRY CAROL TUNE X2]
Darkness/Light: Light
Cantor: This Dark-ness fades, the Light is nigh? The Dark-ness can’t o’er come!
Darkness 1: Peace, hope, joy, love and Light.
Darkness 2: All this waiting. All this longing. All this expectation.
Darkness 1: I thought they were never coming.
Darkness 2: I was so sure it was all folly.
Darkness 1: Surprised!! Anxiety is being replaced by peace.
Darkness 2: Hope, love and joy are breaking into the world.
Darkness 1: There’s no place for Darkness like you and me.
Darkness 2: There’s no place for Darkness like you and me.
Light: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”
Cantor: This Dark-ness fades, the Light is nigh? The Dark-ness can’t, o’er come! (x3)
© Rev. Kevin Goldenbogen, 2019
