The Midwives' Tale -- A Family Service Christmas Drama

The Midwives Christmas Tale

Christmas 2015

Rev. Adam T. Trambley

Manager: (Knock, Knock) Are you the midwives?

Puah: Yes.  We are Bethlehem Midwives, a department of the original Mount Sinai Hospital System.  My name is Puah.

Shiphrah (Shif-rah): And my name is Shiphrah.  Can we help you?

Manager:  Yes, please!  My master’s house is full of relatives that returned because of this dumb imperial census.  We’ve got people sleeping in beds, on couches, on floors – everywhere.  Then late tonight, or maybe it’s very early morning, I don’t even know, this family came in, poor relatives from the north, and the woman was VERY pregnant.  She may not make it until morning.  I know it’s the middle of the night, but please come. 

Puah: We’ll grab our bags and follow you.

Shiphrah: So where is she?

Manager: She’s in the cave out back with the animals.

Shiphrah:  What do you mean she’s with the animals?  I thought you said she was having a baby.

Manager:  Well, like I said, the house is pretty full, and people were afraid that somebody giving birth would wake everyone else up, and the cave is warm with all the animals, so we thought it would be OK.

Puah:  Your thinking is lame, dude.  Bring us some water and we’ll meet you at the cave.

Manager:  Well, about the water.  There isn’t much left because so many people are at the house.

Shiphrah: Do you know where the well is?

Manager: Yes.

Shiphrah: Then move!  Now!

Manager:  OK.  OK.  I’m moving.  It will take a minute, but I’m moving.

Puah:  Let’s go deliver this baby.

Manager: (huffing a bit) Ladies, here is your water.

Shiphrah:  Great.  Stay out here.  It’s almost time.

Manager: I really hope this all goes smoothly.  I’m going back to the house to start getting breakfast ready for everyone.  They’ll start waking up in an hour or so. 

Shiphrah: Hey, Manager.

Manager:  Yes.  Is everything OK?  What do you need?

Puah:  We don’t need everything.  The baby is born and no problems. 

Shiphrah: Actually even better than no problems.  Why didn’t you tell us this child was special?

Manager:  What do you mean special? 

Puah:  We’ve never seen a birth so smooth.  It was like the baby was doing everything possible to make his mom comfortable through the whole birth.  I’m not sure she was in any pain at all.  

Shiphrah: Then he was so calm and peaceful.  Most successful births are happy, but just holding this young Jesus – they named him Jesus, by the way – just holding this Jesus filled my heart with joy and love like I’ve never experienced before.

Puah: After he was born, we cleaned him up a little bit, and he was awake while everyone held him for a minute.  Almost like he wanted to say “Hi” to all of us and give us a hug.  Then he nursed and fell asleep.

Shiphrah: Well, he was a sleep until the cattle lowed, then the poor baby woke up.

Puah: But even then, the little Jesus, no crying he made.

Shiphrah: He did fall back to sleep by the time the shepherds came.

Manager: What shepherds?  This is private property.  We don’t allow shepherds to come on this land.

Shiphrah: Don’t worry.  The shepherds weren’t bringing sheep. They came to pay homage to the new Messiah, the Lord.

Manager: If they wanted to pay homage, you should have told me.  The important family members are sleeping upstairs in the beds.  I could have gotten them.

Puah: No.  The shepherds were here to see Jesus.  A whole choir of angels appeared to them in the middle of the night and told them to find a baby who was born today. 

Shiphrah: Plus, get this, an angel told him he would be lying in a manger.  Do you know any other babies that had to get born out with the animals? 

Puah: So they came to Bethlehem and found Jesus and told his parents everything that happened to them. 

Shiphrah:  It was amazing.  I’ve never heard anything like it, but when you saw the shepherds’ faces, they kind of glowed.  It was like they had actually heard angels singing around them.

Puah: Like we said, this child is way special.   

Shiphrah:  So send some breakfast out to this family when you make it for all the important people in the house.

Puah:  We are never going to forget this night.

Shiphrah: That’s very true.  See you later, buddy.  

Puah and Shiphrah (walk away from the microphone saying): Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.