“Saints before the altar bending, watching long in hope and fear. Suddenly our hope unending, in Creation shall appear.Come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ the new born King.”

Epiphany pageants, those that happen after Christmas and always include the journey of the magi, are becoming increasingly popular. This pageant tells the breadth of the Nativity story, from the angel appearing to Zechariah and Elizabeth’s great joy all the way to the Presentation in the Temple and the joy of Anna and Simeon. In doing so, the author has created roles for a variety of congregants, not only children!

This is a short pageant designed to be used during worship in late Advent, Christmas or early Epiphany. This pageant serves as the liturgy of the word during worship. Narrators read the story. Adults and children dress as the characters and come forward as their “part” in the story is read to form a tableau at the altar or on a stage. The only speaking parts for costumed characters are the two angels, Elizabeth and Mary.

You can download a pdf version of the pageant here. The pageant is free to use and adapt, however, please cite the original author when using.

A note about page numbers for hymns, etc. Page numbers are those of the United Methodist Hymnal or the Faith We Sing, but these carols will be found in most hymnals!

Dr. Elizabeth L. Windsor is the Director of Christian Education at St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church in Acton, Massachusetts. She is an accredited Godly Play storyteller. Christian formation throughout the life cycle is both her profession and her passion.