In this year’s Christmas play, the role of Herod will once again be played by every political leader who bashes immigrants, mocks the poor or hounds women having difficult pregnancies.
In this year’s Christmas play, the shepherds will be played by workers without unions or sick leave, and by construction workers who labor in dangerous conditions. The hotel owner will be played by those willing to stop making money long enough to help someone in need. Joseph will be played by all those who don’t need to personally benefit in order to help others. The 3 Wise Ones will be played by those willing to leave old religious and political certainties and follow wherever truth might lead.
This year, as every year, the Christ Child will be played by children born into dangerous struggle between powerful religious and political forces. These tender souls will be born shivering in the dark- invisible to the world. Every precious infant born in harm’s way will be of infinite value, worth more than all the treasures of the world.
The role of Mary will be played by all those radical lovers of humankind who keep the torch of hope for universal justice burning. Like Mary, they will sing of a day when those who dominate others will be brought down and the oppressed will be lifted up in a revolution of loving justice.
The role of the angels, as always, will be played by those who can hover above religious sects, national boundaries and hierarchies of vested wealth and power to sing a song of peace on earth and good will to ALL.