Nativity Characters

There’s a story about a scene in a school Nativity play* where children are playing shepherds and wise men. And based on the Christmas carol In the Bleak Midwinter, each one has to bring a gift for the baby Jesus. 

 

If you don’t know the words of that Christmas carol, here’s what the last verse says:

 

What can I give him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

If I were a wise man, I would do my part;

Yet what I can I give him: I give him my heart.

 

So in this Nativity play, the first child, dressed as a shepherd, has to give the gift of a lamb. If you know about these things, a lamb is quite a valuable gift. Quite delicious when roasted as well, bit of mint sauce, fluffy mashed potato, crisp Yorkshire pudding…

 

Anyway, it's a very generous gift. Quite useless though when you think about it. I mean, what is baby Jesus is going to do with a small sheep? Maybe ride it around the stable or something... 

 

The second child has to come on next as one of the three wise men, and his part is to give the gift of his cloak. This is both selfless, and practical. Selfless because this character now has to go around without his coat – and it’s the bleak midwinter, remember. And it’s a practical gift as well because it keeps the baby warm. 

 

Then the third child has to come on and his line is as follows: “I have nothing to give you, but I give you my heart.” And everyone says, “Awww,” because that's a very sweet thing to say.

 

And so on the big night, these children are all ready to come up to the stage, one by one, and baby Jesus is there, lying in a manger. 

 

The first child, the shepherd, comes on and he hands over a lamb. Just a pretend one. And he says his line very clearly for everyone to hear. No drama. Everything is going as planned.

 

Then the second child comes up, dressed as a wise man, and he realises as he gets to the manger that in all the emotion and excitement of the big night, he’s accidentally left his cloak backstage. 

 

So, lost for words, he looks out at all the mums and dads, then looks back at the third child waiting in the wings, then looks down at the baby Jesus and says, “I have nothing to give you, so I give you my heart.”

 

The look of hurt and betrayal on the face of the third child is quite a sight. He has just had his one and only line stolen by the second child playing the wise man. 

 

So, after a while, he steps up looking really grumpy and he says, “I have nothing to give you, either now so you’ll just have to have my heart as well.”

 

I think we can all agree that our own Nativity went a lot more smoothly that that one, thanks to Zoë, her hardworking team, and of course our amazing children.

 

I once played the rear end of a donkey in a nativity play. True story. They told me, “Not everyone can be a star.” 

 

I wonder, which character in the nativity story do you relate to the most?

 

Perhaps, you are like one of the shepherds, you see yourself as quite an ordinary person really, but one day, out of the blue, your life was disrupted, and you went looking for Jesus. And you found him. And it changed your life.

 

Perhaps you feel a bit like Joseph and Mary, hoping for a room for the night but they’re all full so they just have to make do with what they’ve got. Life feels messy for some of you too right now, but what if despite everything, God is in the mess - and God is closer than you think?

 

Maybe you feel like the emergency midwife. I presume there was one. You’re the one at Christmas holding it all together, telling everyone to stay calm even though you don’t feel all that calm yourself. And, oooh, what a relief when it’s all over. (I wonder if Zoë might relate to her!)

 

Maybe you’re a bit like one of the wise men. You might see yourself as a long way away from God - they travelled miles and miles - but you’re on a journey now and, what if, bit by bit, you’re being drawn to the wonder of faith?

 

Whoever I am like in this scene, as the festivities approach, what am I going to give to Jesus this Christmas? As another year draws to an end, what do I have to offer him? 

 

He’s no longer a baby; he’s the King of kings. He never really needed a lamb and, even if he did need a cloak then, he doesn’t need one now. 

 

Will I slow down to be thankful for what Christmas is all about this year? Will I stop to kneel and worship?

 

Will I give him my heart?

* Slightly adapted from a Nativity illustration told by Steven Foster of Holy Trinity Brompton, London.

Brief All-Age Talk, King's Church Darlington, 14 December 2025.