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Advent Puppet Skits
PUPPET SKITS: Advent Symbols
This section contains a puppet dialogue for each Sunday of Advent. The Advent theme order for this script is Hope, Love, Joy, Peace.They are
written for lion and lamb puppets but can be easily adapted for other puppets or
presented as a dialogue between two persons. They can be used as an introduction
to the lighting of the Advent candle in the worship service. Other uses include
Sunday School classes or intergenerational learning centers during the Advent
season.
The stage used for the puppets can be as simple or elaborate
as the abilities, time, and interests of the congregation indicate.
Possibilities include:
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using the pulpit, piano, or other wall in the front of
the sanctuary.
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creating a simple frame with curtains that can be placed
on top of the pulpit or other wall.
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First Sunday of Advent
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Lion:
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Well! Here we are again. |
Lamb:
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What do you mean “again”? |
Lion:
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Well, we’ve been here in the summer and for
pre-baptismal classes. And now we’re here for Advent. Aren’t we just
paragons of puppet pliability? |
Lamb:
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Yes! We bend but we do not break. |
Lion:
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We… oh, forget it. Let’s get on with our business. |
Lamb:
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To tell these fine people something about Advent. |
Lion:
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Which is? |
Lamb:
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Advent is the season before Christmas when we prepare
to celebrate the birth of the Christ child. |
Lion:
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We use four themes: hope, love, joy, and peace. And
each Sunday we light another candle in the Advent wreath. |
Lamb:
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This year we have another part to our Advent
celebration. Each Sunday there will be a different symbol. |
Lion:
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You mean a cymbal? Like a crashing cymbal? That will be
fun! Noisy but fun. |
Lamb:
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No, silly, I mean a symbol. S-Y-M-B-O-L. An object that
reminds us of something about Advent. |
Lion:
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And I suppose today’s symbol won’t be a clanging
cymbal. |
Lamb:
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You’ve got that right, but it does clang. It is a
bell. |
Lion:
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Cool! A bell. A bell would be a symbol of… of… Hey!
What would a bell be a symbol of? |
Lamb:
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Just be patient. There is someone here who will light
the Advent candle and tell us about the symbolism of the bell. |
Lion:
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And we will be leaving, but we’ll be back next week.
’Bye. |
Lamb:
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’Bye everyone. |
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Candle Lighter: |
Awake! the bells chime during Advent.
Bells summon people to worship and they ring out the birth of Jesus.
They remind us that the time of hope is at hand. Christ is
coming! God comes and dwells with us. Christ is God with
us, the incarnation of the eternal in our finite world. Christ
is coming! The bells herald the presence of Christ in our world
and in our hearts. They call us to come and worship Christ now.
Allow the bells of hope to ring in your life. Christ is coming!
We place the bell, our symbol on hope, in our worship center and
light the first candle of Advent. |
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Second Sunday of Advent
Lion:
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It’s okay. What do you like so much about it? |
Lamb:
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I LOVE the music. I LOVE the lights. I LOVE the
shopping. |
Lion:
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OK! OK! Let me summarize. You love Christmas. |
Lamb:
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Oh yes! I LOVE, LOVE. |
Lion:
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LOVE, LOVE?? |
Lamb:
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Yes! At Christmas we celebrate God’s love. The Bible
says, “For God so loved the world that God sent a Son.” That’s what
Christmas is about. |
Lion:
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And that is also the Advent theme for today, right? |
Lamb:
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How did you guess? |
Lion:
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And do you have a symbol for today? Wait, let me guess.
It will be a heart. |
Lamb:
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No, smarty pants. It’s not a heart. It’s a
poinsettia. |
Lion:
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A flower? What’s that got to do with love? |
Lamb:
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It’s the color and the size of the poinsettia. They
remind us of God’s loving presence with us. |
Lion:
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Presents! I’m liking this better every minute. |
Lamb:
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Not that kind of presents! Let’s listen while someone
reads about it and lights the candle. You might even learn a thing or two. |
Lion:
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I’m ready to listen. We’ll see you all next week.
Same Advent time, same Advent channel. |
Lamb:
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Oh, brother. ’Bye everyone. See you next week. |
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Candle Lighter:
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Poinsettias are symbols of the
indwelling of Christ —in homes and in
hearts. The yellow flower of the poinsettia resembles the star
of Bethlehem. The small flower in relation to the rest of the
plant reminds us of Jesus' humble birth into the center of life.
The cluster of leaves, too small to notices on most flowers, but large
and red on the poinsettia, is symbolic of the divine love of Christ.
The legends of Flor de la Noche Buena,
the Flower of the Holy Night, spread from Mexico to North America.
In one legend, a young boy's mother died on Christmas Even leaving him
without a gift to place in the manger. On the way to church he
desperately grabbed a handful of weeds and placed them in the manger
for the Christ child. The congregation laughed but the Christ
child, deeply moved by the boy's offering, bloomed the weeds into
joyful flowers. In 1825, the first American diplomat the Mexico
and a botanist, Joel Roberts Poinsett, admired the flowers and later
brought cuttings of the plants home for his garden. A century
later, Paul Ecke of California took over cultivating and
commercializing the poinsettia.
Today we add the poinsettia plant as a
reminder of God's abiding love and light the second candle symbolic of
that love. |
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Third Sunday of Advent
This skit can take the place of a reader for the Advent candle lighting.
Instead the puppets will ask the designated person to light the candle at
the end of the skit.
Lamb:
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Hey, Lion. Want to play catch with my new ball? |
Lion:
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Right now? Right here in church? |
Lamb:
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Well, maybe we should wait. What about putting the ball
over there on the worship center? |
Lion:
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In the worship center? That’s for worship things, not
play things like balls. Why would you put it there? |
Lamb:
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Because a red ball is the Advent symbol for today. |
Lion:
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I know you like symbols, but a ball is taking it a
little far, isn’t it? |
Lamb:
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Not really. The Advent word for today is joy. Doesn’t
a ball make you happy? |
Lion:
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Oh, boy, it sure does! I like to bounce a ball and play
catch. You can really get someone’s attention when you are throwing a ball at
them. |
Lamb:
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Well, that’s one reason. But there is another kind of
red ball that is a symbol of joy. |
Lion:
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Is it one of those red Christmas tree ornaments? |
Lamb:
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That would be it. On a Christmas tree, a red ball
ornament merrily reflects all that goes around it, the tree lights and other
ornaments as well as the smiles and happy faces of family and friends who gather
around the tree. |
Lion:
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That works when there are a lot of people around. But
what about when I am alone? |
Lamb:
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Even in quiet times, the red ball ornaments color the
room with a joyful glow. The ornaments on a Christmas tree represent the Earth
bathed in Christmas joy. |
Lion:
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You think of everything. Is it time to light the candle
now? |
Lamb:
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It sure is, but we’ll need some help for that. |
Lion:
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Let’s have _______________ come
up and take the ball to the worship center and light the third candle of Advent. |
Lamb:
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That will be great. And we’ll be back one more time
next week. ’Bye all. |
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Candle Lighter:
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In the hands of a child, a ball is a
source of laughter. Playing catch is an opportunity for
interaction between child and adult. It build coordination and
confidence. On a Christmas tree, a red ball ornament merrily
reflects all that goes around it, the tree lights and other ornaments
as well as the smiles and happy faces of family and friends who gather
around the tree. Even in quiet times, the red ball ornaments
color the room with a joyful glow. The ornaments arrayed on a
Christmas tree represent the earth bathed in Christmas joy. May the
Spirit of the season bring joy in our hearts as we light the third
candle. |
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Fourth Sunday of Advent
This skit begins with Lion striking a statuesque pose.
Lamb:
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Hey, Lion. What are you doing? |
Lion:
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I’m trying to look statuesque. Don’t I look heroic and dignified? |
Lamb:
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Weeellll. Now that you mention it. Maybe, but I could
think of other words to describe it, too. Why are you doing this? |
Lion:
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Because today’s Advent symbol is the lion and the
lamb. It has to do with peace. I figured that would mean us, and I was getting
ready to be symbolic. |
Lamb:
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Honestly! Sometimes I think making you into a statue
would be an improvement. |
Lion:
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And I suppose you know all about this lion and lamb and
peace business? |
Lamb:
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I don’t know all of it, but I do know that it has to
do with the kingdom of God. |
Lion:
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And the fourth Advent candle of peace. |
Lamb:
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Let’s get out of the way and hear more about it. |
Lion:
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Let’s do. Thanks for including us in your Advent
season. |
Lamb:
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’Bye everyone. |
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Candle Lighter:
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Amos, an Old Testament shepherd and
prophet of social justice, proclaimed God's hope for justice: "Let
justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing
stream" (Amos 5:24 NRSV). Isaiah foresaw a time when the lion, a
symbol of strength and power, would live peaceably with the lamb, a
symbol of meekness and innocent suffering. As we light the
advent candle of peace this morning, the Advent symbols of the lion
and the lamb remind us to long for and work for the peaceable kingdom
of God in our world. |
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