A Neophyte Nativity : Will Joseph Find an Inn? Will the Actors Remember the Lines?

His flock was getting unruly.

“Shhh!” said shepherd Christopher Brown. “It’s starting. Shhhhhh!”

Fourteen-year-old Christopher was about to lead a procession of wise men and angels in Alhambra the other night, and he was determined that things would be orderly.

The annual Christmas pageant was about to get under way at Emmaus Lutheran Church. And the pint-sized cast of costumed boys and girls ready to re-enact the story of Christ’s birth was waiting nervously.

Holiday programs are happy traditions at churches.

In the Los Angeles area, however, they are often elaborate productions that mix Hollywood magic with Holy Land legend. Some have realistic flying angels overhead and live animals in the aisles. Studio-quality music can come at the audience from all sides.

At Emmaus Lutheran Church, however, the Nativity scene manger was constructed of bedsheets tacked to two-by-fours. The star shining overhead was made of glitter-covered cardboard. The music came from the church school choir.

The 450-seat sanctuary was filled with parents and churchgoers when the procession finally entered. Kristin Sahouni, 11, portrayed Mary, and Shaun Tambe, 13, was Joseph. Their peasant gowns and cloth headgear were hand-made.

Eight-year-old Paul Camargo played a Bethlehem servant. He’d spent five days learning his lines. “If I mess up, my mom says just to start over,” he explained.

The children sang a spirited medley of Christmas songs before it was Paul’s turn to help announce Christ’s birth. The third-grader remembered the advice, if not his lines.

“He’s the one and only Messiah. He’s . . . er,” Paul said, pausing briefly. “He’s the one and only Messiah. He’s the true king!”

There were more songs and story telling. When the pageant was over, adults in the crowd gave the kids a lengthy standing ovation.

Outside the sanctuary, Paul flashed a grin at friend Lawrence Ang, 9. Then with their gowns flowing, the boys exchanged high-fives.