These three short dramas - Palm Sunday; Good Friday and Easter Sunday - were written for a 'Kids Praise' activity morning at St Mary Magdalene, Longbenton, UK. A large white sheet and a strong light source is needed so that the children's shadows mime the actions, while the narrator reads out the poem.
Jesus rode into the city,
So excited was the crowd
They'd put him on a donkey,
And the beast was very proud.
The people waved palm branches,
And they shouted out aloud.
"Hosanna to the son of David,
Blessed be the King.
Hosanna to the son of David
Sing, Sing, Sing". (Repeat)
THEY WERE VERY EXCITED!
Jesus strode into the temple,
And spotted the temple cheats,
He turned their tables over,
And he hoyed* them in the streets.
"What do you mean by this?" they yelled,
"Who do you think you are?"
"If you want to be our leader,
This won't get you very far!"
"Stay out of my Father's house, "he said
If you're going to do that again,
For my Father's house is a special place,
And not a robbers' den!"
THEY WERE SO ANNOYED WITH JESUS.
*hoyed - threw them roughly.
So they took him and they booked him,
And they began to pull his beard,
They poked and they prodded him,
They mocked him and they jeered.
They stripped him and they whipped him,
He was pierced by thorny crown,
They dressed him up like royalty
And put him in a kingly gown.
They battered him and bruised him
They beat him with their fists
They taunted and confused him
And then they tied his wrists.
They spat on him and laughed at him,
And were not satisfied,
Until they'd led him to a hill
And had him crucified
It wasn't till the sun 'blacked out',
When they had had their fun,
That their leader,
A centurion,
Realised just what they'd done,
Cos someone overheard him say,
"Surely, this was God's son!"
Mary Magdalene drew near the tomb
Before the break of day,
(She's the one,
THIS church's named after by the way!**)
And when she saw the stone rolled back,
She cried and pulled her hair,
The tomb was empty, and so she screamed,
"My Lord's not there!"
So she ran to tell the others,
His disciples and his brothers,
And she told them all exactly what she'd seen,
At first they didn't trust her,
They just had never sussed her,
And then they simply bolted from the scene,
Simon Peter was first to leave,
But then ran out of puff,
He fell behind, but under his breath,
He gasped, "I've 'ad enough!"
John soon overtook him,
And sprinted very fast,
When they reached the garden he was first,
…and Peter was last.
And when they got their breath back,
They both were quite relieved
Mary had been right about the tomb.
And they SAW AND THEY BELIEVED!.
After all was said and done,
And all the men back home had run,
Mary sat there all alone,
Wondering who had moved the stone.
But then turning round, she drew aback,
And nearly had a heart attack,
For there before her very eyes,
Two angels she did spy.
"Why do you weep, Oh woman?" they said
"Tis Resurrection Day"
But she didn't understand, and whispered,
"They've taken my Lord away!"
Looking round,
Her heart beat faster
Because she saw her Lord and Master!
Jesus said, "Mary, my dear,
There is no need to strive,
I am not dead as you can see.
I'm very much alive.
"Don't cling to me," he said
I'll see you all very soon,
But if this drama doesn't end
Kids Praise will go PAST NOON…!
(OR Our worship will go past noon!)
**(obviously, this line won't be appropriate for other churches, but another rhyming couplet could be inserted here. E.g. She was feeling very sleepy / But still she knew the way….)
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Copyright Sheila Hamil, all rights reserved.
These dramas are intended for use in churches, youth clubs and schools and can
be photocopied, but they are to be used in no way for personal gain, as I have
made them available for you and am gaining nothing myself. It is my wish that
anyone making profit from them in any way, should direct those profits to Christian
Aid or some other recognised charity. More scripts can be found at my web site,
http://www.sheilahamil.co.uk