or
By Neil Dodgson
2 Narrators
God
4 incidental characters (small speaking parts)
Workman
Jesus
Narrators (N1: and N2) enter
(Said grandly - a big story)
N1: A long time ago...
N2: ... in a galaxy far, far away...
N1: ... a great adventure took place...
("Star Wars" music if possible for 15-30 second. Can have two people race on and fight it out with laser pistols/light sabres etc.)
Music off suddenly
N2: (flippant) This has absolutely nothing to do with tonight's story.
(People who were fighting leave, surprised.)
(Exactly the same as the start - build up to the lines "...was...God")
N1: A long long time ago...
N2: ... before microwave ovens...
N1: ... before pop-up toasters...
N2: ... before the Earth was made...
N1: ... before the Universe was made...
N2: ... before even Time itself was made...
N1: ... before there was anything you could be before...
N2: ... way, way back...
N1: ... was...
N2: ... God.
(Enter "God" wearing dark glasses, crosses stage, , climbs to top of ladder, sits down, cheesy grin to audience. God hams it up during the following lines.)
N1: And God...
N2: ... was...
N1: ... loving...
N2: ... kind...
N1: ... holy...
N2: ... generous...
N1: ... knew everything...
N2: ... could do anything...
N1: ... and...
N2: ... in short...
N1: ... was...
N2: ... perfect....
(Short pause to let this sink in.)
N1: Now God was having a real ball just being God.
N2: It was really groovy.
(Ham this next bit up using the same actions as last time.
N1: But because God was so...
N2: ... loving...
N1: ... kind...
N2: ... holy...
N1: ... generous...
N2: ... and perfect...
N1: He wanted to share His love with someone else [big grin from God]...
N2: ... but there wasn't anyone else [God scans horizon, looks sad].
N1: But that was OK 'cos God can do anything. [another big grin]
N2: So God decided to create people to share His love with
N1: And so He got to work...
(God pushes his sleeves up and stands up on ladder ready to start work - God acts up the next bit with pow!'s, zap!'s etc. N2 tells the story in this next bit. N1 adds comments and gets rather carried away.)
N2: God first created a world for His people to live on...
N1: ... and a universe for that world to live in.
N2: Then He created all different sort of plants...
N1: ... from tiny blades of grass up to enormous kauri trees.
N2: Then He created all different sorts of animals...
N1: ... even those tiny little sand-flies that bite your legs when you go down to the beach and then you have to go to the chemist to get some stuff to put on the bites because it hurts so much and you're in pain for the next three days and it ruins your holiday...
N2: [interrupts about where N1: says "...stuff to put on the bites..."] And finally God created people - both females and males.
(Enter people A, B, C and D. They stand in a semi-circle at the foot of God's ladder.)
N1: [In quick] [calmed down] Which was the whole point of the exercise in the first place.
N2: For a while things went really well:
N1: God loved His people [God stretches out his arms to people]
N2: And His people loved Him [and people do same to God (come on guys, ham it up!!!)]
N1: And everything ran really smoothly.
N2: BUT...
N1: ... One day one of the people had an idea:
(A moves away from God and turns so audience can hear him/her. B,C and D follow to see what's up.)
A: Why do we always have to do what God says ?
B: Because He's God.
A: Yeah, but why can't we do other things as well ?
C: Yeah, why can't we ?
D: Well, nothing's stopping us...
A Let's try it...
B, C and D: OK.
N1: And so the people that God has created turned their backs on Him...
[People turn their backs to God]
N2: ... stopped listening to Him...
[People take a step away from God]
N1: ... and did just what they wanted to do.
[People fold arms and put their noses in the air]
N2: Which, when you consider that God is...
N1: ... loving...
N2: ... kind...
N1: ... holy...
N2: ... generous...
N1: ... and perfect...
N2: ... was a very stupid thing to do.
N1: After all God is...
N2: ... God.
N1: And so sin entered God's world.
N2: Sin, which simply means...
N1: ... not doing what God wants you to do.
N2: Time passed...
(Enter workman carrying a large sign with the word "TIME" written on it. All action stops and everyone follows him with their eyes (and heads). Action then resumes:)
N1: And each generation that was born was worse than the last.
[people take a step away from God]
N2: And each generation got further and further away from God.
[people take another step away from God]
N1: And their sins weighed them down like...like...
[during this and the next line A,B,C,D put on backpacks with SIN written on them in BIG letters]
N2: ... like a heavy weight !!!
N1: And in the end...
N2: ... for each person...
N1: ... sin paid its wage:
N2: DEATH
[D falls over dead. Workman comes and drag him/her off to one side]
N1: [In Quick] And that's a lousy wage.
N2: God was not pleased with this.
God: I am not pleased with this.
N2: ... said God
N1: God knew that these people who died in their sin were destined to spend eternity without Him...
N2: ... and He knew that that would be hell for them.
N1: You see God and Sin do not mix...
N2: ... because...
N1: ... as we all know...
(And ham it up one more time...)
N2: God is...
N1: ... loving...
N2: ... kind...
N1: ... holy...
N2: ... generous...
N1: ... and perfect.
N2: Holiness and Sinfulness do not mix...
N1: ... They cannot get near each other...
N2: ... So anyone who has sinned cannot get near God.
N1: In fact by sinning you set yourself up as God's enemy...
N2: ... which is a very stupid thing to do.
N1: And so God said:
God: This is not good enough! I must find a way to get rid of people's sins - to allow them to come back to me.
N2: And so God got to work...
N1: ... because He loved His people so much.
N2: Meanwhile...
N1: ... back on Earth...
N2: ... the people were still doing just what they wanted to do.
N1: They were stuffing their own lives up...
(People hit themselves with newspaper swords)
N2: ... and stuffing each other's lives up...
(People hit each other with newspaper swords)
N1: ... and generally making a complete mess of the whole thing.
(People really get into belting one another with newspaper swords)
N1: OK guys - enough is enough. Get back into position (They face away from God, arms folded, noses in the air.)
N2: ... and all because they had chosen to turn their backs on God and ignore Him.
N1: BUT GOD got His great plan underway...
N2: ... His plan to bring people back to Him.
N1: He sent signs to show people His power....
(We used a "Give Way" sign printed on A3 sixed paper. God shows it to the audience and then screws it up and throws it at the people - hopefully hitting one on the back of the head...)
N2: He sent prophets to tell people what He wanted ...
(A prophet enters (this is the workman playing the part of the prophet. He, with appropriate actions, plays the part of a fire-and-brimstone preacher [a large bible would be a good prop]. He is only allowed to say "blah", but he can say it as much as he likes, with any sort of emphasis he likes e.g. "blah, blah blah blah. blah blah blah, blah blah !!! blah blah BLAH BLAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
N1: And then...
N2: ... when the time was just right...
N1: ... in an unprecedented...
N2: ... awesome...
N1: ... amazing...
N2: ... fantabulous...
N1: ... and quite unexpected move...
N2: ... God sent His only begotten Son...
[enter Jesus, wearing sunglasses, who stands at bottom of ladder]
N1: ... who was one being with God...
N2: ... who was the same as God, and yet different.
N1: God sent His only Son into the world.
[God points towards people (A,B,C), Jesus looks at God, looks back at people, looks at God again, God nods to say "Yes you!", Jesus goes to people]
N2: And God's Son...
N1: ... Jesus Christ...
N2: ... was born...
(Jesus sits down on floor in front of people)
N1: ... as a baby human being...
N2: ... in a stable...
N1: ... in Israel...
N2: ... nearly two thousand years ago.
N1: But He didn't stay a baby for long...
N2: ... well, you didn't expect Him to, did you ?
N1: He grew up as a carpenter's son...
(Jesus grows up, i.e. stands up)
N2: ... strong and tough [Jesus hams it up]
N1: ... and after living on Earth for thirty years...
N2: ... He started the work that God had sent Him to do.
N1: For three eventful years Jesus went round Israel...
[Jesus circles people]
N2: ... teaching people about God...
[Jesus "teaches" people]
N1: ... performing miracles...
[Jesus performs miracle]
N2: ... and showing people how God wanted them to live.
[think up appropriate action !]
N1: Many people followed Him...
[B follows Jesus, they both walk round the stage]
N2: ... But the authorities weren't impressed.
[A and C mumble amongst themselves, point to Jesus and B, etc,etc]
N1: They tried to shut Him up.
N2: Then one day Jesus went too far for the authorities...
N1: ... He brought a man back to life...
N2: ... A man who had been dead and buried for four days.
[Jesus raises D to life. D jumps up, is overjoyed and runs offstage, to join workman ready for the next bit of the play]
N1: The authorities decided that enough was enough !
[A and C do the appropriate actions]
N2: So they decided to dispose of Jesus...
N1: ... To kill the Son of God.
N2: And so they brought Him before the Supreme Court...
[A and C bring Jesus round facing the audience centre stage]
N1: ... mocked Him...
[A and C mock Jesus]
N2: ... beat Him...
[A,B and C belt Jesus with newspaper swords]
N1: ... whipped Him...
[A,B and C belt Jesus on the back with newspaper swords]
N2: ... and sentenced Him to die a criminal's death nailed to a cross...
[mime nailing Jesus to cross centre stage. A,B and C then move between Jesus and the Narrators facing away from God, arms folded, noses in air]
N1: ... Which was ridiculous...
N2: ... because Jesus was the only person who ever lived who had never sinned.
N1: Yet they still nailed Him to the cross...
N2: ... And left Him to die an excruciating death.
N1: And that should have been the end of the story....
N2: ... BUT GOD had planned this all along.
(God comes down from ladder and crosses to Jesus, God puts several backpacks on Jesus)
N1: And as God's Son hung dying on that cross...
N2: ... God, who loved His Son so much, placed on His Son all the sins of EVERYONE who ever lived...
N1: ... past...
N2: ... present...
N1: ... and future.
N2: And so Jesus took upon Himself the wages of everyone's sin - DEATH.
[Jesus dies at the word "DEATH" (doesn't fall over). Workman and D (playing workman) drag Jesus offstage during the next four lines. Offstage Jesus removes all the backpacks ready to re-enter.]
N1: The one person who had never sinned paid the price for the sin of everyone else...
N2: ... past...
N1: ... present...
N2: ... and future.
N1: And that should have been the end of the story.
N2: BUT GOD, after Jesus had been dead for over forty hours, raised Jesus to life again....
[God zaps and Jesus bounces back onto stage]
N1: ... Proving that He has power over death itself.
(God and Jesus cross back to ladder. God climbs to top. Jesus remains at bottom.)
N2: And now God had completed His amazing plan.
N1: He had provided the way for people, who He loved so much, to return to Him.
N2: And so...
N1: [Interrupts] Is this the end of the story ?
N2: Nearly. [resumes] And so He gave everyone a very simple choice : Either (a)...
N1: Reject God, keep on sinning, doing things your way and accept the wages of sin - eternal death....
N2: ... or (b)...
N1: ... Turn to God, accept that Jesus paid the price for your sins by dying on the cross, give your sins up to Him and start living your life God's way, by God's rules, with God's help - the way you were designed to live in the first place.
N2: Some people choose to reject Jesus.
A: [moves to centre stage to talk to audience] I don't need any God ! I'm quite happy the way I am ! I'll decide where I go and what I do for myself ! I don't believe in God anyway !
N2: [points] He's over there... [God waves]
A: Rubbish ! [moves back, turns away from God, folds arms, pokes nose in air and ignores everyone]
N1: Some people choose to accept Jesus.
B: [Crosses to Jesus, kneels in front of Jesus] Jesus, I've sinned, I want to get rid of my sin and live my life your way.
Jesus: You know the cost of what you're doing ?
B: That from now on I have to do everything God's way and do what He tells me to do ?
Jesus: Yes. Are you willing to do that ?
B: I SURE AM!
Jesus: Great !
(Bstands up. Jesus takes the pack off B's back and throws it away (a long way away!). God gives Jesus a pair of sunglasses. Jesus gives them to B.)
N2: And some choose to sit on the fence.
C: [stands facing audience, centre stage - half towards and half away from God] Well, I 'spose God does exist but I don't know what to do. I 'spose God really wants me to do things His way but I sort of like living the way I'm living right now - I'm used to it - and I really don't know what my friends would think and perhaps if I wait till I'm a bit older to worry about all this Jesus stuff and I'm really not sure if I really want to go making any radical decisions just now and I...
[you could drivel on for hours with this sort of rubbish]
N1: [over top of C after C gets to "...all this Jesus stuff..."] The fence-sitter and the rejector both accept the wages of their sins - eternal death.
[A and C both die, workman and D (acting as workman) drag them off]
N2: But those who accept Jesus have no sins - they have been cleaned of them - and they gain eternal life with God.
[B, Jesus and God boogie off in opposite direction joking and laughing]
N1: Which option will YOU choose ???
[Narrators exit]
©1988, The Terrace, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Permission is given for any Christian group to use this play provided it is not used in order to make money. Permission to use this play in any other way must be sought from Neil Dodgson. He may be contacted by email at Neil.Dodgson@cl.cam.ac.uk .