Monday, July 26, 2010

As the Worm Turns

Scripture Reference: Daniel 6
I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. – Psalm 13:5
A lesson in God’s protection.

Cast:
SQUIGGLY – Ozzie’s pet worm
(NOTE: All of Squiggly’s dialog is done with a kazoo. The words are provided as a guide for the vocalization and movement.)
MR. MATT – the teacher who sets him straight

Props:
None

(MR. MATT is on stage when SQUIGGLY enters clearly shaken.)

MR. MATT: Hi, Squiggly. Where’s Ozzie?

SQUIGGLY: I don’t know.

MR. MATT: Is something bothering you?

SQUIGGLY: Uh-huh.

MR. MATT: Is D.B. trying to take you fishing again, so he can use you for bait?

SQUIGGLY: Uh-uh.

MR. MATT: Did Dilly invite you over for dinner again, and forget to tell you that you were on the menu?

SQUIGGLY: Uh-uh.

MR. MATT: Hmmm. Are you have trouble with Ozzie’s friends again?

SQUIGGLY: Uh-huh.

MR. MATT: What are they trying to get you to do now?

SQUIGGLY: (At this point, SQUIGGLY goes into a long detailed explanation. No one can actually understand it, but MR. MATT will go along like he understand. MR. MATT will nod, shake his head, and say “Yeah,” “Really?” “No!” etc. SQUIGGLY ends by pausing and looking at MR. MATT.)

MR. MATT: I can’t believe they want you to do that! What did you tell them?

SQUIGGLY: Grrr!

MR. MATT: Good for you, Squiggly. You chose to do what was right in God’s sight rather than doing what Ozzie’s so-called friends wanted you to do.

SQUIGGLY: Aw.

MR. MATT: You know they might be mad at you.

SQUIGGLY: Huh?!?

MR. MATT: For not going along with their scheme.

SQUIGGLY: Uh-oh!

MR. MATT: I wouldn’t worry about it. God is on your side.

SQUIGGLY: Phew.

MR. MATT: If anything, I’d worry about them.

SQUIGGLY: Ha ha ha!

MR. MATT: It is always better to be on God’s side.

SQUIGGLY: Uh-huh!

MR. MATT: Well, I’ve enjoyed our talk. You have some really perceptive insights, Squiggly.

SQUIGGLY: Aw.

MR. MATT: Do you feel better?

SQUIGGLY: Uh-huh.

MR. MATT: Good. See you later, Squiggly.

SQUIGGLY: Bye-bye.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Flood

Scripture Reference: 2 Kings 5

A lesson in our expectations for God.

I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. – Psalm 13:5Cast:
D.B. – a good albeit not very bright bunny
MISS REBECCA – the teacher who sets her straight

Props:
none

(MISS REBECCA is on stage when D.B. enters.)

D.B.: Hi, Miss Rebecca. How are you today?

MISS REBECCA: Hey, D.B. I’m doing fine. I haven’t seen you in a while. Where have you been?

D.B.: I have been on vacation with my mama and dad and brothers and sisters.

MISS REBECCA: How many brothers and sisters do you have?

D.B.: 98.

MISS REBECCA: Your parents have 99 children? Why not 100?

D.B.: That would be ridiculous.

MISS REBECCA: Sorry, I just thought…

D.B.: 100 kids!

MISS REBECCA: Okay, never mind…

D.B.: Who do you think we are? Bun & Kate Plus 108?

MISS REBECCA: I guess I wasn’t thinking. So where’d you go for your vacation?

D.B.: We went to Nashville.

MISS REBECCA: Haven’t they had a lot of flooding there?

D.B.: Yes. We did not mean to go there, but we should have made a left turn at Albuquerque.

MISS REBECCA: It really bugs me when that happens. So did you have a good time?

D.B.: It was a lot of fun until I got caught up in a flash flood.

MISS REBECCA: (very concerned) Oh dear! What happened?

D.B.: I climbed up on a building, and the water quickly rose up to the first floor.

MISS REBECCA: What did you do?

D.B.: Well, a boat came to rescue me.

MISS REBECCA: That’s great!

D.B.: But I sent it away.

MISS REBECCA: Why in the world did you do that?!?

D.B.: I told them I had prayed to God and go rescue someone who has less faith.

MISS REBECCA: Good grief! What happened next?

D.B.: The water kept rising and soon it was up to the second floor. I cried out to God, and soon a helicopter came.

MISS REBECCA: Thank God! I hope you had the sense to get on it.

D.B.: Oh no. I told them I had prayed to God and go save someone who has less faith.

MISS REBECCA: D.B.! How did you get saved?

D.B.: I did not. The water finally covered the building, and I floated away.

MISS REBECCA: Oh my! What happened?!?

D.B.: I died.

MISS REBECCA: (dubiously) You died?

D.B.: Yes, I died and went to heaven. When I met God I told Him that I had prayed to be saved. Why did He not save me?

MISS REBECCA: And what did He say?

D.B.: He said, “I sent a boat and a helicopter. What more do you want?”

MISS REBECCA: (annoyed) D.B., that’s an old joke.

D.B.: (snickers) I know, Miss Rebecca, but I like that joke.

MISS REBECCA: But you know what? It ties in very well with our lesson today?

D.B.: Really?

MISS REBECCA: Yes, we are going to read a story about a man named Naaman. He wanted something from God, and he was disappointed when God didn’t do it in the way he thought it should be done.

D.B.: He must have thought he was smarter than God.

MISS REBECCA: Maybe. Sometimes we put expectations on how God should do something, and we miss it when He does it His way.

D.B.: Well, I know if God sent a boat for real to rescue me, I would get in.

MISS REBECCA: Good for you. I guess you’re a lot smarter than Naaman.

D.B.: That is not saying much. Well, I better go unpack, Miss Rebecca.

MISS REBECCA: Okay, D.B.

D.B.: Bye, Miss Rebecca.

MISS REBECCA: Bye, D.B.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Gravity Brings Me Down

Scripture Reference: 1 Kings 18
God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:19
A lesson in truth and the one true God.

Cast:
DILLY – a southern fried chicken who doesn’t always get things straight
MISS REBECCA – the teacher who sets her straight

Props:
Something to make crashing sounds (e.g., pots & pans)

(MISS REBECCA is on stage when DILLY enters.)

DILLY: (from backstage) SQUAWK! (rustling then crashing)

MISS REBECCA: Dilly! Are you okay?

DILLY: (enters) Why I’m finer than frog hair, Miss Rebecca.

MISS REBECCA: What in the world was all that commotion?

DILLY: Oh that. I was simply attempting to fly.

MISS REBECCA: Fly? Dilly, chickens can’t fly. They can’t get enough lift to overcome gravity.

DILLY: Well, that is a popular perception, but I have been studying on this subject. I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t believe in gravity.

MISS REBECCA: Don’t believe in gravity?!? Gravity is a fact, not just a matter of opinion.

DILLY: That would be your opinion.

MISS REBECCA: Then how to explain that things always fall down instead of up?

DILLY: It’s a cultural thing. We as a culture have decided that we prefer that things fall down, so they fall down.

MISS REBECCA: So if I decided that I’d prefer that things fall up, they’d fall up?

DILLY: I do declare that you are beginning to latch on.

MISS REBECCA: Oh I “latch on.” I just don’t agree.

DILLY: Then you are as close-minded as a vault door.

MISS REBECCA: I don’t want to be so open-minded, though, that my brains fall out.

DILLY: Well, I’ve never been so insulted.

MISS REBECCA: (aside) The day’s still early.

DILLY: I beg your pardon!

MISS REBECCA: Nothing. So how’s the whole not-believing-in-gravity thing working out for you?

DILLY: Not as well as I’d hoped. It seems that every time I try to fly, I fall to earth like a bag of wet cement.

MISS REBECCA: And why do you think that is?

DILLY: Maybe if I just believe harder.

MISS REBECCA: Really? You already believed hard enough to try to fly. Do you really think you could believe harder?

DILLY: Maybe a bitty bit harder.

MISS REBECCA: It wouldn’t help. When something is true, it’s true no matter how hard you believe or don’t believe it.

DILLY: Well if that don’t put the pepper in the gumbo.

MISS REBECCA: Some things are just true: gravity, mathematics, God.

DILLY: Well of course God is true. You’d have to be a few fries short of a Happy Meal to think that God isn’t true.

MISS REBECCA: Exactly. God is true. Gravity is true.

DILLY: Oh my lands! I need to find Flora quicker than a rat up a drain. I fear I may been a bit too convincing in telling her gravity isn’t real, because I do believe I heard her say something about going to the top of the chicken coop and trying to fly. Flora! FLORA! (exits quickly)

MISS REBECCA: (stares at the stage surprised by DILLY’s sudden departure)

DILLY: (reappears) I almost forgot – bye, y’all! (disappears)