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Short Dramas
Index
God Chooses Us
Abraham- Genesis 12
Daniel- Daniel 2
Mary- Luke 1
God Gives Us Jesus to be Our Savior and Example
Jesus Prepares- Mark 1: 35-39
Jesus Teaching and Healing- (Luke 13)
Jesus Dying on the Cross and Rising Again- (Luke 23, John 20)
God’s Spirit Leads Us and Goes With Us Everywhere
The Spirit of God comes on Bezalel and Oholiab (Exodus 31)
Philip and the Ethiopian (Acts 8)
The Spirit Leads Paul to Macedonia (Act 16)
We Work Together and Do Our Best
Tabitha is Brought Back to Life- Acts 9
Priscilla and Aquila and Apollos- Acts 18
Onesimus- Philemon
Who Can We Invite to Join God’s Family?
Andrew and Simon Peter – John 1:40-42
Peter and Cornelius- Acts 10
Lois, Eunice and Timothy- 2 Timothy 1:5 and 3:15, 1 Timothy 6:17-19
Actors 1 and 3 are written for women/girls and Actors 2 and 4 are written for men/boys. This will create balance and consistency with the part of Jesus played by the same man in all scenes and likewise the Holy Spirit played by the same woman. The number of lines and “leading roles” are about equal for all 4 parts.
There are also small group discussion questions included. These are not considered complete yet. The goal is to have the small group leaders study the stories during training and create more.
Abraham- Genesis 12
Actor 1: A long, long time ago, there was family that lived in Ur (that’s in modern day Iraq). There was a grandfather, named Terah, and one day he set off to leave the city of Ur and move to a land called Canaan. He took along his son Abram (later called Abraham) and Abram’s wife Sarai and Abram’s nephew, Lot. (actors wave or smile at audience to “introduce” themselves. They begin walking across stage carrying bags, as if moving, getting tired as they go) When they were about half way to Canaan, they came to a city called Haran. They liked it there and decided to stay (actors comically drop their luggage and sit or slouch as if exhausted). While they were living in Haran, God called Abram to do something very special…(Actor 2 (“Abram”) with a staff steps to center stage and Actor 4 (“God”) speaks from behind).
Actor 4: Abram!
Actor 2: Yes, Lord?
Actor 4: Abram, leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing…and all the peoples of the earth will be rescued through you and through your family.
Actor 2: Ok, Lord, I will go where you tell me. (turns to go)
Actor 1: So Abram left, as the Lord had told him. (pause) God picked Abraham for the team because He has something very special for Abraham to do- God wanted to bless the whole world and use Abraham to do it. So God wanted to bless the whole world through Abraham, I wonder what that means! A little later we will break up in to small groups and lets talk more about that. But first lets see two other snapshots. These next two people are both descendents –kids, grandkids, etc- of Abraham…
Daniel- Daniel 2
Actor 3: Hundreds of years later, a great, great, great, great, great, great, great…etc, etc grandson of Abraham was named Daniel. (Actor 3 steps forward, smiles) He was one of a large group of Jews (that’s one of the names used for Abraham’s children and grandchildren, etc) that was moved from their homes in Jerusalem and taken far away to the kingdom of Babylon. Daniel and a few of his friends were given special places within the household of the King of Babylon. But one night the King of Babylon had a terrible dream…(actor 2 get into Nebuchadnezzar’s “throne” and picks up a stick as his scepter and crown, actor 1 plays an imaginary harp)
Actor 1: Oh, great King Nebuchadnezzar, why do you look so sad?
Actor 2: I am greatly troubled. I have been having terrible dreams that worry me.
Actor 1: Why don’t I send for all your wise men and astrologers? Surely they can tell you what your dream means?
Actor 2: I’ve tried, O I’ve tried! I called them all together in front of me and I thought that if they were truly wise, they would be able to tell me what my dream was and what it meant- but not one of them could do it. No one could tell me what my dream was! So I’ve decided to get rid of them all! Off with their heads!
Actor 1: Surely you don’t mean that, my King!
Actor 2: I do. Go give the orders! (actor 4 walks away)
Actor 3: So the king’s official went out to find all the wise men. Now Daniel and his friends were considered part of this group- and the official came to find them too.
Actor 4: (Daniel) Why has the king ordered such a harsh decree?
Actor 1: No one was able to interpret his dream, so all the wise men are to be put to death.
Actor 4: If given a little time, I will be able to interpret the King’s dream.
Actor 3: So Daniel went back to his friends and he asked them to pray and ask the God of Heaven to reveal the mystery of the dream, and they prayed HARD! During the night, God revealed the mystery to Daniel in a vision. In the morning Daniel said…
Actor 4: I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, and you have made known to us the dream of the king. Let us go tell the King what God has revealed! (walks across the stage to where the king sits, bows to the king)
Actor 2: Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and tell me what it means?
Actor 4: No one can explain to the King the mystery of his dream, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries and He has shown you what will happen in the future.
Actor 3: Daniel then told the king about his dream what it meant and the king was so amazed. He said,
Actor 2: Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries because you were able to reveal this mystery.
Actor 3: The king was so thankful that Daniel had understood his dream that he cancelled his decree and Daniel a special job. Because Daniel was in this job, he was able to help save the lives of the wise men and his friends and he was also able to help the King of Babylon through the wisdom that God gave him.
Mary- Luke 1
Actor 4: Our last snapshot takes place a few hundred more years later in the town of Nazareth. The angel Gabriel appeared to a teenage girl named Mary with a very special message from God. Mary was also a descendant of Abraham.(Actors 1 and 2 take their place)
Actor 2: Greetings, you who are highly favored. The Lord is with you! (Actor 1 looks scared) Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. You will have a baby and give birth to a son and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High…and his kingdom will never end.
Actor 1: How is that possible, since I’m just a young woman and not married?
Actor 2: The Holy Spirit will come upon you and God will handle all the details. (Actor 3 makes a bird with her hands and flies toward Mary) The baby will be called the Son of God. Nothing is impossible with God.
Actor 1: I am the Lord’s servant. May it happen, just like you have said.
Actor 4: And it did happen, just like the angel said. Mary later gave birth to Jesus, the Son of God. Why do you think God chose Mary? Do you think it was because she was the best looking and the most popular? (No) We’re going to split up into our small groups now to talk more about why God cares about people and chooses them to be on his team.
Small Group Questions:
- What kinds of things get you so excited you can’t stop thinking about them? Why do you think God loves us that way?
- Sometimes God chooses the most unlikely people to be on his team. What was unlikely about each of these characters? (Old, poor, Jewish)
- What do you think God meant when He said He wanted to bless Abraham so he could be a blessing to others?
- God made us and put different strengths into each one of us. What do you think some of your strengths are that God might use on His team?
- Do you see anything in common about the way Abraham, Daniel and Mary responded to God?
Jesus Prepares- Mark 1: 35-39
Actor 1: Last night we showed you the story of the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary to tell her that God had chosen her to be the mother of Jesus. From the time Jesus was born people could tell that he was no ordinary child, but he didn’t go out bossing people around because he was the Son of God. No, the Bible says he became wise and grew strong and God was please with him and so were the people (Luke 2:52 CEV). (Actor 2 steps out) When Jesus was about 30, he started speaking openly about the special mission he was sent to earth to do. He gathered people around him, that we call disciples, who he taught and invited into his mission… (Actor 2 walk over to the side of the stage and gets on his knees, praying. Actors 4 and 3 enter from other directions, and meet on the other side of the stage)
Actor 4:(To Actor 3, yawning) Good Morning!
Actor 3: Good morning, did you sleep well?
Actor 4: Fine, thanks. Have you seen Jesus? There’s a big crowd of people already waiting to see him.
Actor 3: I’m not sure where he is. Maybe he went off somewhere to pray. He does that a lot before he teaches or heals people. Let’s go look for him. (They “look” for him and finally spot him on the far side of the stage)
Actor 4: There you are Jesus! Everyone is looking for you!
Actor 2: Let’s go to them. We must go to the nearby towns too, so that I can tell the good news to those people. This is why I have come.
Actor 1:Then Jesus went to Jewish meeting places everywhere in Galilee, where he taught and healed people.
Jesus Teaching and Healing- (Luke 13)
Actor 3:One Sabbath-that means Saturday, which was the special day of the week for Jews- Jesus was teaching in a Jewish meeting place. (Actor 1 hobbles forward, bent over) A woman was there who hadbeen crippled by an evil spirit for eighteen years. She was completely bent over and could not straighten up. When Jesus saw the woman, he called her over…
Actor 2: Woman, you are set free and are now well.
Actor 3:(Actor 1 & 2’s actions follow narration) He placed his hands on her, and right away she stood up straight and praised God.
Actor 1: (stretches her back, walking around) Wow! Amazing! Thank you, God! Thank you, Jesus!
Actor 3: The man in charge of the meeting place was angry because Jesus had healed someone on the Sabbath. So he said to the people,
Actor 4:(Holding a stick, like a sign of authority) Each week has six days when we can work. Come and be healed on one of those days, but not on the Sabbath.
Actor 2: Are you trying to fool someone? Sabbath is the perfect time to be healed. If you had an ox or donkey, wouldn’t you untie it and lead it out to drink on a Sabbath? This woman belongs to the family of Abraham, but Satan has kept her bound for eighteen years. Isn't it right to set her free on the Sabbath?
Actor 3:Jesus' words made his enemies ashamed and angry. (Actor 4 turns away) But everyone else in the crowd was amazed about the wonderful things he was doing.
Jesus Dying on the Cross and Rising Again- (Luke 23, John 20)
Actor 4: Some of the religious leaders were so angry at all that Jesus did and taught that they got the government to put him to death. They killed him on a cross, which was a very painful way to die. (Actor 2 stands arms outstretched). But even though he knew he would die, Jesus didn’t fight back, in fact while he was dying, he prayed,
Actor 2: Father, forgive them, because they don’t know what they are doing.
Actor 4: And Jesus died. (pause. Other Actors help Actor 2 lay down). But there’s more to the story. Jesus had said that his mission was to serve others and to give his life to rescue other people. This is that moment. All people, including all of us, have done bad things- except Jesus. He is perfect because he is the Son of God. He knew that we are hopeless in the match against all the bad stuff in the world and it was God’s plan that he died in our place to defeat evil once and for all.And guess what, Jesus didn’t stay dead… (Actor 2 gets up, watching the others)
Actor 1: Have you heard? Jesus is alive!
Actor 3: What? I don’t believe it! (to Actor 1) Have you seen Jesus?
Actor 1: Not yet, but I heard that some women saw him this morning!
Actor 2: Greetings, Everyone!
All: Jesus!... Wow… I can’t believe it, etc, etc.
Actor 3: You really are the Son of God!
Small Group Questions:
- How did we see Jesus preparing to be “in the game”? How would prayer help you be ready to help others?
- What did you notice about the way Jesus healed the crippled woman and taught the crowd about what he was doing?
- Why was the other leader so angry? Why would the religious leaders have wanted to kill Jesus?
- What does a good coach do?
- What do you think it means that Jesus is our Savior and Coach? How does he become our coach?
The Spirit of God comes on Bezalel and Oholiab (Exodus 31)
Actor 2: Remember our character Abraham from Monday? Well, his great-grandchildren went down into Egypt and eventually the Egyptians forced them to be slaves. The children of Abraham, the Israelites, cried out to God and God rescued them and brought them, through the desert, back to the land that He had promised to Abraham. While they were still in the desert, the Israelites built a tabernacle where God’s Spirit would rest in their midst. (Actor 4 steps out) The Bible says that God picked someone special to help with the building: Bezalel. (Actor 4 starts “building” and “painting” miming) Here is what God said, “I have chosen Bezalel and I have filled him with my Spirit. (Actor 3 (The Spirit) steps out too, behind and whispers things in his ear and points things out) I have given him wisdom and made him a skilled craftsman who can create objects of art with gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood. (Actor 1 steps out) I have appointed Oholiab to work with him, and I have also given skills to those who will help them make everything exactly as I have commanded.”
Actor 1: I love working on the tabernacle!
Actor 4: Me too. I’ve never had so much fun using all the skills that I love, building, painting, carving, sewing curtains and beautiful garments for the priests…
Actor 1: But its still hard work!
Actor 4: It sure is. But I feel that God is so close to us as we work, directing us and helping us do the best job possible.
Actor 1: Yes, I can sense God’s Spirit here as we use the skills God gave us!
Philip and the Ethiopian (Acts 8)
Actor 1: After Jesus went back into Heaven to be with God the Father, he sent the Holy Spirit to all of his disciples. Before this only certain people had had God’s Spirit inside them and for short periods of time. But now all of Jesus’ followers have the Holy Spirit inside them. One of Jesus’ disciples was named Philip. (Actor 2 steps forwards and waves, Actor 3 stands a little behind) One day an angel of God told Philip to travel from Jerusalem to a city named Gaza. (Actor 2 starts walking) Philip didn’t know why he was supposed to do this, but he obeyed and started walking. Along the road came a chariot with an Ethiopian official in it. He was on his way back home after visited Jerusalem to worship God. (Actor 4 steps up and grabs the imaginary reins of a chariot). The Holy Spirit said to him,
Actor 3: Go to that chariot and stay near it.
Actor 1: So Philip ran up alongside the chariot. And he overheard the man reading…
Actor 4: “He was painfully abused, but he did not complain. He was silent like a lamb being led to the butcher, as quiet as a sheep having its wool cut off. He was condemned to deathwithout a fair trial. Who could have imagined what would happen to him?” (pause) I wonder what that means?