Who Is God?
Drama
Lectionary Scenes
57 Vignettes For Cycle A
Theme
There are many false gods. Finding God isn't easy but it is worth the search.
Summary
Two people are talking about God and each gives several views. "God" is watching from above. Jesus enters and exposes "God" as a fraud and offers the two a real relationship with God.
Playing Time: 6 minutes
Setting: A neutral acting space
Props: Ladder, policeman's cap, glasses, ruler, Santa Claus cap and beard, gray beard, menu, stuffed lamb, halo, crutch, lemon, box, and magnifying glass
Costumes: Contemporary
Time: The present
Cast: "GOD" -- a false god
PLAYER 1
PLAYER 2
JESUS
(GOD ENTERS CARRYING A LADDER, PLACES IT CENTER STAGE, CLIMBS TO THE TOP AND SITS)
PLAYER 1: (ENTERS WITH PLAYER 2) Oh, wow, man, I just had another flat tire and my spare was flat, too.
PLAYER 2: Boy, doesn't that make you mad?
PLAYER 1: It sure does. Where was God all that time?
PLAYER 2: Yeah, I know what you mean. God is like a policeman. (GOD PUTS ON POLICEMAN'S CAP) Ya know what I mean? Never around when you need him, but boy, run a red light and he's right there!
PLAYER 1: I know what you mean.
PLAYER 2: God is always ready to condemn me when I make a mistake.
PLAYER 1: Like my fourth grade teacher. (GOD TAKES POLICEMAN'S CAP OFF AND PUTS GLASSES ON END OF NOSE AND SLAPS RULER AGAINST HIS HAND) I remember she would spank your hands with a ruler when you did something wrong.
PLAYER 2: I had a teacher like that but she would never waste an opportunity like that by merely spanking your hand.
PLAYER 1: Yeah, right. God knows where it hurts, too.
PLAYER 2: You know, I used to have a pretty good idea of who God is. I used to think He was kinda like a Santa Claus, you know. (GOD TAKES OFF GLASSES AND PUTS ON SANTA CAP AND BEARD) "He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake."
PLAYER 1: "Oh, you better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout, I'm telling you why, God is gonna get you in the end."
PLAYER 2: Right. Then when I was a kid I thought of God as the grandfather in the sky who would love me no matter what and give me candy when I fell and hurt my knee. (GOD TAKES OFF SANTA COSTUME AND PUTS ON GRAY BEARD)
PLAYER 1: I always thought of God as old fashioned. I figured if He was around to create the world He was too old to relate to me.
PLAYER 2: Yeah, I'll admit that God did a lot for the people in the Bible, but how can He relate to the complex society that we live in today?
PLAYER 1: Well, that's the point, isn't it?
PLAYER 2: Exactly. That is the point. God is kinda out to lunch as far as doing anything about the difficulties in the world today. (GOD TAKES OF BEARD AND BEGINS TO READ MENU)
PLAYER 1: Do you know what used to get me? The pictures of Jesus holding that little lamb. (GOD PUTS AWAY MENU AND PICKS UP STUFFED LAMB) I mean, what has that got to do with me? I'm not a sheep.
PLAYER 2: Not a ba-a-ad point. Why couldn't the little lamb walk by itself? All the little lambs I've seen could walk by themselves.
PLAYER 1: Right you are. And all those old paintings picture Jesus as this weak, skinny guy in His night shirt with a kind of a dopey grin on His face. Who can relate to a guy like that?
PLAYER 2: "Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, look upon a little child." Even as a kid I couldn't relate to a God like that. When I was a kid I was thinking of baseball in the summer and the opposite sex all the time. The God I saw in those paintings never thought about anything except the Ten Commandments and how He hadn't broken any of them. (GOD PUTS LAMB AWAY AND PUTS ON HALO)
PLAYER 1: God is perfect, right?
PLAYER 2: Right.
PLAYER 1: Right. That's a little difficult to understand.
PLAYER 2: The Bible does say that. Be perfect as God is perfect.
PLAYER 1: I've tried that.
PLAYER 2: How long did it last?
PLAYER 1: About ten minutes. Then I realized I was proud because I was so perfect and pride is a sin so I wasn't perfect after all. I can't relate to a perfect God. Perfect? Not me. I can't even get the part in my hair straight.
PLAYER 2: Tell me something, do you think of Christianity as an escape?
PLAYER 1: I know what you're thinking. You think that people who become Christians are running away from the real world.
PLAYER 2: That's it. Therefore God is a God of escape.
PLAYER 1: And Christians need a crutch. I just can't relate to that either. (GOD PUTS HALO AWAY AND TAKES OUT CRUTCH)
PLAYER 2: Neither can I.
PLAYER 1: You know what turns me off to Christianity?
It's Christians.
PLAYER 2: You're not going to say that they're hypocrites.
PLAYER 1: No, I wasn't, but some are. No, I was thinking that they are so boring.
PLAYER 2: Yeah, they are, aren't they. So prim and proper. Who could get interested in a God that wanted His people to be like that?
PLAYER 1: Most Christians look like they've been sucking on a lemon. (GOD PUTS AWAY CRUTCH AND SUCKS ON A LEMON)
PLAYER 2: They have their own god, don't they?
PLAYER 1: What are you talking about?
PLAYER 2: They put God in their own little box. (GOD PUTS LEMON AWAY AND PUTS A BOX OVER HIS HEAD)
PLAYER 1: Who'd want a God like that?
PLAYER 2: We are being quite theological today, aren't we?
PLAYER 1: Yes, we are. And we're doing it quite well.
PLAYER 2: Tiresome, isn't it?
PLAYER 1: Yes, it is.
PLAYER 2: When it comes right down to it, isn't God just a projection of ourselves and our society?
PLAYER 1: Now you are getting deep.
PLAYER 2: Here's what I mean: Don't people see the attributes of God that are really their own attributes but just magnified? (GOD PUTS BOX AWAY AND BRINGS OUT MAGNIFYING GLASS)
PLAYER 1: I see what you mean. A person with a strict upbringing would think God is all laws and rules and not a loving God.
PLAYER 2: That's it. And a person who is morally lax would worship a God who is a very forgiving God.
PLAYER 1: Do you know what? I don't think I can relate to God.
PLAYER 2: Me neither. Not at all.
PLAYER 1: It is fun relating my views to you though.
PLAYER 2: Yes, it is fun. We must do it again sometime.
PLAYER 1: Yes, we must.
PLAYER 2: I wonder what God would say if He were here.
PLAYER 1: He'd probably say, "I wonder why I'm standing here in my nightshirt with this dopey grin on my face?"
PLAYER 2: And why am I carrying this lamb?
GOD: Are you two enjoying yourself?
PLAYER 1: Yes, we are.
PLAYER 2: Who are you?
PLAYER 1: And what are you doing up there?
GOD: I'm God.
And you should not be questioning who I am. You should be worshiping me.
PLAYER 1: Forgive us, God.
PLAYER 2: Yes, we didn't know.
GOD: Well, now that you know, get on with it. Worship me.
PLAYER 1: All right.
PLAYER 2: Sure, right away. (THEY BEGIN TO WORSHIP)
JESUS:
(ENTERS, DRESSED CASUALLY) What's going on?
PLAYER 1: We're just worshiping God.
JESUS:
Nonsense!
PLAYER 2: Nonsense?
PLAYER 1: But, you can't talk like that. That's God.
JESUS:
I'm God.
PLAYER 2: You?
JESUS:
Yes, I'm Jesus.
PLAYER 2: Then who is that up there?
GOD: I'm God.
JESUS:
No, you're not. Come down from there. (GOD DESCENDS)
PLAYER 1: This is kinda confusing.
JESUS:
Get your stuff and get out of here.
GOD: But, I'm God.
JESUS: No, you're not. You're a false god. All the false gods they were talking about.
GOD: But ...
JESUS:
Out! (GOD EXITS TAKING LADDER AND PROPS)
PLAYER 1: Do you mean all those things we were saying about God were untrue?
JESUS:
You both have a pretty narrow view of me.
PLAYER 2: How do we find out about who you really are?
JESUS:
Just spend time with me.
PLAYER 1: That's too easy.
JESUS:
Not so easy, but worthwhile. Want to try?
PLAYER 2: Yeah.
PLAYER 1: You bet. (THEY ALL BEGIN TO EXIT)
JESUS:
Nightshirt and dopey grin, indeed.
PLAYER 1: Let me explain ...
There are many false gods. Finding God isn't easy but it is worth the search.
Summary
Two people are talking about God and each gives several views. "God" is watching from above. Jesus enters and exposes "God" as a fraud and offers the two a real relationship with God.
Playing Time: 6 minutes
Setting: A neutral acting space
Props: Ladder, policeman's cap, glasses, ruler, Santa Claus cap and beard, gray beard, menu, stuffed lamb, halo, crutch, lemon, box, and magnifying glass
Costumes: Contemporary
Time: The present
Cast: "GOD" -- a false god
PLAYER 1
PLAYER 2
JESUS
(GOD ENTERS CARRYING A LADDER, PLACES IT CENTER STAGE, CLIMBS TO THE TOP AND SITS)
PLAYER 1: (ENTERS WITH PLAYER 2) Oh, wow, man, I just had another flat tire and my spare was flat, too.
PLAYER 2: Boy, doesn't that make you mad?
PLAYER 1: It sure does. Where was God all that time?
PLAYER 2: Yeah, I know what you mean. God is like a policeman. (GOD PUTS ON POLICEMAN'S CAP) Ya know what I mean? Never around when you need him, but boy, run a red light and he's right there!
PLAYER 1: I know what you mean.
PLAYER 2: God is always ready to condemn me when I make a mistake.
PLAYER 1: Like my fourth grade teacher. (GOD TAKES POLICEMAN'S CAP OFF AND PUTS GLASSES ON END OF NOSE AND SLAPS RULER AGAINST HIS HAND) I remember she would spank your hands with a ruler when you did something wrong.
PLAYER 2: I had a teacher like that but she would never waste an opportunity like that by merely spanking your hand.
PLAYER 1: Yeah, right. God knows where it hurts, too.
PLAYER 2: You know, I used to have a pretty good idea of who God is. I used to think He was kinda like a Santa Claus, you know. (GOD TAKES OFF GLASSES AND PUTS ON SANTA CAP AND BEARD) "He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake."
PLAYER 1: "Oh, you better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout, I'm telling you why, God is gonna get you in the end."
PLAYER 2: Right. Then when I was a kid I thought of God as the grandfather in the sky who would love me no matter what and give me candy when I fell and hurt my knee. (GOD TAKES OFF SANTA COSTUME AND PUTS ON GRAY BEARD)
PLAYER 1: I always thought of God as old fashioned. I figured if He was around to create the world He was too old to relate to me.
PLAYER 2: Yeah, I'll admit that God did a lot for the people in the Bible, but how can He relate to the complex society that we live in today?
PLAYER 1: Well, that's the point, isn't it?
PLAYER 2: Exactly. That is the point. God is kinda out to lunch as far as doing anything about the difficulties in the world today. (GOD TAKES OF BEARD AND BEGINS TO READ MENU)
PLAYER 1: Do you know what used to get me? The pictures of Jesus holding that little lamb. (GOD PUTS AWAY MENU AND PICKS UP STUFFED LAMB) I mean, what has that got to do with me? I'm not a sheep.
PLAYER 2: Not a ba-a-ad point. Why couldn't the little lamb walk by itself? All the little lambs I've seen could walk by themselves.
PLAYER 1: Right you are. And all those old paintings picture Jesus as this weak, skinny guy in His night shirt with a kind of a dopey grin on His face. Who can relate to a guy like that?
PLAYER 2: "Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, look upon a little child." Even as a kid I couldn't relate to a God like that. When I was a kid I was thinking of baseball in the summer and the opposite sex all the time. The God I saw in those paintings never thought about anything except the Ten Commandments and how He hadn't broken any of them. (GOD PUTS LAMB AWAY AND PUTS ON HALO)
PLAYER 1: God is perfect, right?
PLAYER 2: Right.
PLAYER 1: Right. That's a little difficult to understand.
PLAYER 2: The Bible does say that. Be perfect as God is perfect.
PLAYER 1: I've tried that.
PLAYER 2: How long did it last?
PLAYER 1: About ten minutes. Then I realized I was proud because I was so perfect and pride is a sin so I wasn't perfect after all. I can't relate to a perfect God. Perfect? Not me. I can't even get the part in my hair straight.
PLAYER 2: Tell me something, do you think of Christianity as an escape?
PLAYER 1: I know what you're thinking. You think that people who become Christians are running away from the real world.
PLAYER 2: That's it. Therefore God is a God of escape.
PLAYER 1: And Christians need a crutch. I just can't relate to that either. (GOD PUTS HALO AWAY AND TAKES OUT CRUTCH)
PLAYER 2: Neither can I.
PLAYER 1: You know what turns me off to Christianity?
It's Christians.
PLAYER 2: You're not going to say that they're hypocrites.
PLAYER 1: No, I wasn't, but some are. No, I was thinking that they are so boring.
PLAYER 2: Yeah, they are, aren't they. So prim and proper. Who could get interested in a God that wanted His people to be like that?
PLAYER 1: Most Christians look like they've been sucking on a lemon. (GOD PUTS AWAY CRUTCH AND SUCKS ON A LEMON)
PLAYER 2: They have their own god, don't they?
PLAYER 1: What are you talking about?
PLAYER 2: They put God in their own little box. (GOD PUTS LEMON AWAY AND PUTS A BOX OVER HIS HEAD)
PLAYER 1: Who'd want a God like that?
PLAYER 2: We are being quite theological today, aren't we?
PLAYER 1: Yes, we are. And we're doing it quite well.
PLAYER 2: Tiresome, isn't it?
PLAYER 1: Yes, it is.
PLAYER 2: When it comes right down to it, isn't God just a projection of ourselves and our society?
PLAYER 1: Now you are getting deep.
PLAYER 2: Here's what I mean: Don't people see the attributes of God that are really their own attributes but just magnified? (GOD PUTS BOX AWAY AND BRINGS OUT MAGNIFYING GLASS)
PLAYER 1: I see what you mean. A person with a strict upbringing would think God is all laws and rules and not a loving God.
PLAYER 2: That's it. And a person who is morally lax would worship a God who is a very forgiving God.
PLAYER 1: Do you know what? I don't think I can relate to God.
PLAYER 2: Me neither. Not at all.
PLAYER 1: It is fun relating my views to you though.
PLAYER 2: Yes, it is fun. We must do it again sometime.
PLAYER 1: Yes, we must.
PLAYER 2: I wonder what God would say if He were here.
PLAYER 1: He'd probably say, "I wonder why I'm standing here in my nightshirt with this dopey grin on my face?"
PLAYER 2: And why am I carrying this lamb?
GOD: Are you two enjoying yourself?
PLAYER 1: Yes, we are.
PLAYER 2: Who are you?
PLAYER 1: And what are you doing up there?
GOD: I'm God.
And you should not be questioning who I am. You should be worshiping me.
PLAYER 1: Forgive us, God.
PLAYER 2: Yes, we didn't know.
GOD: Well, now that you know, get on with it. Worship me.
PLAYER 1: All right.
PLAYER 2: Sure, right away. (THEY BEGIN TO WORSHIP)
JESUS:
(ENTERS, DRESSED CASUALLY) What's going on?
PLAYER 1: We're just worshiping God.
JESUS:
Nonsense!
PLAYER 2: Nonsense?
PLAYER 1: But, you can't talk like that. That's God.
JESUS:
I'm God.
PLAYER 2: You?
JESUS:
Yes, I'm Jesus.
PLAYER 2: Then who is that up there?
GOD: I'm God.
JESUS:
No, you're not. Come down from there. (GOD DESCENDS)
PLAYER 1: This is kinda confusing.
JESUS:
Get your stuff and get out of here.
GOD: But, I'm God.
JESUS: No, you're not. You're a false god. All the false gods they were talking about.
GOD: But ...
JESUS:
Out! (GOD EXITS TAKING LADDER AND PROPS)
PLAYER 1: Do you mean all those things we were saying about God were untrue?
JESUS:
You both have a pretty narrow view of me.
PLAYER 2: How do we find out about who you really are?
JESUS:
Just spend time with me.
PLAYER 1: That's too easy.
JESUS:
Not so easy, but worthwhile. Want to try?
PLAYER 2: Yeah.
PLAYER 1: You bet. (THEY ALL BEGIN TO EXIT)
JESUS:
Nightshirt and dopey grin, indeed.
PLAYER 1: Let me explain ...
