SermonStudio

Prelude

Introit: "The Old Rugged Cross" verse 1

Call To Worship: Ephesians 2:4-5
L: But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich
in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in
transgressions -- it is by grace you have been saved.
P: Thanks be to God!

Hymn: "Amazing Grace"

Call To Prayer
L: The Lord be with you.
P: And also with you.
L: Let us pray.

Prayer Of Confession (In Unison)
Gracious Lord, we are overwhelmed by your love! We know that
by virtue of our many sins, we are not worthy to ask for your
forgiveness. But we also know that you died to set us free. So,
with the faith of children, we pray that you will wash our sins
away. Cleanse us precious Savior, and strengthen us, so that we
might live lives pleasing to you. We pray in the name of him who
died that we might live ...

The Lord's Prayer

The Psalter: Psalm 103:1-18
L: Bless the Lord, O my soul! and all that is within me,
bless God's holy name!
P: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all God's
benefits,
L: Who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your
diseases,
P: Who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you
with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as
long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
L: The Lord who works vindication and justice for all who
are oppressed, has made known God's ways to Moses, God's acts to
the people of Israel.
P: The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and
abounding in steadfast love.
L: The Lord will not always chide, nor harbor anger
forever.
P: The Lord does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
L: For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great
is the Lord's steadfast love toward the faithful;
P: As far as the east is from the west, so far does the
Lord remove our transgressions from us.
L: As a father shows compassion to his children, so the
Lord shows compassion to the faithful.
P: For the Lord knows our frame, and remembers that we
are dust.
L: As for mortals, their days are like grass; they
flourish like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it,
and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.
P: But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting
to everlasting upon the faithful, and the righteousness of the
Lord to children's children, to those who keep his covenant and
remember to do his commandments.

Gloria Patri

Old Testament Lesson: Psalm 86:1-13a

Anthem

Offering

Doxology

Hymn: "Jesus Keep Me Near The Cross"

Gospel Lesson: Luke 23:33-34a

Witness To The Word: "At The Foot Of The Cross"

Pastoral Prayer

Silent Prayer

Hymn: "Beneath The Cross Of Jesus"

Benediction

Postlude


Dialogue 6

At The Foot Of The Cross

CAST
Everyperson -- Male or female, modern dress, should be played by
the liturgist
Marcus -- Former Roman Centurion, period dress

NOTES
As this dialogue begins, Marcus should be seated in the
congregation or the choir loft. As the liturgist reads the Gospel
Lesson, Marcus stands and interrupts as soon as the words,
"Father, Father forgive them for they know not what they do," are
read. It would be best if Marcus could memorize his first few
lines. Once he arrives at the lectern, his lines may be read.
Production time is about 10 minutes.

Marcus (Interrupting the reading of the Gospel Lesson) Those
words echo in my ears to this day!

Everyperson: Excuse me, but I was trying to read the Gospel
Lesson for today.

Marcus: Yes, I know. I'm sorry, but those words, "Father forgive
them for they know not what they do," they were spoken of me.

Everyperson: They were spoken of all of us when we stray into the
paths of sin.

Marcus: No. You don't understand! I heard those words from
Christ's own lips!

Everyperson: Who are you?

Marcus: A sinner.

Everyperson: So are we all.

Marcus: But my sin is deeper and darker than any of yours!

Everyperson: We've all felt that way from time to time. What is
your name?

Marcus: My name is an abomination to this holy house, for it
echoes of my Roman heritage. I am called Marcus.

Everyperson: Now we're getting somewhere. You're a Roman then?

Marcus: Yes. I am a member of the race that ran rough shod over
much of the world during my life time. We plundered and killed as
though it were a sport. In our hubris, we were oblivious to the
destruction and the misery we caused. We were the lords of this
world by virtue of our bloody swords!

everyperson: It sounds as though you were a soldier Marcus.

Marcus: Yes. I was a vain and proud centurion, based in
Jerusalem. I would walk that city's streets feeling nothing but
contempt for its people. They seemed less than human to me,
creatures to be mocked and ground under my heel, especially the
followers of Jesus.

Everyperson: I see. Then you were in Jerusalem during the early
years of the church.

Marcus: And before there was a church. I saw its birth. I knew
its leader.

Everyperson: Wonderful! You actually knew Jesus?

Marcus: Yes and no.

Everyperson: What do you mean?

Marcus: I saw him. I heard of the miraculous healing he was
supposed to have done, the lives that he changed. I even think I
heard him speak once, as I stood guard at the city gate. But I
did not truly know him until I heard him say those words. They
cut through me like a sword, dividing me from myself, ripping me
in two. Those words changed my life forever!

Everyperson: What words?

Marcus: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

Everyperson: But Jesus said those words as he hung on the cross!
Were you at Golgotha, Marcus?

Marcus: Yes. I was there. I saw it all. You see, I was assigned
as a guard to the governor. I was there when Pilate questioned
Jesus. I saw it all, and yet I did not see!

Everyperson: I don't understand.

Marcus: I heard Jesus speak before his triumphal entry into the
city too, but the contempt that I felt toward him and his race
kept his words from reaching me. All I heard that day was the
babbling of a mad man, a mad man who was threatening to stir up
the people against Rome!

Everyperson: You saw Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem?

Marcus: Yes. I saw him ride into the city. I saw the people
gather around him, and throw their garments at his feet. I heard
them singing praises to him, and it filled my heart with rage!
Who was this carpenter's son that the people should praise him?
What battles had Jesus fought? What victories had he won? And
still the foolish rabble praised him! I wanted to kill him right
then and there, but our orders were clear. We were not to
interfere unless things got out of hand.

Everyperson: You hated him? Why?

Marcus: Because I feared him as I feared all revolutionaries. My
life depended on the welfare of the Roman Empire. Anything that
threatened Rome, threatened me.

Everyperson: But Jesus wasn't a revolutionary, at least not in
the way that you mean.

Marcus: Oh, I know that now, but I didn't then. All I saw then
was a hated leader of a foolish people. I saw a man who
threatened my security and my future! The truth was right before
my eyes, and I could not see it!

Everyperson: You shouldn't feel bad about that Marcus. If I
remember my Bible accurately, most of the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, Jew and Gentile alike, failed to recognize who Jesus
really was.

Marcus:Yes, but most of them did not see what I saw! The next
time that I saw Jesus was in the wee hours of Friday morning.
Caiaphas and the entire Sanhedrin had dragged him through the
city to Pilate's palace, to demand that the governor execute him.

Everyperson: You've seen so much, Marcus! What I wouldn't give to
have seen what you have seen!

Marcus: I would not wish my memories on anyone! They haunt me
relentlessly! How could I have been so blind?

Everyperson: Please, tell us about what happened at the
governor's palace. We've all read the biblical accounts, but it's
not the same as having an eye witness.

Marcus: Pilate was furious when they woke him up. Not many men
had the courage or the lack of judgment to summon Pilate from his
wife's arms. But then Caiaphas had more courage and less wisdom
than any man I ever met. The Sanhedrin demanded that the governor
come out to them because it was not proper for them to enter the
house of a Gentile. So Pilate came down the stone stairs and into
the courtyard, swearing under his breath all of the way. He
really hated Jerusalem and her people, but he hated Caiaphas most
of all!
Caiaphas and the others stood in the courtyard in a half
circle around Jesus. What a contrast! The members of the
Sanhedrin stood there in their fine robes, their fists raised to
the sky, yelling and wagging their heads. Jesus stood in the
midst of them, bleeding from the mouth, spit covered his robe,
but he was silent and serene. I remember thinking what an idiot
he was. There wasn't a hint of anger or fear in those dark eyes.
He didn't seem to have a clue about what they wanted to do to
him.
Pilate questioned Jesus for quite a while. He really wanted to
find a way to let him go, if for no other reason than to upset
Caiaphas. But Jesus just stood there silently, like a lamb before
the butcher!

Everyperson: Just the way Isaiah foretold! "He was oppressed and
he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a
lamb to the slaughter."

Marcus: Yes. He was exactly like that! He didn't have a chance! I
couldn't understand why he didn't at least try to defend himself.

Everyperson: If he had done that, the prophecy would not have
been fulfilled.

Marcus: I know that now, but at the time I only thought he was
being weak. So did my compatriots. That's why they gave him such
a beating before he was crucified. They made a crown of thorns,
and forced it down on his head. Then they put a royal purple robe
on him. They mocked him, and they beat him, saying, "Hail to thee
King of the Jews!" It was as though all of the hatred and
contempt that we felt toward the Jews was put into that beating!
They almost killed him!

Everyperson: No wonder you feel guilty! You actually beat Jesus?

Marcus: No. I didn't beat him, but I didn't stop it either.
Normally, I would have joined in, but as I raised my hands to
strike him, I made the mistake of looking into his eyes. It was
as though I was paralyzed. For a minute I couldn't even breathe,
but I turned away and shook the feeling off.

Everyperson: You felt his power!

Marcus: Yes. I suppose I did, but I turned away. You see, I was
assigned to the detail on Golgotha that day. It was there that my
real guilt lies. It was I who held him down while the workmen
pounded huge pointed spikes into his hands and his feet. I'd done
it a hundred times before. My heart was hardened to the cries of
pain that the prisoners usually gave as the spikes

tore into their flesh and separated their bones. But this time it
was different. Jesus didn't make a sound. I couldn't believe it!
I wanted to look at his face, to see if he felt the pain, but I
was afraid to. I had faced hundreds of men on the battlefield
without tasting fear, but this man's eyes made my blood run cold!
So I looked away, and when they had finished the grisly business,
I turned my back as they raised the cross up and dumped the foot
of it into an open hole.

Everyperson: If you had only looked into his eyes! There's no
telling what might have happened!

Marcus: That's what scared me, I think. I liked my life. I liked
the pride that I felt when I wore my uniform. I liked the feel of
my sword hanging at my side. I liked the sound it made when I
drew it on an enemy. I felt secure in my abilities as a soldier.
My life was just fine the way it was. I was afraid of what those
eyes would turn me into. So I watched the crowd instead. They
were so angry! Their hatred almost comforted me. I was familiar
with hate. I knew how to handle it, but at the foot of the cross
there were a few women crying. A young man stood near them. There
was such pain in their eyes. I had seen that look many times
before, but this time I found it upsetting. I didn't know why.

Everyperson: In the Bible it says that John and Mary Magdalene,
and Jesus' mother Mary were at the foot of the cross.

Marcus: They said that they were family. There weren't very many
of them, so I let them through.
That morning the sky was clear, but as the day wore on clouds
began to gather. The men who hung on either side of Jesus moaned
and cried, but Jesus was silent. Then, with blood dripping from
his hands and feet, he spoke. He did not cry out in pain, like
the others. Pity filled his voice. He called out in a sure,
strong voice, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they
do!"

I couldn't believe my ears! Forgive us? We had put him through
the worst the world could muster, and he was asking his father to
forgive us?
It was then that I looked up. He was looking down at me. Our
eyes met, and my soul was torn in two. There was such sadness in
his face, not for himself, but for me! Tears began to run down my
face. I was ashamed of this womanish behavior and tried to stop,
but the tears kept coming. I had killed him, and yet he forgave
me!
My life changed from that moment on. I could no longer fulfill
my duties as a soldier of Rome. I could no longer look down on
anyone, let alone hate them. I resigned my commission, and joined
Jesus' followers. And now I have come to you, to tell you my
story, so that you will know that no matter how heavy your sins
may be, Jesus will forgive you! If he could forgive me, he can
certainly forgive you!
There are no sins that his precious blood cannot wash away! I
know! As he gave his love to me, he longs to give it to you. So
please, lay the burden of your sins at the foot of the cross!
Reach out to him! Let his saving grace wash over you! His love is
stronger than any power on earth! Come to him! He loves you so
much that he let me hang him on a cross! Take ahold of his hand.
He will never let you go!