Courage
Drama
Watch And Pray
Meditations In Dramatic Form For The Season Of Lent
1 - WATCH AND PRAY.
2 - These are the words of our Savior to his disciples as he went to pray in the garden. It was the night he was betrayed to his enemies.
3 - WATCH AND PRAY.
4 - This has been our call to you this season of Lent as we have reflected once again upon that final week Christ walked the earth.
5 - WATCH AND PRAY.
6 - We have spoken of many things we need to follow Christ.
7 - We need self-knowledge, to identify ourselves as children of God who need not fear physical loss.
8 - We need daily repentance, to confess our own shortcomings lest we judge our neighbors.
9 - We need to grow in faith to become sturdy and strong so that at maturity our faith will bear good gifts to help others grow.
10 - We need patience, not to rush the will of God and to let his plan work in due season.
11 - And we need discipline to remain faithful and keep God's covenant.
12 - But now we are in the midst of Holy Week.
13 - It is the week we commemorate the darkest deeds in human history.
14 - This past Sunday, we celebrated Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
15 - Hosannas ring out.
16 - "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" shouted the people.
17 - But Jesus quietly rode through the crowd, sitting on a young donkey.
18 - How many of these people would later call for Jesus' death?
19 - Their cries of "Hosanna!" turned to angry shouts of "Crucify him!"
20 - What would Jesus have been thinking that day?
21 - Did Jesus know he would die by the end of the week?
22 - How did the Son of God face that knowledge as people sang his praises?
23 - The only way any of us face unbearable circumstances: with courage.
24 - WATCH AND PRAY.
25 - On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus told his disciples no less than three times that he was going to die.
26 - But the disciples were not able to understand.
27 - As far as they were concerned, they were simply going to Jerusalem for the Passover festival.
28 - They were looking forward to eating the meal and hearing the story of the first Passover.
29 - A reading from the book of Exodus.
The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Egypt: "This month is to be the first month of the year for you. Give these instructions to the whole community of Israel: On the tenth day of this month each man must choose either a lamb or a young goat for his household. If his family is too small to eat a whole animal, he and his next-door neighbor may share an animal, in proportion to the number of people and the amount that each person can eat. You may choose either a sheep or a goat, but it must be a one-year-old male without any defects. Then, on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, the whole community of Israel will kill the animals. The people are to take some of the blood and put it on the doorposts and above the doors of the houses in which the animals are to be eaten. That night the meat is to be roasted, and eaten with bitter herbs and with bread made without yeast. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled, but eat it roasted whole including the head, the legs, and the internal organs. You must not leave any of it until morning; if any is left over, it must be burned. You are to eat it quickly, for you are to be dressed for travel, with your sandals on your feet and your walking stick in hand. It is the Passover festival to honor me, the Lord.
"On that night I will go through the land of Egypt, killing every firstborn male, both human and animal, and punishing all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood on the doorposts will be a sign to mark the houses in which you live. When Isee the blood, I will pass over you and will not harm you when I punish the Egyptians. You must celebrate this day as a religious festival to remind you of what I, the Lord, have done. Celebrate it for all time to come."
Here ends the reading.
30 - The Passover, then, is a festival of remembering.
31 - The Israelites were to remember their slavery in Egypt.
32 - More importantly, they were to remember the miraculous way in which God delivered them out of slavery.
33 - Passover was a time to look back at the courage of their ancestors.
34 - It was only the hope of a better life that gave the Israelites the courage to brave the wilderness.
35 - Perhaps this was the memory that made Jesus desire to celebrate the Passover one last time.
36 - Maybe even Christ needed this memory, this hope, to give him the courage he needed to face his coming suffering.
37 - WATCH AND PRAY.
38 - A reading from the letter to the Hebrews.
Remember how it was with you in the past. In those days, after God's light had shone on you, you suffered many things, yet were not defeated by the struggle. You were at times publicly insulted and mistreated and at other times you were ready to join those who were being treated in this way. You shared the sufferings of prisoners, and when all your belongings were seized, you endured your loss gladly, because you knew that you possessed something much better, which would last forever. Do not lose your courage, then, because it brings with it a great reward. You need to be patient, in order to do the will of God and receive what he promises. For, as the scripture says, "Just a little while longer, and he who is coming will come; he will not delay. My righteous people, however, will believe and live; but if any of them turns back, I will not be pleased with him."
We are not people who turn back and are lost. Instead, we have faith and are saved.
Here ends the reading.
39 - We are not people who turn back and are lost.
40 - There were any number of times for Jesus to turn back.
41 - From the tempting in the desert to his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, he had a choice to stop what he was doing.
42 - But he would not turn back.
43 - He did not lose his courage and he received a great reward.
44 - At first glance, it seems Jesus' reward was a cross.
45 - But Jesus also had patience to do God's will.
46 - And he endured the suffering to achieve the greatest reward:
47 - eternal life.
48 - Not only for himself,
49 - but for all people.
50 - WATCH AND PRAY.
51 - A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark.
52 - GLORY TO YOU, O LORD.
53 - On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the day the lambs for the Passover meal were killed, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and get the Passover meal ready for you?"
Then Jesus sent two of them with these instructions: "Go into the city, and a man carrying ajar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house he enters, and say to the owner of the house: 'The Teacher says, "Where is the room where my disciples and I will eat the Passover meal?" ' Then he will show you a large upstairs room, fixed up and furnished, where you will get everything ready for us."
The disciples left, went to the city, and found everything just as Jesus had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.
When it was evening, Jesus came with the twelve disciples. While they were at the table eating, Jesus said, "I tell you that one of you will betray me - one who is eating with me."
The disciples were upset and began to ask him, one after the other, "Surely you don't mean me, do you?"
Jesus answered, "It will be one of you twelve, one who dips his bread in the dish with me. The Son of Man will die as the Scriptures say he will; but how terrible for that man who will betray the Son of Man! It would have been better for that man if he had never been born!"
While they were eating, Jesus took a piece of bread, gave a prayer of thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. "Take it," he said, "this is my body."
Then he took a cup, gave thanks to God, and handed it to them; and they all drank from it. Jesus said, "This is my blood which is poured out for many, my blood which seals God's covenant. I tell you, I will never again drink this wine until the day I drink the new wine in the Kingdom of God."
Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
The Gospel of the Lord.
54 - PRAISE TO YOU, O CHRIST.
55 - This is the night we commemorate the betrayal of Christ.
56 - Jesus instituted a sacramental meal to remember this night.
57 - It is easy to forget the suffering this meal represents.
58 - But soon after the meal was eaten, Jesus was handed over to his enemies,
59 - betrayed in the garden by one of his closest friends.
60 - And Peter, the rock upon which Christ would build his church, vowed he would never deny Jesus.
61 - But within 24 hours, he was weeping bitterly over having done exactly that.
62 - The questioning, the beating, the humiliation,
63 - and finally, the cross.
64 - The body, broken on a cross, given for us.
65 - The blood flowing from undeserved wounds, shed for us.
66 - It is a courageous act to eat this bread and to drink from this cup.
67 - Let us claim this courage and join together for this holy meal.
68 - WATCH AND PRAY.
69 - As we touch the cross.
2 - These are the words of our Savior to his disciples as he went to pray in the garden. It was the night he was betrayed to his enemies.
3 - WATCH AND PRAY.
4 - This has been our call to you this season of Lent as we have reflected once again upon that final week Christ walked the earth.
5 - WATCH AND PRAY.
6 - We have spoken of many things we need to follow Christ.
7 - We need self-knowledge, to identify ourselves as children of God who need not fear physical loss.
8 - We need daily repentance, to confess our own shortcomings lest we judge our neighbors.
9 - We need to grow in faith to become sturdy and strong so that at maturity our faith will bear good gifts to help others grow.
10 - We need patience, not to rush the will of God and to let his plan work in due season.
11 - And we need discipline to remain faithful and keep God's covenant.
12 - But now we are in the midst of Holy Week.
13 - It is the week we commemorate the darkest deeds in human history.
14 - This past Sunday, we celebrated Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
15 - Hosannas ring out.
16 - "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" shouted the people.
17 - But Jesus quietly rode through the crowd, sitting on a young donkey.
18 - How many of these people would later call for Jesus' death?
19 - Their cries of "Hosanna!" turned to angry shouts of "Crucify him!"
20 - What would Jesus have been thinking that day?
21 - Did Jesus know he would die by the end of the week?
22 - How did the Son of God face that knowledge as people sang his praises?
23 - The only way any of us face unbearable circumstances: with courage.
24 - WATCH AND PRAY.
25 - On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus told his disciples no less than three times that he was going to die.
26 - But the disciples were not able to understand.
27 - As far as they were concerned, they were simply going to Jerusalem for the Passover festival.
28 - They were looking forward to eating the meal and hearing the story of the first Passover.
29 - A reading from the book of Exodus.
The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Egypt: "This month is to be the first month of the year for you. Give these instructions to the whole community of Israel: On the tenth day of this month each man must choose either a lamb or a young goat for his household. If his family is too small to eat a whole animal, he and his next-door neighbor may share an animal, in proportion to the number of people and the amount that each person can eat. You may choose either a sheep or a goat, but it must be a one-year-old male without any defects. Then, on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, the whole community of Israel will kill the animals. The people are to take some of the blood and put it on the doorposts and above the doors of the houses in which the animals are to be eaten. That night the meat is to be roasted, and eaten with bitter herbs and with bread made without yeast. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled, but eat it roasted whole including the head, the legs, and the internal organs. You must not leave any of it until morning; if any is left over, it must be burned. You are to eat it quickly, for you are to be dressed for travel, with your sandals on your feet and your walking stick in hand. It is the Passover festival to honor me, the Lord.
"On that night I will go through the land of Egypt, killing every firstborn male, both human and animal, and punishing all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood on the doorposts will be a sign to mark the houses in which you live. When Isee the blood, I will pass over you and will not harm you when I punish the Egyptians. You must celebrate this day as a religious festival to remind you of what I, the Lord, have done. Celebrate it for all time to come."
Here ends the reading.
30 - The Passover, then, is a festival of remembering.
31 - The Israelites were to remember their slavery in Egypt.
32 - More importantly, they were to remember the miraculous way in which God delivered them out of slavery.
33 - Passover was a time to look back at the courage of their ancestors.
34 - It was only the hope of a better life that gave the Israelites the courage to brave the wilderness.
35 - Perhaps this was the memory that made Jesus desire to celebrate the Passover one last time.
36 - Maybe even Christ needed this memory, this hope, to give him the courage he needed to face his coming suffering.
37 - WATCH AND PRAY.
38 - A reading from the letter to the Hebrews.
Remember how it was with you in the past. In those days, after God's light had shone on you, you suffered many things, yet were not defeated by the struggle. You were at times publicly insulted and mistreated and at other times you were ready to join those who were being treated in this way. You shared the sufferings of prisoners, and when all your belongings were seized, you endured your loss gladly, because you knew that you possessed something much better, which would last forever. Do not lose your courage, then, because it brings with it a great reward. You need to be patient, in order to do the will of God and receive what he promises. For, as the scripture says, "Just a little while longer, and he who is coming will come; he will not delay. My righteous people, however, will believe and live; but if any of them turns back, I will not be pleased with him."
We are not people who turn back and are lost. Instead, we have faith and are saved.
Here ends the reading.
39 - We are not people who turn back and are lost.
40 - There were any number of times for Jesus to turn back.
41 - From the tempting in the desert to his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, he had a choice to stop what he was doing.
42 - But he would not turn back.
43 - He did not lose his courage and he received a great reward.
44 - At first glance, it seems Jesus' reward was a cross.
45 - But Jesus also had patience to do God's will.
46 - And he endured the suffering to achieve the greatest reward:
47 - eternal life.
48 - Not only for himself,
49 - but for all people.
50 - WATCH AND PRAY.
51 - A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark.
52 - GLORY TO YOU, O LORD.
53 - On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the day the lambs for the Passover meal were killed, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and get the Passover meal ready for you?"
Then Jesus sent two of them with these instructions: "Go into the city, and a man carrying ajar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house he enters, and say to the owner of the house: 'The Teacher says, "Where is the room where my disciples and I will eat the Passover meal?" ' Then he will show you a large upstairs room, fixed up and furnished, where you will get everything ready for us."
The disciples left, went to the city, and found everything just as Jesus had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.
When it was evening, Jesus came with the twelve disciples. While they were at the table eating, Jesus said, "I tell you that one of you will betray me - one who is eating with me."
The disciples were upset and began to ask him, one after the other, "Surely you don't mean me, do you?"
Jesus answered, "It will be one of you twelve, one who dips his bread in the dish with me. The Son of Man will die as the Scriptures say he will; but how terrible for that man who will betray the Son of Man! It would have been better for that man if he had never been born!"
While they were eating, Jesus took a piece of bread, gave a prayer of thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. "Take it," he said, "this is my body."
Then he took a cup, gave thanks to God, and handed it to them; and they all drank from it. Jesus said, "This is my blood which is poured out for many, my blood which seals God's covenant. I tell you, I will never again drink this wine until the day I drink the new wine in the Kingdom of God."
Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
The Gospel of the Lord.
54 - PRAISE TO YOU, O CHRIST.
55 - This is the night we commemorate the betrayal of Christ.
56 - Jesus instituted a sacramental meal to remember this night.
57 - It is easy to forget the suffering this meal represents.
58 - But soon after the meal was eaten, Jesus was handed over to his enemies,
59 - betrayed in the garden by one of his closest friends.
60 - And Peter, the rock upon which Christ would build his church, vowed he would never deny Jesus.
61 - But within 24 hours, he was weeping bitterly over having done exactly that.
62 - The questioning, the beating, the humiliation,
63 - and finally, the cross.
64 - The body, broken on a cross, given for us.
65 - The blood flowing from undeserved wounds, shed for us.
66 - It is a courageous act to eat this bread and to drink from this cup.
67 - Let us claim this courage and join together for this holy meal.
68 - WATCH AND PRAY.
69 - As we touch the cross.
