SermonStudio

Theme

Christ is the head of the Church and must be honored and obeyed.

Summary

Christ's body, the Church, doesn't reject Him, but does something just about as bad -- rejecting His leadership in running the Church. A local church bickers over a new decision the pastor has made and learns they must be obedient to Christ as head of the Church.

Playing Time
4 minutes
Setting
The church
Props
None
Costumes
Costume pieces to indicate the time period -- a mixture of contemporary and twelfth century
Time
The twelfth century
Cast
DARIEN

WILL

MYRA

JILL


DARIEN: I'm not so sure what the pastor is doing is right.

MYRA: I have a kind of an uneasy feeling about it, myself.

WILL: Lord knows I don't have all the answers, but I don't think he does either.

JILL: What are you talking about? This is the best idea that our pastor has had.

MYRA: We all know where you're coming from. You agree with him because what he proposes just happens to touch on something you've been interested in for years. Who here hasn't heard you speak about the exact same thing the pastor spoke about? I know I certainly have.

JILL: I admit that I have spoken about this subject and maybe a lot.

DARIEN: I agree it's a necessary thing, but do you think the people in the congregation will support it?

MYRA: I say the timing is not right. That's evident. This country is in a recession and the people in this church are no different than anyone else in the country. We all have more important things on our minds, and they don't seem to be the same things the pastor is talking about.

WILL: Are you saying our pastor is a little out of touch?

JILL: Oh, grow up. You people are so self-seeking I can't believe it. The pastor comes up with a good idea and all you can do is try to tear it apart instead of trying to see how you might help him with it.

MYRA: Help him with it! Why should we help him? He's the pastor, isn't he? I don't ask him to do my job, do I? I pay him good money to do his job. When the church starts paying me, I'll help him do his.

DARIEN: I say, if there's some question about him doing his job, maybe it's time to start looking around for someone else to get the job done.

JILL: You people are all troublemakers.

WILL: My committee presented our needs to the elders a year ago and what has been done about them since then? Nothing, that's what.

DARIEN: It's the same old runaround I got last month. "We can't appropriate the money at this time, there are more pressing needs."

JILL: What could be a more pressing need than supporting our spiritual leader?

MYRA: Don't start with that super-spiritual stuff.

DARIEN: I'll tell you a more pressing need.

JILL: What's that?

DARIEN: More stained glass, that's what. We don't have enough stained glass. It's embarrassing.

JILL: Embarrassing?

DARIEN: That's what I said, embarrassing.

JILL: I'll tell you what's embarrassing -- listening to all of you talk.

MYRA: Well, if the pastor goes ahead with this wild scheme I'm just going to stay home.

JILL: Is that the way you're going to protest -- stay home?

MYRA: I've done it before. But I'm not protesting. I'm just staying home so I can be alone and pray for the pastor.

JILL: Right.

MYRA: Who's to say I'm not praying? Certainly not you.

JILL: Certainly not, but if you're praying so much, where's the result of all that praying?

MYRA: Well, we just don't see the results yet.

JILL: I guess not.

WILL: Well, it comes down to this, doesn't it -- whose church is it, anyway?

MYRA: Well, it's our church and we have to fight for it.

JILL: I can understand the church fighting. We are supposed to fight evil in all its forms but not fight each other.

DARIEN: I'm not so sure the pastor is one of us.

JILL: Oh, cut it out! Of course the pastor is one of us. Any Christian is one of "us." We are the church!

MYRA: But does he have our interests in mind? I have my doubts.

JILL: It's plain to see that you have doubts, but the church doesn't belong to us anyway.

DARIEN: You just said it did.

JILL: No, I said, we are the church. But the church belongs to Jesus. We are His body, aren't we?

WILL: And as the Body of Christ we are to each have a say in how the church is run.

DARIEN: Yes, that's right.

JILL: Wherever did you get that idea?

MYRA: It's the law. Everyone knows that.

JILL: Nonsense! If we are members of the Body, who are we to tell the head how to run his body?

WILL: I've heard that argument before, I can't remember where, but it's a good one. But you'd think the Lord would be a little more democratic, wouldn't you?

JILL: Why?

WILL: Oh, I don't know, it's just the way things are done, that's all.

JILL: In a kingdom there has to be a king. That's Jesus.

DARIEN: Then what are we in the kingdom?

JILL: In a kingdom there also has to be a "dom"!

MYRA: All right. I guess you'll never agree with us and we'll never agree with you.

DARIEN: And we'll never agree with the pastor on this subject.

JILL: What's so bad about it?

MYRA: It's not that. It's just that we have never done it before.

JILL: Well. I say let's try this new instrument in the church. It might turn out to be all right.

WILL: I don't even like the sound of its name; it sounds so mundane -- the "organ."

JILL: Well, we are all modern people. After all, this is the twelfth century, isn't it?