God's Voice
Drama
Lectionary Scenes
58 Vignettes For Cycle B
Theme
How do we distinguish God's voice from all the clutter we hear every day? There are a few who will hear.
Summary
A crowd is gathered to hear Jesus teach. But what a crowd. Among the believers are the pragmatists, the skeptics, and the non-believers.
Playing Time
4 minutes
Setting
Holy Land
Props
Wheat grain, flowerpot with soil
Costumes
Period costume for Jesus, modern for crowd
Time
The time of Jesus
Cast
JESUS
SOMAN -- a face in the crowd
BUNO -- another face in the same crowd
GARNA -- a doubting face
NAMAS -- the last face
GOD'S VOICE
(SOMAN, NAMAS, GARNA AND BUNO ENTER.)
SOMAN: Well, here we are.
NAMAS: Jesus will be here soon.
GARNA: What if he doesn't show up?
SOMAN: We'll have wasted a whole day. We could have been buying and selling.
BUNO: I don't have a lot of time to waste here, you know.
GARNA: I'll bet he doesn't show.
NAMAS: He'll be here. And it'll be worthwhile. What he has to say is always so inspiring.
BUNO: Here he comes now. (JESUS ENTERS, CARRYING A FLOWERPOT)
SOMAN: What's that he's carrying?
BUNO: Looks like a flowerpot to me.
GARNA: What? A flowerpot? What's he have that for?
NAMAS: It'll be a good teaching, I'll bet.
JESUS: The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified and exalted. I want you to understand this. (HOLDING UP GRAIN OF WHEAT) Do you see this grain of wheat? It's not going to produce more wheat as it is, is it? The only possible way it can do that is to be planted. (PLANTING GRAIN OF WHEAT IN THE SOIL IN THE POT) When it's planted in the earth it dies, right? And then and only then can it grow and then we could have a lot of wheat from this one little seed.
Anyone who loves his life, as it is, will lose it; and the person who despises his life as it is in this world can exchange that life for eternal glory. If anyone wants to serve me, he must continue to follow me; for my servants must be where I am. If a person follows me, the Father will honor that person. Now my soul is troubled and distressed; and what shall I say -- Father, save me from this time of trial and agony? That is the very reason I came here. Rather, I will say, Father, glorify and honor your own name.
GOD: I have already done this and I will do it again.
(JESUS EXITS)
SOMAN: (LOOKING AT THE SKY) Do you think it's gonna rain?
BUNO: Did you hear that thunder? Sounds like a gully-washer for sure.
GARNA: What are you two talking about?
SOMAN: Didn't you hear that thunder?
GARNA: You're kidding, right?
BUNO: No. There was a loud clap of thunder.
GARNA: Well, I didn't hear it.
SOMAN: Well, there was thunder. And that means it's gonna rain.
BUNO: Thunder means a storm. That's for sure.
GARNA: You two are crazy. That's for sure.
SOMAN: Now, tell the truth, didn't you hear anything?
GARNA: I didn't hear any thunder.
NAMAS: (SUPER-SPIRITUALIZING) I heard something, but I think it was an angel that spoke to him.
BUNO: A what?
NAMAS: An angel. I'd swear it was an angel.
GARNA: You're crazier than they are.
SOMAN: An angel, eh? That's a good one. An angel.
GARNA: I didn't hear anything.
BUNO: We know. You told us.
SOMAN: There are no such things as angels. Where do you people get that stuff?
NAMAS: There are so angels. I saw one once.
SOMAN: You probably see a lot of things, don't you?
NAMAS: No, not a lot.
BUNO: But you see things.
GARNA: I didn't see anything. And I didn't hear any ...
BUNO: You didn't hear anything. We know.
SOMAN: Well, since you heard an angel, what did the angel say?
NAMAS: I couldn't hear what he said. I just heard something.
BUNO: What a waste of time.
NAMAS: No. It's not a waste of time.
BUNO: What did Jesus say?
SOMAN: I don't remember. (EXITS)
BUNO: I heard thunder. It's going to rain. It's going to rain and I won't get my work done. I've wasted a whole day out here. (EXITS)
NAMAS: You must have heard it.
GARNA: Did you really hear something?
NAMAS: Yes, yes, I did.
GARNA: Well, I didn't.
NAMAS: I did. It was beautiful. An angel. I heard an angel.
GARNA: Well, I missed the thunder. I missed the angel. But what did Jesus say? I missed that too.
NAMAS: I don't remember, exactly. But I heard an angel. (THEY EXIT)
How do we distinguish God's voice from all the clutter we hear every day? There are a few who will hear.
Summary
A crowd is gathered to hear Jesus teach. But what a crowd. Among the believers are the pragmatists, the skeptics, and the non-believers.
Playing Time
4 minutes
Setting
Holy Land
Props
Wheat grain, flowerpot with soil
Costumes
Period costume for Jesus, modern for crowd
Time
The time of Jesus
Cast
JESUS
SOMAN -- a face in the crowd
BUNO -- another face in the same crowd
GARNA -- a doubting face
NAMAS -- the last face
GOD'S VOICE
(SOMAN, NAMAS, GARNA AND BUNO ENTER.)
SOMAN: Well, here we are.
NAMAS: Jesus will be here soon.
GARNA: What if he doesn't show up?
SOMAN: We'll have wasted a whole day. We could have been buying and selling.
BUNO: I don't have a lot of time to waste here, you know.
GARNA: I'll bet he doesn't show.
NAMAS: He'll be here. And it'll be worthwhile. What he has to say is always so inspiring.
BUNO: Here he comes now. (JESUS ENTERS, CARRYING A FLOWERPOT)
SOMAN: What's that he's carrying?
BUNO: Looks like a flowerpot to me.
GARNA: What? A flowerpot? What's he have that for?
NAMAS: It'll be a good teaching, I'll bet.
JESUS: The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified and exalted. I want you to understand this. (HOLDING UP GRAIN OF WHEAT) Do you see this grain of wheat? It's not going to produce more wheat as it is, is it? The only possible way it can do that is to be planted. (PLANTING GRAIN OF WHEAT IN THE SOIL IN THE POT) When it's planted in the earth it dies, right? And then and only then can it grow and then we could have a lot of wheat from this one little seed.
Anyone who loves his life, as it is, will lose it; and the person who despises his life as it is in this world can exchange that life for eternal glory. If anyone wants to serve me, he must continue to follow me; for my servants must be where I am. If a person follows me, the Father will honor that person. Now my soul is troubled and distressed; and what shall I say -- Father, save me from this time of trial and agony? That is the very reason I came here. Rather, I will say, Father, glorify and honor your own name.
GOD: I have already done this and I will do it again.
(JESUS EXITS)
SOMAN: (LOOKING AT THE SKY) Do you think it's gonna rain?
BUNO: Did you hear that thunder? Sounds like a gully-washer for sure.
GARNA: What are you two talking about?
SOMAN: Didn't you hear that thunder?
GARNA: You're kidding, right?
BUNO: No. There was a loud clap of thunder.
GARNA: Well, I didn't hear it.
SOMAN: Well, there was thunder. And that means it's gonna rain.
BUNO: Thunder means a storm. That's for sure.
GARNA: You two are crazy. That's for sure.
SOMAN: Now, tell the truth, didn't you hear anything?
GARNA: I didn't hear any thunder.
NAMAS: (SUPER-SPIRITUALIZING) I heard something, but I think it was an angel that spoke to him.
BUNO: A what?
NAMAS: An angel. I'd swear it was an angel.
GARNA: You're crazier than they are.
SOMAN: An angel, eh? That's a good one. An angel.
GARNA: I didn't hear anything.
BUNO: We know. You told us.
SOMAN: There are no such things as angels. Where do you people get that stuff?
NAMAS: There are so angels. I saw one once.
SOMAN: You probably see a lot of things, don't you?
NAMAS: No, not a lot.
BUNO: But you see things.
GARNA: I didn't see anything. And I didn't hear any ...
BUNO: You didn't hear anything. We know.
SOMAN: Well, since you heard an angel, what did the angel say?
NAMAS: I couldn't hear what he said. I just heard something.
BUNO: What a waste of time.
NAMAS: No. It's not a waste of time.
BUNO: What did Jesus say?
SOMAN: I don't remember. (EXITS)
BUNO: I heard thunder. It's going to rain. It's going to rain and I won't get my work done. I've wasted a whole day out here. (EXITS)
NAMAS: You must have heard it.
GARNA: Did you really hear something?
NAMAS: Yes, yes, I did.
GARNA: Well, I didn't.
NAMAS: I did. It was beautiful. An angel. I heard an angel.
GARNA: Well, I missed the thunder. I missed the angel. But what did Jesus say? I missed that too.
NAMAS: I don't remember, exactly. But I heard an angel. (THEY EXIT)
