Nations On Trial
Sermon
Sermons On The Gospel Readings
Series II, Cycle A
Object:
A Readers' Theater for Five Voices
A few suggestions for staging this....
It probably makes sense for the minister to be Voice 1, and an "ordinary layperson" to be Voice 2. Voice 3 (Christ) is probably best read by a respected adult male, in order to avoid confusion or dissonance. When Voices 4 and 5 bring in quotes from news stories, other parts of scripture, and prominent contemporary thinkers, it may be helpful (or then again merely distracting!) to have these sources identified, either on cards that the speakers hold up, or on a projection screen if the congregation is so equipped. Source acknowledgments such as "News flash," "Theologians Gustavo Gutierrez and Ernesto Cardenal," "Economist Barbara Ward," "Ezekiel 34," "Luke 10" and so on should be sufficient. Voice 4, bringing contemporary stories as well as the witness of scripture, would be embodied especially effectively by a local broadcaster or news reporter. Because Voice 5 brings in the "outside expert" voice, it can be effective, if feasible, to assign this part to a college professor or other community authority, particularly if that person is not part of the immediate congregation (but is known to them). And do, of course, rehearse!
If you have a projection screen, and the time and technical expertise, this message could be greatly enhanced by the use of complementary visuals. For instance, in the opening reading from Matthew 25, project a world map; at the mention of the nations, bold the boundaries; and when it speaks of separating them, "burst" them apart from each other slightly. (Do not separate them into two groups -- that's God's job, not ours! Just spread them out a little from each other in their usual configuration.) This image can be brought back to the screen at appropriate intervals throughout the message, and at the conclusion.
Additionally, projecting images, particularly from current news, of human need and/or headline collages illustrating the topics under discussion (immigration, hunger, sickness, and the like) can powerfully enforce what the different voices are saying.
If the screen is used for images, it may be confusing to have Voice 4 and 5 attributions on the screen, unless the quoted words are also posted (or excerpted, in the case of longer accounts). If the screen is not used for attributions, the readers could hold up cards, or key lines could be printed in the service bulletin, with proper attribution, or the words could be allowed to stand on their own merit.
_________
1: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.1
2: The nations will be gathered?
1: The nations.
2: Not individuals?
1: Not individuals.
2: He will separate the nations? That's what it says?
1: That's what it says. The nations.
2: All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
1: Yes. The nations will be separated as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
2: Oh. The nations.
1: He will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand,
3: Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.
1: Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?" And the king will answer them,
3: Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.
2: How can a nation do that?
1: Then he will say to those at his left hand,
3: You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.
1: Then they also will answer, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?" Then he will answer them.2
4: In the spring of 2002, we spent two weeks in France. While in Paris, we dedicated a day to Notre Dame. We were awed by the grandeur of the cathedral. We spent the day snapping pictures, trudging up and down its steps, and listening in on the insights of tour guides. We were awed by the feats of engineering, physical design, and artisan skill that had gone into its creation ... but we were also awed by the number of Eastern European and Middle-Eastern beggars who roamed the cathedral's square competing with the pigeons for tourist handouts.
2: The strangers?
1: The strangers.
4: In fact, it wasn't possible to eat our picnic lunch in peace, because so many young women with nursing babies and toddlers approached us begging for money. Furthermore, it wasn't possible for me to make my way to the public toilets without being accosted by young boys and girls between the ages of five and twelve seeking money and food. They should have been in school, enjoying free lunches and educational opportunities, not spending their days in the dark, smelly washrooms. But of course, they weren't in France legally, and they needed all the help they could get.
2: Help from the nation?
1: From the nations.
4: Hungry, thirsty, a stranger, close to naked, and one petty crime away from incarceration, these children and young women working the crowd outside the hallowed halls of Notre Dame could not have embodied Jesus' mandate any better if they'd tried.3
2: They should have been in school. There should have been food and work. They shouldn't have had to leave their homelands for hope.
1: They needed all the help they could get.
2: So is France a goat? Are the countries they came from goats?
4: On the face of it, Elvira Arellano seems an unlikely fugitive from justice. A study in pink, the 31-year-old Mexican mom appears relaxed, if preoccupied, chatting on her cell phone in a shabby storefront church. For the past twelve days, the some-time cleaning worker has been at the center of a firestorm that has made headlines across the United States.
2: Hey, I think I've heard of her!
4: It began on August 15 [2006], when Arellano sought sanctuary in this community church rather than surrender to US immigration authorities to be deported back to her native Mexico. "It's been pretty difficult. I draw comfort from the people who drop in to pray for me and reassure me," said a wan and weary Arellano. "But I don't know how it will end. The immigration system is broken. Even President Bush recognizes that. If I could have come here legally, I would have, but I didn't have that option."4
3: I was a stranger and you did not welcome me (Matthew 25:43).
2: Does that make the US a goat?
4: The immigration system is broken. Even the president recognizes that. We need new options.
2: New options?
5: Different choices, which we'll only have with different structures.
2: Different structures?
5: We must avoid the pitfall of individual charity.5 That will never solve the injustices of this world. It may sometimes be all that is possible, but we need to start thinking about "collectivized charity: [about] a whole system where injustice no longer exists."6
2: A whole system?
1: All the nations will be gathered before him (Matthew 25:32a).
2: Including my nation.
1: Including your nation.
2: So I need to think about whether my nation feeds the hungry and cares for the thirsty.
5: And about why there are hungry and thirsty people in your nation.
2: Hm. Maybe because they're lazy?
5: Some of them. Laziness is often a name onlookers give to despair.
2: Why would anyone in this country be in despair? It's the land of opportunity!
5: If you start with some social, educational, or financial capital, yes. If there are doors of opportunity that you can see, that you can reach, and that you're equipped to go through. That's a lot of ifs.
2: So we're back to structures?
5: Charity alone can't create justice.
4: This message came to me from the Lord: "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of the nation. Give them this message from the sovereign Lord: What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn't shepherds feed their sheep? As surely as I live, says the sovereign Lord, you abandoned my flock and left them to be attacked by every wild animal. And though you were my shepherds, you didn't search for my sheep when they were lost. You took care of yourselves and left the sheep to starve. Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says to his people: I will judge between one animal of the flock and another, separating the sheep from the goats. Isn't it enough for you to keep the best of the pastures for yourselves? Must you also trample down the rest? Isn't it enough for you to drink clear water for yourselves? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: I will surely judge between the fat sheep and the scrawny sheep. For you fat sheep pushed and butted and crowded my sick and hungry flock until you scattered them to distant lands. So I will rescue my flock, and they will no longer be abused. I will judge between one animal of the flock and another" (Ezekiel 34:1-2, 8, 17-18, 20-22 NLT cf).
2: God will judge our country, our citizens, and our leaders because of inequality?
1: God will judge our country, our citizens, and our leaders because of inequality.
2: And as a member of my society and a citizen of a democracy I have some responsibility for this?
5: Christians are in a unique position. "Christians alone straddle the whole spectrum of rich nations, and therefore Christians are a lobby or can be a lobby of incomprehensible importance."7
2: That doesn't sound like the kind of Christian lobbying that's getting press right now.
3: I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me (Matthew 25:42-43).
1: Is that the kind of record you want for your country?
2: Well, that's hardly the whole story!
1: True. Are you asking what is the least we can do and still be sheep, not goats?
4: A lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him,
3: What is written in the law? What do you read there?
4: He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him,
3: You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.
4: But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied,
3: A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead ... Who, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers? (Luke 10:25-30, 36b cf).
2: The one who helped him.
5: "If we … come ultimately before our heavenly Father, and he says, 'Did you feed them, and did you give them to drink, did you clothe them, did you shelter them?' and we say, 'Sorry, Lord, but we did give 0.3% of our gross national product,' I don't think it will be enough."8
4: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27).
3: Do this, and you will live.
4: But the king will say to the nations on his left,
3: You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me (Matthew 25:41, 45b).
Amen.
_____________
1. Matthew 25:31-32 slightly altered to more accurately reflect the Greek. "He will separate people one from another" has been changed to "He will separate them (i.e. nations) one from another" because the Greek is autouv, which refers back to taeqnj; a different entity, such as touv anqrwpouv (people) is not introduced.
2. Matthew 25:32-45 altered only as noted in note 1.
3. Carter Shelley, response to Steve McCutchan's "Signs of Judgment on a Nation" in The Immediate Word online lectionary resource (CSS Publishing Company, Inc.) for November 20, 2005. Slightly altered and condensed. www.sermonsuite.com.
4. "Mexican Mom Defies Deportation in Bold US Immigration Standoff," South Asian Women's Forum News online article posted on August 27, 2006 to http://news.sawf.org/Lifestyle/19346.aspx. © AFP/File Tasos Katopodis. Slightly condensed.
5. Gustavo Gutiérrez, "A Theology of Liberation," cited in Robert McAfee Brown, Unexpected News: Reading the Bible with Third World Eyes (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1984), p. 134.
6. Ernesto Cardenal, "The Gospel in Solentiname," cited in Brown, Unexpected News, p. 135.
7. British economist Barbara Ward, in a speech to the World Council of Churches World Conference on Church and Society in 1966, quoted in Brown, Unexpected News, p. 141.
8. Ibid.
A few suggestions for staging this....
It probably makes sense for the minister to be Voice 1, and an "ordinary layperson" to be Voice 2. Voice 3 (Christ) is probably best read by a respected adult male, in order to avoid confusion or dissonance. When Voices 4 and 5 bring in quotes from news stories, other parts of scripture, and prominent contemporary thinkers, it may be helpful (or then again merely distracting!) to have these sources identified, either on cards that the speakers hold up, or on a projection screen if the congregation is so equipped. Source acknowledgments such as "News flash," "Theologians Gustavo Gutierrez and Ernesto Cardenal," "Economist Barbara Ward," "Ezekiel 34," "Luke 10" and so on should be sufficient. Voice 4, bringing contemporary stories as well as the witness of scripture, would be embodied especially effectively by a local broadcaster or news reporter. Because Voice 5 brings in the "outside expert" voice, it can be effective, if feasible, to assign this part to a college professor or other community authority, particularly if that person is not part of the immediate congregation (but is known to them). And do, of course, rehearse!
If you have a projection screen, and the time and technical expertise, this message could be greatly enhanced by the use of complementary visuals. For instance, in the opening reading from Matthew 25, project a world map; at the mention of the nations, bold the boundaries; and when it speaks of separating them, "burst" them apart from each other slightly. (Do not separate them into two groups -- that's God's job, not ours! Just spread them out a little from each other in their usual configuration.) This image can be brought back to the screen at appropriate intervals throughout the message, and at the conclusion.
Additionally, projecting images, particularly from current news, of human need and/or headline collages illustrating the topics under discussion (immigration, hunger, sickness, and the like) can powerfully enforce what the different voices are saying.
If the screen is used for images, it may be confusing to have Voice 4 and 5 attributions on the screen, unless the quoted words are also posted (or excerpted, in the case of longer accounts). If the screen is not used for attributions, the readers could hold up cards, or key lines could be printed in the service bulletin, with proper attribution, or the words could be allowed to stand on their own merit.
_________
1: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.1
2: The nations will be gathered?
1: The nations.
2: Not individuals?
1: Not individuals.
2: He will separate the nations? That's what it says?
1: That's what it says. The nations.
2: All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
1: Yes. The nations will be separated as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
2: Oh. The nations.
1: He will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand,
3: Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.
1: Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?" And the king will answer them,
3: Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.
2: How can a nation do that?
1: Then he will say to those at his left hand,
3: You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.
1: Then they also will answer, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?" Then he will answer them.2
4: In the spring of 2002, we spent two weeks in France. While in Paris, we dedicated a day to Notre Dame. We were awed by the grandeur of the cathedral. We spent the day snapping pictures, trudging up and down its steps, and listening in on the insights of tour guides. We were awed by the feats of engineering, physical design, and artisan skill that had gone into its creation ... but we were also awed by the number of Eastern European and Middle-Eastern beggars who roamed the cathedral's square competing with the pigeons for tourist handouts.
2: The strangers?
1: The strangers.
4: In fact, it wasn't possible to eat our picnic lunch in peace, because so many young women with nursing babies and toddlers approached us begging for money. Furthermore, it wasn't possible for me to make my way to the public toilets without being accosted by young boys and girls between the ages of five and twelve seeking money and food. They should have been in school, enjoying free lunches and educational opportunities, not spending their days in the dark, smelly washrooms. But of course, they weren't in France legally, and they needed all the help they could get.
2: Help from the nation?
1: From the nations.
4: Hungry, thirsty, a stranger, close to naked, and one petty crime away from incarceration, these children and young women working the crowd outside the hallowed halls of Notre Dame could not have embodied Jesus' mandate any better if they'd tried.3
2: They should have been in school. There should have been food and work. They shouldn't have had to leave their homelands for hope.
1: They needed all the help they could get.
2: So is France a goat? Are the countries they came from goats?
4: On the face of it, Elvira Arellano seems an unlikely fugitive from justice. A study in pink, the 31-year-old Mexican mom appears relaxed, if preoccupied, chatting on her cell phone in a shabby storefront church. For the past twelve days, the some-time cleaning worker has been at the center of a firestorm that has made headlines across the United States.
2: Hey, I think I've heard of her!
4: It began on August 15 [2006], when Arellano sought sanctuary in this community church rather than surrender to US immigration authorities to be deported back to her native Mexico. "It's been pretty difficult. I draw comfort from the people who drop in to pray for me and reassure me," said a wan and weary Arellano. "But I don't know how it will end. The immigration system is broken. Even President Bush recognizes that. If I could have come here legally, I would have, but I didn't have that option."4
3: I was a stranger and you did not welcome me (Matthew 25:43).
2: Does that make the US a goat?
4: The immigration system is broken. Even the president recognizes that. We need new options.
2: New options?
5: Different choices, which we'll only have with different structures.
2: Different structures?
5: We must avoid the pitfall of individual charity.5 That will never solve the injustices of this world. It may sometimes be all that is possible, but we need to start thinking about "collectivized charity: [about] a whole system where injustice no longer exists."6
2: A whole system?
1: All the nations will be gathered before him (Matthew 25:32a).
2: Including my nation.
1: Including your nation.
2: So I need to think about whether my nation feeds the hungry and cares for the thirsty.
5: And about why there are hungry and thirsty people in your nation.
2: Hm. Maybe because they're lazy?
5: Some of them. Laziness is often a name onlookers give to despair.
2: Why would anyone in this country be in despair? It's the land of opportunity!
5: If you start with some social, educational, or financial capital, yes. If there are doors of opportunity that you can see, that you can reach, and that you're equipped to go through. That's a lot of ifs.
2: So we're back to structures?
5: Charity alone can't create justice.
4: This message came to me from the Lord: "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of the nation. Give them this message from the sovereign Lord: What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn't shepherds feed their sheep? As surely as I live, says the sovereign Lord, you abandoned my flock and left them to be attacked by every wild animal. And though you were my shepherds, you didn't search for my sheep when they were lost. You took care of yourselves and left the sheep to starve. Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says to his people: I will judge between one animal of the flock and another, separating the sheep from the goats. Isn't it enough for you to keep the best of the pastures for yourselves? Must you also trample down the rest? Isn't it enough for you to drink clear water for yourselves? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: I will surely judge between the fat sheep and the scrawny sheep. For you fat sheep pushed and butted and crowded my sick and hungry flock until you scattered them to distant lands. So I will rescue my flock, and they will no longer be abused. I will judge between one animal of the flock and another" (Ezekiel 34:1-2, 8, 17-18, 20-22 NLT cf).
2: God will judge our country, our citizens, and our leaders because of inequality?
1: God will judge our country, our citizens, and our leaders because of inequality.
2: And as a member of my society and a citizen of a democracy I have some responsibility for this?
5: Christians are in a unique position. "Christians alone straddle the whole spectrum of rich nations, and therefore Christians are a lobby or can be a lobby of incomprehensible importance."7
2: That doesn't sound like the kind of Christian lobbying that's getting press right now.
3: I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me (Matthew 25:42-43).
1: Is that the kind of record you want for your country?
2: Well, that's hardly the whole story!
1: True. Are you asking what is the least we can do and still be sheep, not goats?
4: A lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him,
3: What is written in the law? What do you read there?
4: He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him,
3: You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.
4: But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied,
3: A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead ... Who, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers? (Luke 10:25-30, 36b cf).
2: The one who helped him.
5: "If we … come ultimately before our heavenly Father, and he says, 'Did you feed them, and did you give them to drink, did you clothe them, did you shelter them?' and we say, 'Sorry, Lord, but we did give 0.3% of our gross national product,' I don't think it will be enough."8
4: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27).
3: Do this, and you will live.
4: But the king will say to the nations on his left,
3: You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me (Matthew 25:41, 45b).
Amen.
_____________
1. Matthew 25:31-32 slightly altered to more accurately reflect the Greek. "He will separate people one from another" has been changed to "He will separate them (i.e. nations) one from another" because the Greek is autouv, which refers back to taeqnj; a different entity, such as touv anqrwpouv (people) is not introduced.
2. Matthew 25:32-45 altered only as noted in note 1.
3. Carter Shelley, response to Steve McCutchan's "Signs of Judgment on a Nation" in The Immediate Word online lectionary resource (CSS Publishing Company, Inc.) for November 20, 2005. Slightly altered and condensed. www.sermonsuite.com.
4. "Mexican Mom Defies Deportation in Bold US Immigration Standoff," South Asian Women's Forum News online article posted on August 27, 2006 to http://news.sawf.org/Lifestyle/19346.aspx. © AFP/File Tasos Katopodis. Slightly condensed.
5. Gustavo Gutiérrez, "A Theology of Liberation," cited in Robert McAfee Brown, Unexpected News: Reading the Bible with Third World Eyes (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1984), p. 134.
6. Ernesto Cardenal, "The Gospel in Solentiname," cited in Brown, Unexpected News, p. 135.
7. British economist Barbara Ward, in a speech to the World Council of Churches World Conference on Church and Society in 1966, quoted in Brown, Unexpected News, p. 141.
8. Ibid.
