You Shall Be Holy
Drama
ThespianTheology
Lent/Easter
Me, be holy? Me, with all my horrid habits and stinky sins? I can't do that!
Of course you can't, my son. But with my help, all things are possible. Trust me!
But will I have to spend the rest of my life being a righteous ol' poop, Mr. Goody Two-Shoes?
Do I strike you as a "righteous ol' poop"?
Well, not exactly, Lord, but --
But you're afraid you'll have to give up some of the ways you've had fun in the past, aren't you? Well, maybe you will. But trust me: you'll have more wonderful fun being a Christian than you ever had being Sam Secular!
... And do you know what? He was right!
"I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete."
-- John 15:11
Cast
Narrator
Sam Secular
Paul
Props/Costumes
Sam Secular -- dictionary
(Narrator is at podium, stage left. Sam Secular is seated in the audience)
Narrator: The Lord tells us, "You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy." What exactly does this mean?
Sam Secular: (Stands up and comes to center stage, carrying dictionary) It means that all your religion is a fruitless exercise, a waste of time ... that's what it means!
Narrator: Excuse me?
Sam Secular: Sam Secular is the name; debunking religion is my game. Listen here ... (Opens up dictionary) Mr. Webster says: "Holy" means
belonging to, derived from, or associated with a divine power; sacred.
living according to a strict or highly moral religious or spiritual system: saintly.
... Folks, if that's what your God requires of you, this is all a fruitless exercise ... Face it, guys: You can't do it!
(Paul enters down the center aisle)
Paul: He's right, you know. You can't do it.
Sam Secular: Well, thank you for that, friend! But who might you be?
Paul: Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God ...
Sam Secular: You are Paul, the great apostle? And you're agreeing with me? ... Uh-oh, I think I'm gettin' set up here! What kind of religious hokey-pokey are you tryin' to pull on me here, bub?
Paul: No such thing, my brother. I'm simply saying that, on your own power and ability, you cannot be holy. But if you trust Christ, and lean on him, you can do all things -- including being holy.
Sam Secular: Oh, I thought so! You're just twisting things around -- but you're leading back to the same fruitless exercise: living according to a strict moral system. Unrealistic and impossible -- and not much fun, by the way!
Paul: Depends on what you call "fun," Sam. But we'll get to that later. (To audience) I want to tell you all something very important: "As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience."
Sam Secular: "Clothe yourselves," huh? Just like that? Put on a t-shirt that says, "Christian," and just be perfect. What a bunch of hogwash!
Paul: I didn't say anything about clothing, Sam. Wearing a "Jesus" t-shirt doesn't make me a Christian. What makes me a Christian is the decision to turn over my will to the Lord, ask Jesus into my life, and let his Holy Spirit fill me.
Sam Secular: Still sounds like a bunch of impractical religious hooey to me. How can I become "sacred" or "saintly"? I'm only human --
Paul: And so is every saint who has ever lived, Sam. We're all sinners redeemed by grace --
Sam Secular: "Sinners redeemed by grace." That's a facile phrase, Paul, and it rolls nicely off your tongue. But what does it mean?
Paul: It means that I have no righteousness or holiness in myself, Sam. My holiness comes not from what I am or what I do, but from what Jesus is -- the Son of God -- and what he did -- he died on the cross to redeem me from my sins.
Sam Secular: Hmmmm ... So what does it mean to be "holy," Paul?
Paul: It means to let God's Spirit clothe you -- fill you is another way to put it -- with his qualities:
´
compassion -- love others with the sacrificial love of Jesus;
´
kindness -- help others, even when it's not convenient to do so;
´
humility -- recognize that all you are and all you have come from God, not from yourself;
´
meekness -- consider the needs and concerns of others to be more important than your own; and
´
patience --atake a hurt or an insult without complaining or fighting back ... and always remember that you -- like every other Christian -- are a work in progress. God isn't finished with us yet.
Sam Secular: That's a tall order, Paul. I still say it can't be done.
Paul: On your own ability, power, charm, and good looks alone, it can't be done, Sam. But for the one whose power raised Jesus from the dead, redeeming a sinner like you and me is a walk in the park ... It happens every day, Sam!
Sam Secular: Really?
Paul: Two thousand years ago, it happened to a liar and murderer named Saul, who was on his way to torture and kill the Christians ... and it's still happening today.
Sam Secular: Hmmmm ... I must admit you've given me something to think about, Paul. Sam Saintly, the holy man: now, that'd be some piece of work! But where would I start?
Paul: You already started, Sam.
Sam Secular: I did?
Paul: Yes ... You admitted that you can't do it by yourself. Now, turn it over to Jesus!
Sam Secular: That's it?
Paul: That's it, Sam. Submit yourself to God. Trust him! He alone can turn Sam Secular into Sam Saintly.
Sam Secular: (Puts his arm around Paul, and they exit stage right) Sam Saintly ... It has a nice ring to it, huh? Let's talk some more about this holiness thing, Paul, okay? You say I can still have fun?
Paul: More fun than you're ever imagined, Sam. Eternal fun, in the presence of the one who invented fun!
Sam Secular: Sounds righteous!
(Sam and Paul exit, laughing)
Of course you can't, my son. But with my help, all things are possible. Trust me!
But will I have to spend the rest of my life being a righteous ol' poop, Mr. Goody Two-Shoes?
Do I strike you as a "righteous ol' poop"?
Well, not exactly, Lord, but --
But you're afraid you'll have to give up some of the ways you've had fun in the past, aren't you? Well, maybe you will. But trust me: you'll have more wonderful fun being a Christian than you ever had being Sam Secular!
... And do you know what? He was right!
"I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete."
-- John 15:11
Cast
Narrator
Sam Secular
Paul
Props/Costumes
Sam Secular -- dictionary
(Narrator is at podium, stage left. Sam Secular is seated in the audience)
Narrator: The Lord tells us, "You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy." What exactly does this mean?
Sam Secular: (Stands up and comes to center stage, carrying dictionary) It means that all your religion is a fruitless exercise, a waste of time ... that's what it means!
Narrator: Excuse me?
Sam Secular: Sam Secular is the name; debunking religion is my game. Listen here ... (Opens up dictionary) Mr. Webster says: "Holy" means
belonging to, derived from, or associated with a divine power; sacred.
living according to a strict or highly moral religious or spiritual system: saintly.
... Folks, if that's what your God requires of you, this is all a fruitless exercise ... Face it, guys: You can't do it!
(Paul enters down the center aisle)
Paul: He's right, you know. You can't do it.
Sam Secular: Well, thank you for that, friend! But who might you be?
Paul: Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God ...
Sam Secular: You are Paul, the great apostle? And you're agreeing with me? ... Uh-oh, I think I'm gettin' set up here! What kind of religious hokey-pokey are you tryin' to pull on me here, bub?
Paul: No such thing, my brother. I'm simply saying that, on your own power and ability, you cannot be holy. But if you trust Christ, and lean on him, you can do all things -- including being holy.
Sam Secular: Oh, I thought so! You're just twisting things around -- but you're leading back to the same fruitless exercise: living according to a strict moral system. Unrealistic and impossible -- and not much fun, by the way!
Paul: Depends on what you call "fun," Sam. But we'll get to that later. (To audience) I want to tell you all something very important: "As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience."
Sam Secular: "Clothe yourselves," huh? Just like that? Put on a t-shirt that says, "Christian," and just be perfect. What a bunch of hogwash!
Paul: I didn't say anything about clothing, Sam. Wearing a "Jesus" t-shirt doesn't make me a Christian. What makes me a Christian is the decision to turn over my will to the Lord, ask Jesus into my life, and let his Holy Spirit fill me.
Sam Secular: Still sounds like a bunch of impractical religious hooey to me. How can I become "sacred" or "saintly"? I'm only human --
Paul: And so is every saint who has ever lived, Sam. We're all sinners redeemed by grace --
Sam Secular: "Sinners redeemed by grace." That's a facile phrase, Paul, and it rolls nicely off your tongue. But what does it mean?
Paul: It means that I have no righteousness or holiness in myself, Sam. My holiness comes not from what I am or what I do, but from what Jesus is -- the Son of God -- and what he did -- he died on the cross to redeem me from my sins.
Sam Secular: Hmmmm ... So what does it mean to be "holy," Paul?
Paul: It means to let God's Spirit clothe you -- fill you is another way to put it -- with his qualities:
´
compassion -- love others with the sacrificial love of Jesus;
´
kindness -- help others, even when it's not convenient to do so;
´
humility -- recognize that all you are and all you have come from God, not from yourself;
´
meekness -- consider the needs and concerns of others to be more important than your own; and
´
patience --atake a hurt or an insult without complaining or fighting back ... and always remember that you -- like every other Christian -- are a work in progress. God isn't finished with us yet.
Sam Secular: That's a tall order, Paul. I still say it can't be done.
Paul: On your own ability, power, charm, and good looks alone, it can't be done, Sam. But for the one whose power raised Jesus from the dead, redeeming a sinner like you and me is a walk in the park ... It happens every day, Sam!
Sam Secular: Really?
Paul: Two thousand years ago, it happened to a liar and murderer named Saul, who was on his way to torture and kill the Christians ... and it's still happening today.
Sam Secular: Hmmmm ... I must admit you've given me something to think about, Paul. Sam Saintly, the holy man: now, that'd be some piece of work! But where would I start?
Paul: You already started, Sam.
Sam Secular: I did?
Paul: Yes ... You admitted that you can't do it by yourself. Now, turn it over to Jesus!
Sam Secular: That's it?
Paul: That's it, Sam. Submit yourself to God. Trust him! He alone can turn Sam Secular into Sam Saintly.
Sam Secular: (Puts his arm around Paul, and they exit stage right) Sam Saintly ... It has a nice ring to it, huh? Let's talk some more about this holiness thing, Paul, okay? You say I can still have fun?
Paul: More fun than you're ever imagined, Sam. Eternal fun, in the presence of the one who invented fun!
Sam Secular: Sounds righteous!
(Sam and Paul exit, laughing)
