Leaping Off the Page: Easter, Mother's and Father's Day Edition
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Leaping Off the Page
Easter, Mother’s and Father’s Day Edition
A collection of plays, stories, and poems
for use in church programs
By L. Ruth Carter
Copyright 2013 by L. Ruth Carter
License Notes
Thank you for downloading this ebook. It is the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied, and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes.
The material may not be performed in a public forum.
For information on how to purchase performance rights and printable documents,
please visit the author’s website:
l-ruth-carter.com.
It’s not painful. I promise.
Thank you for your support.
~~~~
Table of Contents
Exalt the King
Palms
Hosanna!
The Bitter Cup
Oh What a Day
O Glorious Day
—Good Friday
—Resurrection Sunday
Were You There?
—Monologs:
…--when they crucified myLord?
…--when they nailed him to the tree?
…--when the sun refused to shine?
…--when they laid him in the tomb?
…--when he rose up from the grave?
—Litanies:
—The Suffering Servant
—We Were There
—Poems:
—God Was There
—Ode to Resurrection Joy
—Participation: Ceremony of the Cross
—Service Outlines:
—Double Service for Good Friday and Easter
—Single Service
Undiscovered Genius
To Be a Dad
Children’s Easter Recitations
Children’s Mother’s Day Recitations
Children’s Father’s Day Recitations
About the Author
Previously Published
Purchasing Production Kits
Also Available
—Leaping Off the Page: Christmas Edition
—Leaping Off the Page: Any Time Edition
—Any Time Sample
~~~~
Exalt the King
A Litany for Palm Sunday
SONG SUGGESTIONS: Majesty; All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
Call to Worship: (Zechariah 9:9)
“Rejoice! Rejoice!
Rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud your praises, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Look, your King is coming—He’s coming to you.
He is just and merciful, He is here to save you.
He is humble, riding on a donkey, riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
SONG: Hosanna! (Yes, there are several songs with this title. Any of them would work.)
A Litany of Praise (Psalm 118:1; Isaiah 62:10-11, Psalm 118:14-29)
Leader: Oh, give thanks to the Lord, give thanks to the Lord our God, for He is good! His mercy endures forever.
Women: Go through, go through the gates!
All: His mercy endures forever.
Men: Prepare the way, prepare the way for the people.
All: His mercy endures forever.
Women: Build up, build up the highway!
All: His mercy endures forever.
Men: Lift a banner high, lift it up for all the people!
All: His mercy endures forever.
Leader: For the Lord has proclaimed even to the ends of the earth:
Women: “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Look, see, your salvation is surely coming; Look, see, His reward comes with Him, Look, see, His work comes before Him.’”
SONG: All Hail King Jesus
Leader: The Lord is my strength, the Lord is my song. He has become my salvation.
Men: The voice of rejoicing and salvation is heard in the homes of the righteous;
Women: The right hand of the Lord is mighty.
Men: The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
All: The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
Women: I shall not die. I shall live and declare the works of the Lord.
Men: The Lord has humbled, yes, He has rebuked me, but He hasn’t handed me over to death.
Leader: Open up the gates of righteousness for me. I will walk through them,
All: And I will praise the Lord.
SONG: How Majestic Is Your Name
Leader: This is the gate of the Lord, the gate through which the righteous shall enter.
All: I will praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my salvation.
MEN : The stone the builders rejected has now become the chief cornerstone.
Women: This is what the Lord has done. How marvelous it is to us!
All: This is the day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Leader: Save us now, O God, I pray. Grant us your riches, Your blessing, for You want nothing but good for us.
All: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
SONG: He Is Exalted
Leader: The Lord, He is God. He has given us light. Bring the sacrifice to the altar.
Women: O God, You are my God, and I will praise You;
Men: O God, You are my God, and I will exalt You.
Leader: Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
All: For His mercy endures forever.
SONG: I Exalt Thee
~~~~
Palms
A comedic sketch for four people: Palm Sunday
Cast: Four friends—all of whom are 8-10 years old. May be performed by people of any age—just don’t make it “cute”.
Kim (Tim): A gentle soul, earnest and kind. Tries very hard but doesn’t always make it. Prop: palm branches.
Sophie (Stevie): The smallest and youngest member of the group. She’s (he’s) the smart one. Prop: large book.
Betty: Seems to enjoy stirring things up. Could be a bit of a bully. Prop: large ball.
Tiffany: Doesn’t always understand things, but that’s okay, because she is very pretty. Props: mirror, comb and hair accessories.
Scene
The sketch could take place anywhere children congregate: school yard at recess, school lunch room, neighbourhood sidewalk, one of their homes, etc.
Sophie and Tiffany enter. Sophie is trying to show Tiffany an interesting fact in a book. Tiffany isn’t interested. She’s too busy combing her hair. They move to the down stage corner farthest from the entrance. Betty enters, bouncing ball. Bounces to the other two who ignore her. Bounces in a huff to the other down stage corner. Kim enters with palm branches and goes to center stage.
Kim: (Happy) We’re having a special service at church on Sunday.
Sophie: We sure are. It’s Triumphal Entry Sunday.
Tiffany: Huh?
Sophie: Commonly known as Palm Sunday.
Betty: Palm Sunday?
Kim: That’s right. Palm Sunday. (Waving branches) A celebration.
Betty: You mean a party? With games and prizes and ice cream and stuff?
Tiffany: What’s Palm Sunday?
Sophie: It’s very exciting. It’s when Jesus—
Betty: What’s so exciting about hands?
Kim: (Confused) Hands? What hands?
Sophie: —when Jesus rode into Jerusalem—
Tiffany: (Claps her hands with palms flat and fingers spread out) Oh, goodie. Hands. I like clapping my hands. Especially when
my nails (waving her hands) are frosted cherry.
Kim: Frosted cherry?
Sophie: —riding on a donkey.
Tiffany: Donkeys are cute. They wear little straw hats with flowers on them.
Betty: Donkeys! Yuck! Hands, donkeys. What’s donkeys got to do with clapping hands?
Kim: Hands? Oh, you mean palms!
Betty: That’s right. Hands. When do we get to clap? You having a rock star? Can I come?
Kim: (Patiently) Not a rock star. A King.
Betty: A king! Wow!
Tiffany: I saw a donkey at the park once. His name was Petunia.
Betty: Wow! I’d clap for a king! Let’s hear it for the hands!
Kim: Not hands. Palms.
Betty: You know, you don’t make a lot of sense. Hand-palms.
Sophie: Jesus came into Jerusalem on a donkey and the children—
Betty: Children! Children, donkeys, hand-palms. What is this?
Kim: Not hand palms. Tree palms.
Betty: Tree-palms. This kid is nuts!
Kim: (Desperately) Palm trees.
Sophie: The children threw palm branches on the road in front of Jesus and the donkey.
Betty: They did? How weird.
Tiffany: Petunia had a pink flower in his hat.
Kim: It wasn’t weird. It’s what they did back then.
Betty: How come?
Kim: They were celebrating.
Betty: (Nodding) A party.
Kim: No, no. Not quite—
Betty: See? Weird. Who celebrates by throwing branches on the road? Celebrating what?
Sophie: They shouted that Jesus was King.
Betty: A king. So where’s this king? Is he at your church? Can I see him? When can I see him?
Kim: (Waving the fronds) They used the palm branches to make a pathway for the donkey to ride on.
Sophie: That was to show honour to the King.
Tiffany: How pretty! Like rose petals?
Kim: Well, sort of…
Sophie: Or a red carpet.
Kim: Then they threw their clothes in front of the donkey.
Tiffany: (Eyes wide) They did?
Betty: (Horrified) Clothes? You mean they took their clothes off?
Kim: Well, not all of them.
Sophie: Just their cloaks.
Betty: Cloaks.
Sophie: Kind of like jackets.
Kim: And they shouted, “Hosanna to the King!”
Betty: (Threateningly) Hosanna?
Kim: To the King.
Betty: This story keeps getting weirder and weirder. (Raises voice) What’s hosanna?
Sophie: (Pedantically) From the Hebrew yaw-shah, meaning to be open, wide or free. Or, by implication, to be safe. And naw, a participle of incitement or entreaty, usually rendered “I pray.”
Kim, Tiffany, Betty: (Together) Huh?
Sophie: It means “save us”.
Betty: (Rolling eyes) Well, why didn’t you say so?
Tiffany: Why didn’t they say “save us” instead of hose—hose—
Kim: Hosanna.
Tiffany: Yeah, that.
Kim: Because that’s the language they were speaking.
Sophie: “Hosanna” was also used as a cry of welcome and rejoicing.
Tiffany: Like clapping. I’m going to come. I think I’ll go home and do my nails again. I want to look my very best. (Exits)
Betty: Nails! Yuck! Well, you talked me into it. I’ll be there, too. (Nose to nose with Kim) And you better make sure the king is there! (Exits, speaking as she goes) Oh, boy, celebration! Games and prizes and kings and stuff. (Out. Pops her head back in) He’d better be there! (Definitely gone.)
Kim: Oh, He’ll be there all right. (Nodding with Sophie) He’s always there.
~~~~
Hosanna
An alphabet poem
Performance suggestions: Have seven children, one for each letter and couplet. An eighth child could have the exclamation point, but it’s not essential. They hold up their letters and say their couplets. If you don’t have the eighth child, they can all say the last couplet in unison. An option is to have other children wave palm branches and shout out the letter to precede each couplet. If you only have seven (or eight) children and want them to wave palm branches, pin the letters to their fronts and have them step forward to say their piece.
H
Happy children lined the streets
And waved their palm leaves high
O
Old and young, they offered praise
As Jesus rode on by
S
Shouting, singing, they hailed Him
And proclaimed Him as their King
A
Adoring Him, they raised their hands
And let their praises ring
N
Nothing could dim their joy that day
As their hearts poured out their love
N
Nothing could stop their songs of hope
As their cheers rang up above
A
Alleluia, sing hosanna,
Our King comes through the gate
!
Alleluia, sing hosanna,
Our King has come to save
~~~~
The Bitter Cup
A Monodrama
Cast:
Narrator: This person will introduce the monologue.
Salome: The mother of John and James, disciples of Jesus. The wife of Zebedee. A follower of Jesus, she was present at the cross and encountered the risen Christ in the garden. She had great ambitions for her sons.
Props and costume: Mortar and pestle with some herbs and spices. Cloves are good—they have a nice aroma as they are being crushed. A large basket already filled with funeral spices (wrapped in a cloth so you don’t have to worry about getting the real thing) can be ready for Salome to take with her, to which she will add the cloves. Keep the costume simple: a long skirt and shawl. Have a scarf for Salome to put on as she exits.
Scene: We are in a modest home in Jerusalem where some of the women followers of Jesus have been staying. It is very early Sunday morning following the death of Jesus Christ. The room should be sparsely furnished with a table canted centre stage, a bench next to it and possibly another table or bar with a few dishes up right or up left.
Narrator:
Four women. Four women, just like you and me. None of them were famed for their beauty, intelligence or talent. They were plain, simple people. Just like you and me. And yet they are named in the Gospels as the women who saw the Risen Christ. They were the first to see Jesus after He conquered death. They were the first charged with the message, “He is alive”. Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Salome and the other Mary. Who were they? We don’t have a lot of information about them, but we can imagine. In this monologue, I will introduce Salome to you. We do know she was the mother of John and James. Some scholars speculate she may have been sister to Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Have you ever wondered how the followers of Jesus felt during those two days following the crucifixion? Have you ever wondered how they dealt with their grief? Let’s take a look at Salome. It is early Sunday morning. She is preparing to take spices to the tomb to anoint the body of her Master. Maybe this is what she thought.
Salome:
(Salome enters, moving heavily) So this is the cup. The bitter cup of sorrow he was about to drink.
(Crying out) I want nothing of it. Do you hear me? Nothing!
(Staring into nothing, shrinking from the memory) It’s a horror beyond my worst nightmare.
I’ve seen death before. (She is thinking of people she’s known—her father, her daughter, a sister, a neighbour) The fisherman who never returned. The child lost to fever. The young woman dead in childbirth. The traveler, attacked by thieves.
And in this land ruled by foreign tyrants, I’ve seen executions before. The air of Palestine reeks with the stench of spilled blood.
Yes, I’ve seen death before.
But this. This was the death of Jesus! Innocent of any crime, he taught us the ways of God. He brought us healing, life, love, hope!
Crucified on a whim. (Crying out) Where was the justice, God? Where was the right? (A new thought) And where were You? He claimed You as Father! Where were You? Were You there when He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you deserted me?” He died. The sun darkened. The earth shook. All nature cried out. He died. Where were you? Were you there?
The bitter cup. A desolation. A criminal’s death of shame. He was the Messiah. He could have been King. Should have been King. He is dead. He cannot be first now. He must be last. His death ended all hope. There will be no Kingdom. He is last, he who could have been King.
And my boys, James and John? They should have been right there beside him. I even asked him, “Put my sons on your right and on your left when you come into your kingdom.” They are good boys. I wanted the best for them. It’s what every mother wants for her sons.
(Shaking her head) I could never understand Jesus. He spoke in riddles. He replied, “If you want to be a ruler, you must first become a slave.”
A slave. That’s all we have ever known! We are slaves to the Romans who lord it over us. Slaves to the Sanhedrin, the toadies of Rome. I want better than that for my sons. How can a slave be a king? It can’t happen. A slave can’t be king. The last can’t be first.
That was something else he said. “The first shall be last. The last shall be first.” He talked like that all the time. I could never understand him.
I don’t understand him. (A grieving) He let them take him. He was King, the Messiah. He didn’t have to die like that.
Those other times—when the elders came to kill him—he walked away. It was like he melted through the crowd. Those evil men couldn’t touch him. The time was not complete, Jesus said, for the prophecies to be fulfilled. (Beat. Puzzled) What prophecies?
When they came this time, why did he let them take him? When he stood before his accusers, why did he say nothing? Like a sheep, he was! A sheep who says nothing. Like a lamb, mute before its shearers. (Slows down as it hits her) A lamb. Mute before its shearers. Like the prophecy! Could that be the prophecy he meant? Was Isaiah talking about the Messiah? (She slowly works it out) What else did he say? I am no scholar. I do not easily remember these—wait! I have it! “He was wounded.” Yes, “he was wounded for”—what was it? “For our transgressions”! Oh, my God! Is this the Messiah? Is this Jesus? “He was bruised for our iniquities”? Jesus was bruised. The nails were driven savagely into his hands and feet. The spear ripped his side. He was wounded. Was all that pain, that anguish, for our sins?
There’s more. It’s coming back to me. “The punishment of our sin is upon him.” Could that be? He chose that death? He let them arrest him? He allowed the nails, the cross, (eyes wide, a whisper) that soul-destroying despair? He did that for me? He took the punishment meant for me? (On a breath) Ohhh! Oh, my Jesus, my Lord Jesus!