Ok Creative Peoples. . .

Coming up in November, I am taking the youth group on a retreat. The theme is "Who is God?" and we wil focus on the different aspects of the Trinity and how they reveal the picture of who God is. On Saturday night the topic will be God the Son. Now the main aspect of God's nature that is going to come out of that is God's love manifested through Christ. Of course, for that to be true then who Jesus is has to be true, so I am planning on talking about C.S. Lewis's bit about Jesus being a liar, lunatic, or the real deal. As a way to introduce that I wanted to use a skit of some sort but I could not find one, so I wrote my own. Honestly, I am not sure how good it is, or more importantly how well it works. I would love to hear some of your opinions after you read over it. If you are signed up on blogger then leave a comment, if not then Please email me your thoughts

I was there

Jesus: (standing on chair, addressing the crowd): Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Forever he who ask receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened. I tell you the truth, whoever has my word and believe him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-just as the Father knows me and I know the Father-and I lay down my life for the sheep. The reason my father loves me is that I lay down my life-only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have the authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father. (steps down and exits)

Pharisee: (approaches from Stage right): I was there. I heard it all. Well not all of it, because I was to disgusted to keep listening, but I heard enough of Jesus preaching to know that he is nothing more than a charlatan. He is a liar to his very core. This Jesus of Nazareth travels the land, acting humble and pious. They say he can perform great miracles, but I do not believe it. Miracles are from God and this man must be from the devil, to make such odious lies against God. It is clear that he creates elaborate hoaxes just to get more followers, and more money I am sure. I am a Pharisee. I have devoted my life to understanding the books of God’s Law and the writings of his holy prophet. I know the prophets predict the coming of a Messiah, one will deliver Israel. This man is not it. The messiah will come as a glorious conqueror not as some roving vagabond magician. I have seen him with my own eyes and heard his lies with my ears. Jesus is a liar, I know I was there. (moves down stage right and freezes)


Doctor: (approaches from stage left): My diagnosis is accurate; I can assure you of that. I observed him with my own two eyes, I was there. I heard the story of this prophet, of this Jesus of Nazareth. I went down to the temple in Jerusalem to hear him myself. Delusions of Grandeur are what the young man suffers from. He is crazy, a raving lunatic. I once heard him say that if the temple was destroyed he would rebuild it in three days. Absurd! It took years to build the temple, everyone knows it would be impossible to even lay a foundation in three days! He is constantly talking as if God is actual Father. Even more this Jesus keeps insinuating that he is going to have to give his life up for some higher purpose. he is out of his mind. It is obvious that he suffers from some sort of massive inferiority complex, and he is compensating this by believing that he is chosen by God for some great task. Now I will give it to him, this Jesus fellow is remarkably charismatic. That is no doubt where the reports of all these miracles come from, he has seduced people into thinking they are healed. He is crazy and he has a following, and trust me that is a dangerous mix. Trust me I know, I was there. (steps back and freezes)

Woman: (approaches from stage left) I have seen him. The messiah! The chosen one of God! He is real and he is here! I know I was there! I am simple woman from a simple family. My sons work in the fields all day as I am constantly busy at home. Life has been so hard since my husband died in that accident a few years ago. With every passing day, I felt myself losing hope, losing life. Then I heard the stories about this man Jesus. I heard that he was doing amazing things. Making the blind to see, the lame to walk, the crippled to stand straight, he was taking broken people and making them whole. I thought maybe if I saw him, If I touched him, then maybe, just maybe I would be whole. The emptiness that has been feeling me since my husband’s death would leave. I thought he could heal me. I journeyed to hear him speak on the banks of the Sea of Galilee. I have never heard anyone talk like he did. I have heard the teachers of the law preach many times, and it often seemed like they were talking just to be heard, but Jesus was different. He talked as if he was the son of God, and that all who believes in him would have eternal life. I was not sure what to make of that, and then he looked at me. My eyes met with his, and I truly saw the face of God. I can not describe what I saw, other than say it was love. . true love. I believe right then and there that this Jesus was the Son of God, and I felt such joy and peace as I listened to him and believed in him that the emptiness in me disappeared. I have never felt so alive, so full. Jesus is my savior. I know this because I believe and I was there.

Pharisee: Jesus is a Liar,

Doctor: A lunatic

Woman: A savior

Pharisee: I know a lot of people have opinions about who Jesus is

Doctor: but you have to believe me

Woman: because you see

All: I was there.