The Next 10 Short Christian
Plays
Volume 4 brings to life 1 Peter 2:1 and the 1st Five
Beatitudes
William Kritlow
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2011 William Kritlow
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Additional Permissions: If you purchase a copy for each cast member each play may be presented at least three times within a year from purchase of the cast member copies. If you have any questions or concerns about this, email: wkritlow@socal.rr.com
Cover Art by Sally Truong: sally@inkit-printing.com
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Table of Contents
Short Plays in support of 1 Peter 2:1
Alice
Meets Malice
Alice is a young,
successful teacher who is up for the prestigeous Teacher of the Year
award. Although she doesn’t expect to get it, Margo Pritchard,
wife of a school board member, has declared she won’t get it.
Margo holds a long standing grudge that she won’t let
go.
Illustrates 1 Peter 2:1:
Wherefore laying aside all
malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and
envies, and all evil speakings
Purified
in the Furnace
It’s come time to sell
their 60 year old church and John and Harvey come together to make
the plans. During that meeting we find out why the church has
failed.
Illustrates 1 Peter 2:1:
Wherefore laying aside all
malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all
evil speakings
Closing
up The
Bung Hole
16-year
old Albert’s been arrested for shoplifting. His father, a deacon,
would prefer that things would get worked out with the authorities so
that Albert could be released quickly. He would prefer no one at the
church know about this. Albert, on the other hand believes it might
be best to take his medicine.
Illustrates 1 Peter 2:1:
Wherefore
laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and
envies, and all evil speakings
Green
Ghosts
Pastor Hank, head of Harborview
megachurch, has passed. The Pastor Search Committee has finally made
their choice and Pastor John, 2nd in command, finds out that he’s
not it. He’s also being asked to help the new pastor, Pastor Hanks
inexperienced son, succeed. Will he?
Illustrates 1 Peter 2:1:
Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and
hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings
License
to Kill
Let’s take a little
walk around down with Bernie Blunt. He’s a cheerful fellow who
leaves anything but cheer in his wake.
Illustrates 1 Peter 2:1:
Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and
hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings
Short Plays in support of the first five beatitudes
Spirit
Poor - Heaven Rich
Windfree
Portal is being considered for a high mangement position at the Hog
Heaven Meat Company, but is he truly the man for the job?
Illustrates
Matthew 5:3:
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
Mourning
Do
Simms
Harper is the pastor at a growing, but economically strapped church.
In the past, he’d inherited a piece of property and wants to sell
it to help himself and his church survive. His sister, though, owns
it with him, and refuses to consider selling - the property will be
worth far more later. What can he do?
Illustrates
Matthew 5:4
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be
comforted.
No
Need to Speak
Joan
Major has discovered an 8-year old girl whose foster parent is a Meth
user. What makes matters worse is the mother is strung out on the
stuff, Child Protective Services won’t help, her contact at Child
Services doesn’t have time to help, and in a half hour Meth Mother
and child will get into a car and head into traffic to what Joan sees
a certain death.
Illustrates Matthew 5:5
Matthew 5:5 - Blessed
are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Hunger
and Thirst
Over
6 months ago Missionary Hanson Weeks disappeared into the jungle to
face danger from which only God could protect him. Now his raspy,
hunger scarred voice comes over a mission radio asking for help, but
not for himself.
Illustrates Matthew
5:6
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after
righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Mercy
The
LiveAway Christian Boarding School has been in existence for over a
century and all that time there’s been a precious prayer nook,
donated by one of the founding students. Now one of the students has
taken a pick axe to it - destroying it. The head mistress wants to
throw her out, but one of the teachers believes the situation calls
for mercy. Is she right?
Illustrates Matthew 5:7
Blessed are
the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
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This is the 4th volume of 10 short plays and like the others, they were written to be part of a worship service. We use them just before the sermon to bring the message alive to the congregation and prepare them to hear it; show the congregation how the message translates into their everyday lives. These scriptural illustrations collect the congregation's attention before the sermon and focuses it forward.
This volume centers on two scriptural
references, 1 Peter 2:1: Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all
guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings and the
first five beatitudes: Matthew 5:
3Blessed are
the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed
are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5Blessed
are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6Blessed
are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they
shall be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful: for they
shall obtain mercy.
In the short play format, I tried to be as thoughtful in my interpretation as I could, but also present the scriptural truths as interestingly as possible. Give me a shout at wkritlow@socal.rr.com with comments. I value them.
The dramas can generally be presented with two or three actors, with minimum sets and no scenery, which makes producing them easy. Also, the plays are written with gender specific roles, but they can be cast anyway you want.
These plays can also act as templates for your own imaginations. I strongly believe that a drama ministry is important to a church. These plays give you an idea of what worked for us, which should encourage you to create your own short plays, plays that may be more meaningful and appropriate in your church that these may be.
With your purchase of this ebook, I give you permission to put the plays on as often as you like for a year from the purchase date.
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Five Short Plays that illustrate the admonitions in 1 Peter 2:1
The next Five Short Plays illustrate 1 Peter 2:1 “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings.” Wouldn’t it be neat to actually live a life free of all this. I can’t tell you how often, especially with all the tension permiating the air today - terrorists, anti-Christian rhetoric, attacks on our country’s heritage and roots. I have to keep going back to this simple truth: God is in control and I should be trusting Him to use me as He likes - use me in ways He’s prepared for me.
Alice
Meets Malice
A short play by William Kritlow
© 2011
Kritlow
Cast:
Alice - in her twenties
Margo - in her
40s or 50s
1 Peter 2:1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
Set: Chair and small table upon which Alice works.
At Rise: Alice, in her twenties, works correcting papers. There’s a knock at the door.
Alice: It’s open.
Margo enters.
Margo: Alice McConnell, I’m Margo Pritchard. I didn’t expect to just be told to enter. I expected to meet you at the door.
Alice: I’m grading papers. If I got up for any reason, I’d never go back to it.
Margo: You don’t like grading papers.
Alice: I never finish a stack of them and still feel much like a teacher.
Margo: So, your students aren’t the best?
Alice: They’re as good as any, I guess. Now, who are you Margo Pritchard - Pritchard. I know that name.
Margo: And where do you know it from?
Alice: Not sure. Why don’t you just tell me?
Margo: You probably have heard of my husband, Alan Pritchard - on the school board.
Alice: I know him, sort of, we’ve met at a meeting or two - actually, a meeting. The one about upgrading cafeteria menus. I liked what he had to say, I think. It’s been a couple years. We both wanted that food provider who worked with the Whole Foods -
Margo: It was too expensive.
Alice: Budgets are important, too. So, Mrs. Pritchard, what can I do for you?
Margo: You’re up for the district’s teacher of the year.
Alice: I am. There are four of us. And three of them are far more deserving of the award than I am. Mr. Hardesty, for instance, he’s got that scholarship winner. And Mrs. Lion works with those special needs kids - heroic woman.
Margo: But you have your points, as well. Your classes consistently score high on the placement tests, the students love you, and those who don’t, shouldn’t. Parents love you - we’ve had several write real letters to the board. Not just emails - I hate emails - I’m always misunderstood in them. Don’t like being misunderstood. That’s why I’m here - to speak to you in person.
Alice: I really don’t teach for the awards. It’s really for the money and prestige - after all, those who can, teach, and those who can’t, do. Or is that, those who can’t go into politics. I’m never sure of that one.
Margo: (concern) You’re well compensated. Surely you don’t want a raise, not during these economic times.
Alice: It was just a little joke. That’s why the students love me - I’m funny. I often just stop and laugh and point at them.
Margo: I’m here to speak of serious matters.
Alice: I’m getting the feeling.
Margo: The board will vote for Teach of the Year tomorrow evening. That portion of the meeting will be closed.
Alice: And?
Margo: You will lose.
Alice: I will.
Margo: If I have anything to say about it, yes.
Alice: But you don’t.
Margo: Don’t be foolish. I’m the wife of a member of the board. I am - influential.
Alice: I’m getting the sense that you don’t like me.
Margo: It’s important for me to know that when one of the other three teachers is victorious, that you know you would have been, except for me.
Alice: I would have been?
Margo: As of last night you had the award.
Alice: Did they hold like a straw pole?
Margo: And you captured the long one. But I couldn’t allow that vote to stand. So I went to work, and as of right now, you will lose.
Alice: Did you want Whole Foods? Did I upset an apple cart somewhere? How could you not like me? I don’t even know you. Do I? Did I spit up on you as a baby? On your wedding dress or something? I’m a warm little fuzz-ball of a person.
Margo: It has nothing to do with you, really.
Alice: You’re kidding.
Margo: It has to do with your mother.
Alice: Mom? My mother? My late mother? My late mother who loved everyone, who was a warmer fuzz-ball than I ever was. That mother?
Margo: Yes.
Alice: What did my late mother, my mother who died of breast cancer, do to you?
Margo: She married your father.
Alice: My dad was your boyfriend or something? Did he throw you over for my mom? They only dated for a few weeks before they married, so I suppose that could have happened. Anyway, it’s probably not the way it looks. He probably just got to know you a little bit.
Margo: No, I never met your father.