Father & Son
Drama
Lectionary Scenes
58 Vignettes For Cycle B
Theme
Marriage to a non-Christian -- what are the problems? The main problem is love and being unequally yoked.
Summary
Scott is serious about Lonnie and they want to get married, but Lonnie is not a Christian. Scott's dad talks to him about the problem of love, a very necessary ingredient in a marriage.
Playing Time
3 minutes
Setting
Scott's home
Props
Newspaper
Costumes
Contemporary, casual
Time
The present
Cast
SCOTT -- is in love
DAD -- Scott's Dad
SCOTT: (ENTERS. DAD IS READING THE PAPER) Hiya, Dad. How was your day?
DAD: Not bad. Nothing much out of the ordinary. How about you?
SCOTT: Oh boy, it was some day.
DAD: Well, it must have been. Something happen at track practice?
SCOTT: No. Track practice was a dream.
DAD: A dream. That's hard to believe.
SCOTT: A dream. Everything's a dream.
DAD: Are you okay?
SCOTT: Sure, Dad. I'm great.
DAD: You're talking funny.
SCOTT: Am I?
DAD: And you're acting funny. Now what is it?
SCOTT: Well, I'm in love.
DAD: Oh, no. Not again. Found a new girl, eh? Puppy love?
SCOTT: Woof, woof. No. This is real love this time.
DAD: The real thing, eh?
SCOTT: It's Lonnie, Dad. We really do love each other.
DAD: It's true love this time.
SCOTT: Yes, it is. It really is true love. And I know what you're going to say: "You're too young. You can't support a wife yet."
DAD: No, I wasn't going to say either of those things. But you said -- "wife."
SCOTT: I sure did. Lonnie and I have decided to get married. We've worked it all out, Dad. She has a great job at the telephone company and I'll finish my last year at school and then I'm sure to find a good job.
DAD: It sounds like you have worked it all out. That's good. What I was going to ask was if you had prayed about it.
SCOTT: Whoa now, Dad, that's not fair. You know Lonnie isn't a Christian.
DAD: I wasn't trying to be unfair. I'm sorry if it sounded that way. I guess I was just wondering if Lonnie had come around to the way you believe, that's all.
SCOTT: Dad, listen. I love Lonnie and she loves me. The religion part of it will have to be worked out.
DAD: Scott, don't you know it has to be "worked out" before marriage? What if it doesn't get "worked out" at all -- ever?
SCOTT: Trust me, Dad. Lonnie loves me. She'll come around. You'll see. The first thing is we have a lot of plans to make for the wedding.
DAD: Scott ...
SCOTT: Dad, wait. Don't quote scripture to me. I know it as well as you do. I know what you were going to say. "Don't be unequally yoked." Right?
DAD: I wasn't going to quote scripture because I know you know it as well as I do. But since you mentioned it, how about First John 4:7...?
SCOTT: ... and 8. I remember that. We used to sing it. (SINGING) "Beloved, let us love one another ..."
DAD: Whoa! That's enough.
SCOTT: You don't like my singing.
DAD: You're ready for a record contract.
SCOTT: (SINGING) "Beloved, let us love one another ..." Well, Lonnie and I love each other.
DAD: Of course you do. But it isn't the same kind of love.
SCOTT: Sure it is. I love her. She loves me. Love is love.
DAD: No. All love is not the same. You're a Christian.
SCOTT: I know. And Lonnie is not. We can handle that.
DAD: It's not something you have to handle like making out a budget. This is much more important than anything else you'll ever do together.
SCOTT: I know it's important, Dad.
DAD: Yes, I think you do, but I don't think you know that it's the most important thing that you can do for the success of your marriage.
SCOTT: The most important thing?
DAD: Yes, it is. As a Christian you have the Holy Spirit living in you and therefore you have a self-sacrificing love to give to Lonnie. And you have a love in you that can forgive anything she will ever do.
SCOTT: I do, and Lonnie has that kind of love for me.
DAD: Not if she's not a Christian, she doesn't.
SCOTT: She has forgiven me several times.
DAD: Now wait a minute, Scott. Don't you see? Lonnie doesn't have the love of God available to her so she cannot respond with that greater love that only God provides. She cannot return the love that you give her. She cannot forgive completely and she will never have her love need fulfilled.
SCOTT: In other words, you're saying that the Christian's love is better. Can't a person just work on it and get better at it?
DAD: Not really. God's love isn't our love increased to a greater degree. It's a Godly love and therefore a person can't attain it for herself. It's a characteristic of God that shines through us. God's love cannot shine through those who aren't submitted to God.
SCOTT: So, our love would be lopsided.
DAD: It really would. She would expect you to meet the love need in her life that only Jesus can fulfill. It would be frustrating for you and for her because she would be unfulfilled.
SCOTT: And you're saying I couldn't fulfill her love needs.
DAD: That's one thing that I'm saying. Only God can really love each one of us as we need to be loved -- unconditionally. We humans botch it up. We love selfishly sometimes.
SCOTT: I guess that's true.
DAD: Well, what do you think?
SCOTT: I think Lonnie and I have some more talking to do together.
DAD: Let's pray together first.
SCOTT: And then I could just tell Lonnie what you told me. Do you think she might understand?
DAD: She says she loves you. She just might understand. It's a place to start.
SCOTT: I'll do it. Thanks, Dad.
DAD: Sure. (SCOTT EXITS)
Marriage to a non-Christian -- what are the problems? The main problem is love and being unequally yoked.
Summary
Scott is serious about Lonnie and they want to get married, but Lonnie is not a Christian. Scott's dad talks to him about the problem of love, a very necessary ingredient in a marriage.
Playing Time
3 minutes
Setting
Scott's home
Props
Newspaper
Costumes
Contemporary, casual
Time
The present
Cast
SCOTT -- is in love
DAD -- Scott's Dad
SCOTT: (ENTERS. DAD IS READING THE PAPER) Hiya, Dad. How was your day?
DAD: Not bad. Nothing much out of the ordinary. How about you?
SCOTT: Oh boy, it was some day.
DAD: Well, it must have been. Something happen at track practice?
SCOTT: No. Track practice was a dream.
DAD: A dream. That's hard to believe.
SCOTT: A dream. Everything's a dream.
DAD: Are you okay?
SCOTT: Sure, Dad. I'm great.
DAD: You're talking funny.
SCOTT: Am I?
DAD: And you're acting funny. Now what is it?
SCOTT: Well, I'm in love.
DAD: Oh, no. Not again. Found a new girl, eh? Puppy love?
SCOTT: Woof, woof. No. This is real love this time.
DAD: The real thing, eh?
SCOTT: It's Lonnie, Dad. We really do love each other.
DAD: It's true love this time.
SCOTT: Yes, it is. It really is true love. And I know what you're going to say: "You're too young. You can't support a wife yet."
DAD: No, I wasn't going to say either of those things. But you said -- "wife."
SCOTT: I sure did. Lonnie and I have decided to get married. We've worked it all out, Dad. She has a great job at the telephone company and I'll finish my last year at school and then I'm sure to find a good job.
DAD: It sounds like you have worked it all out. That's good. What I was going to ask was if you had prayed about it.
SCOTT: Whoa now, Dad, that's not fair. You know Lonnie isn't a Christian.
DAD: I wasn't trying to be unfair. I'm sorry if it sounded that way. I guess I was just wondering if Lonnie had come around to the way you believe, that's all.
SCOTT: Dad, listen. I love Lonnie and she loves me. The religion part of it will have to be worked out.
DAD: Scott, don't you know it has to be "worked out" before marriage? What if it doesn't get "worked out" at all -- ever?
SCOTT: Trust me, Dad. Lonnie loves me. She'll come around. You'll see. The first thing is we have a lot of plans to make for the wedding.
DAD: Scott ...
SCOTT: Dad, wait. Don't quote scripture to me. I know it as well as you do. I know what you were going to say. "Don't be unequally yoked." Right?
DAD: I wasn't going to quote scripture because I know you know it as well as I do. But since you mentioned it, how about First John 4:7...?
SCOTT: ... and 8. I remember that. We used to sing it. (SINGING) "Beloved, let us love one another ..."
DAD: Whoa! That's enough.
SCOTT: You don't like my singing.
DAD: You're ready for a record contract.
SCOTT: (SINGING) "Beloved, let us love one another ..." Well, Lonnie and I love each other.
DAD: Of course you do. But it isn't the same kind of love.
SCOTT: Sure it is. I love her. She loves me. Love is love.
DAD: No. All love is not the same. You're a Christian.
SCOTT: I know. And Lonnie is not. We can handle that.
DAD: It's not something you have to handle like making out a budget. This is much more important than anything else you'll ever do together.
SCOTT: I know it's important, Dad.
DAD: Yes, I think you do, but I don't think you know that it's the most important thing that you can do for the success of your marriage.
SCOTT: The most important thing?
DAD: Yes, it is. As a Christian you have the Holy Spirit living in you and therefore you have a self-sacrificing love to give to Lonnie. And you have a love in you that can forgive anything she will ever do.
SCOTT: I do, and Lonnie has that kind of love for me.
DAD: Not if she's not a Christian, she doesn't.
SCOTT: She has forgiven me several times.
DAD: Now wait a minute, Scott. Don't you see? Lonnie doesn't have the love of God available to her so she cannot respond with that greater love that only God provides. She cannot return the love that you give her. She cannot forgive completely and she will never have her love need fulfilled.
SCOTT: In other words, you're saying that the Christian's love is better. Can't a person just work on it and get better at it?
DAD: Not really. God's love isn't our love increased to a greater degree. It's a Godly love and therefore a person can't attain it for herself. It's a characteristic of God that shines through us. God's love cannot shine through those who aren't submitted to God.
SCOTT: So, our love would be lopsided.
DAD: It really would. She would expect you to meet the love need in her life that only Jesus can fulfill. It would be frustrating for you and for her because she would be unfulfilled.
SCOTT: And you're saying I couldn't fulfill her love needs.
DAD: That's one thing that I'm saying. Only God can really love each one of us as we need to be loved -- unconditionally. We humans botch it up. We love selfishly sometimes.
SCOTT: I guess that's true.
DAD: Well, what do you think?
SCOTT: I think Lonnie and I have some more talking to do together.
DAD: Let's pray together first.
SCOTT: And then I could just tell Lonnie what you told me. Do you think she might understand?
DAD: She says she loves you. She just might understand. It's a place to start.
SCOTT: I'll do it. Thanks, Dad.
DAD: Sure. (SCOTT EXITS)
