God First
Drama
VOICES
Six Dialogues And Orders Of Service For Lent
Prelude
Introit: "Seek Ye First" verse 1
Call To Worship: Exodus 20:2-3
L: I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the
land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, Thou shalt have no
other Gods before me.
P: Praise be to God!
Hymn: "All Hail The Power Of Jesus' Name"
Call To Prayer
L: The Lord be with you.
P: And also with you.
L: Let us pray.
Prayer Of Confession (In Unison)
Almighty God, we call ourselves your people, and yet all too
often we let worldly gods come before you in our lives. The gods
of this world have such tempting voices, and we are weak. Help us
to turn our backs on gods like comfort and vanity. Forgive us,
and help us to live lives that reflect your redeeming grace. We
pray in the name of your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, who taught
us to pray ...
The Lord's Prayer (In Unison)
The Psalter: Psalm 19:7-14
L: The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul;
P: The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the
simple;
L: The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the
heart;
P: The ordinances of the Lord are true, and righteous
altogether.
L: More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine
gold;
P: Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the
honeycomb.
L: Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping
them there is great reward.
P: But who can understand one's own errors? Clear me from
hidden faults.
L: Also keep your servant from the insolent; let them not
have dominion over me!
P: Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great
transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my
redeemer.
Gloria Patri
Old Testament Lesson: 1 Samuel 7:3-4
Anthem
Offering
Doxology
Hymn: "Spirit Of God Descend Upon My Heart"
Gospel Lesson: Luke 18:18-24
Witness To The Word: "God First"
Pastoral Prayer
Silent Prayer
Hymn: "Jesus Calls Us"
Benediction
Postlude
Dialogue 3
God First
CAST
Everyperson -- Male or female, modern dress, may be played by the
liturgist
Samuel -- The prophet, older man, stern, period dress
NOTES
As this dialogue begins, Everyperson stands at the pulpit as
though about to give a sermon. Samuel is seated in the choir loft
or the congregation, or he may enter from the back of the
sanctuary. He stands to give his first line, and then proceeds to
the lectern. It would be best if Samuel's first few lines were
memorized. Once he gets to the lectern, he may read the rest of
his part.
This dialogue should directly follow the reading of the Gospel
Lesson, Luke 18:18-24.
Production time is about seven minutes.
Everyperson: (Standing at the pulpit) Is it just me, or was Jesus
a little hard on the rich young man in our Gospel Lesson? I mean
it sounds like he's saying that if you are rich, you're going to
Hell. I've heard lots of sermons that have taken that approach to
this story, but I can't believe that that's what Jesus meant. I
know lots of good people who have money. They give to churches
and to charities, and they do a lot of good with their money.
Besides, one of Jesus' best friends was rich. Lazarus had lots
of money. Being rich isn't a sin! Why it's not even mentioned in
the 10 commandments.
Samuel: (Standing) That's not entirely true.
Everyperson: I beg your pardon!
Samuel: What you just said about the 10 commandments wasn't
entirely accurate. I'm afraid you're oversimplifying things.
Everyperson: Just who do you think you are?
Samuel: I don't think. I know. I am Samuel, the prophet. It was I
who anointed Saul and David. It was I who called on the
Israelites to put away the foreign gods of the Canaanites and to
serve only the Lord God Jehovah. For as the law was given to
Moses, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," so must God's
people live!
Everyperson: Samuel the prophet? The one from the Bible? The son
of Hannah?
Samuel: I am he.
Everyperson: We are honored by your presence, but I don't
understand what you're trying to tell us. What does our Gospel
Lesson have to do with the first commandment? I don't see the
connection.
Samuel: Tell me, do you know the first commandment?
Everyperson: Of course I do. I learned the 10 commandments when I
was a child in Sunday school.
Samuel: Would you recite it for me, before this company?
Everyperson: Certainly. "I am the Lord thy God, Thou shalt have
no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven
image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or
that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath
the earth: Thou shall not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve
them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and
fourth generation of them that hate me. And showing mercy unto
thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments."
Samuel: Very good! I had heard that modern churches only taught a
shortened version of the 10 commandments. I am glad to see that I
was wrong!
Everyperson: Oh, many churches do that, but my Sunday school
teacher insisted that we all learn the long form.
Samuel: May the Almighty bless your teacher for her wisdom! Now,
can you tell me what the commandment means?
Everyperson: Sure. It's simple! It means that we shouldn't
worship idols like Baal, or all of those gods and goddesses that
we read about in Greek and Roman mythology.
Samuel: As simple as that is it?
Everyperson: Yea. It's the easiest commandment to keep!
Samuel: Is it?
Everyperson: Yes.
Samuel: (Shaking his head) Anything you worship, anything that is
very important to you, can be a god. Anything that is first in
your life, even temporarily, is an idol. Jesus told a parable
about a man who found a pearl that was so wonderful that he sold
all that he owned in order to buy that pearl. For that man, the
pearl became a god. Now, of course, Jesus' point was that the
kingdom of God is like that pearl, worth loosing everything for.
For the Christian, God is, and must be, our pearl of great value;
but how many times have we put worldly concerns ahead of our
relationship with God?
Everyperson: You mean like playing golf on Sunday morning instead
of going to church? I see.
Samuel: You're on the right track. Jesus said, "Seek ye first the
kingdom of God." When we put more energy into anything else than
we put into our relationship with God, we are breaking the first
commandment.
Everyperson: So if we do anything instead of going to church on
Sunday morning, we are breaking the first commandment. Right?
Samuel: Your vision is still not clear I'm afraid. I'm not just
talking about Sunday morning. God needs to be first every day,
every hour of our lives!
Everyperson: But nobody can afford to spend all of their time in
church!
Samuel: Your life is your church! How you live it is your
offering to the Almighty! If money, or power, or popularity, or
anything else occupies more of your heart than God does, you have
made it a god. If you are willing to break any of God's laws in
order to obtain something, it is your god! You worship it just as
surely as the Canaanites worshiped Baal!
Everyperson: I think I understand, but I still don't see the
connection between that and the young man in our Gospel Lesson.
He came to Jesus in order to follow him. He wanted to worship
God.
Samuel: Yes, I'm sure he did, as long as it wasn't inconvenient,
and it didn't cost him too much. When Jesus told him that he had
to give up his wealth, the young man turned and walked away. The
price was too high! You see, Jesus saw into the young man's
heart, just the way he sees into ours. He knew how important the
young man's possessions were to him. Jesus knew that the young
man could not worship God with his whole heart because he already
had a god. His wealth was his god.
Everyperson: But that was an awful lot for Jesus to ask, to
expect him to give up everything!
Samuel: Now you begin to see! What the first commandment demands
and what Christ asked of the rich young man in the Gospel Lesson
are one in the same! God expects to be the center of our lives.
He expects to be more important to us than any thing or any one.
He expects us to love him more than we love anyone, even the
members of our families! You are right about one thing. It is
very difficult indeed! The first commandment is not the easiest,
but the very hardest commandment to follow!
The world is full of temptations that beckon us to worship
them. Wealth, power, popularity, success; these and many others
try very hard to come between us and the one true God. But we
must reject them! Christ offers us the same eternal reward that
he offered to the rich young man in the Gospel Lesson. We must
not be as foolish as he was! There is nothing that the world can
offer us that comes close to what Christ offers us! As Paul
wrote, "For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and
regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ."
God must come first in our lives, now and always!
Introit: "Seek Ye First" verse 1
Call To Worship: Exodus 20:2-3
L: I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the
land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, Thou shalt have no
other Gods before me.
P: Praise be to God!
Hymn: "All Hail The Power Of Jesus' Name"
Call To Prayer
L: The Lord be with you.
P: And also with you.
L: Let us pray.
Prayer Of Confession (In Unison)
Almighty God, we call ourselves your people, and yet all too
often we let worldly gods come before you in our lives. The gods
of this world have such tempting voices, and we are weak. Help us
to turn our backs on gods like comfort and vanity. Forgive us,
and help us to live lives that reflect your redeeming grace. We
pray in the name of your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, who taught
us to pray ...
The Lord's Prayer (In Unison)
The Psalter: Psalm 19:7-14
L: The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul;
P: The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the
simple;
L: The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the
heart;
P: The ordinances of the Lord are true, and righteous
altogether.
L: More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine
gold;
P: Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the
honeycomb.
L: Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping
them there is great reward.
P: But who can understand one's own errors? Clear me from
hidden faults.
L: Also keep your servant from the insolent; let them not
have dominion over me!
P: Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great
transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my
redeemer.
Gloria Patri
Old Testament Lesson: 1 Samuel 7:3-4
Anthem
Offering
Doxology
Hymn: "Spirit Of God Descend Upon My Heart"
Gospel Lesson: Luke 18:18-24
Witness To The Word: "God First"
Pastoral Prayer
Silent Prayer
Hymn: "Jesus Calls Us"
Benediction
Postlude
Dialogue 3
God First
CAST
Everyperson -- Male or female, modern dress, may be played by the
liturgist
Samuel -- The prophet, older man, stern, period dress
NOTES
As this dialogue begins, Everyperson stands at the pulpit as
though about to give a sermon. Samuel is seated in the choir loft
or the congregation, or he may enter from the back of the
sanctuary. He stands to give his first line, and then proceeds to
the lectern. It would be best if Samuel's first few lines were
memorized. Once he gets to the lectern, he may read the rest of
his part.
This dialogue should directly follow the reading of the Gospel
Lesson, Luke 18:18-24.
Production time is about seven minutes.
Everyperson: (Standing at the pulpit) Is it just me, or was Jesus
a little hard on the rich young man in our Gospel Lesson? I mean
it sounds like he's saying that if you are rich, you're going to
Hell. I've heard lots of sermons that have taken that approach to
this story, but I can't believe that that's what Jesus meant. I
know lots of good people who have money. They give to churches
and to charities, and they do a lot of good with their money.
Besides, one of Jesus' best friends was rich. Lazarus had lots
of money. Being rich isn't a sin! Why it's not even mentioned in
the 10 commandments.
Samuel: (Standing) That's not entirely true.
Everyperson: I beg your pardon!
Samuel: What you just said about the 10 commandments wasn't
entirely accurate. I'm afraid you're oversimplifying things.
Everyperson: Just who do you think you are?
Samuel: I don't think. I know. I am Samuel, the prophet. It was I
who anointed Saul and David. It was I who called on the
Israelites to put away the foreign gods of the Canaanites and to
serve only the Lord God Jehovah. For as the law was given to
Moses, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," so must God's
people live!
Everyperson: Samuel the prophet? The one from the Bible? The son
of Hannah?
Samuel: I am he.
Everyperson: We are honored by your presence, but I don't
understand what you're trying to tell us. What does our Gospel
Lesson have to do with the first commandment? I don't see the
connection.
Samuel: Tell me, do you know the first commandment?
Everyperson: Of course I do. I learned the 10 commandments when I
was a child in Sunday school.
Samuel: Would you recite it for me, before this company?
Everyperson: Certainly. "I am the Lord thy God, Thou shalt have
no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven
image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or
that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath
the earth: Thou shall not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve
them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and
fourth generation of them that hate me. And showing mercy unto
thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments."
Samuel: Very good! I had heard that modern churches only taught a
shortened version of the 10 commandments. I am glad to see that I
was wrong!
Everyperson: Oh, many churches do that, but my Sunday school
teacher insisted that we all learn the long form.
Samuel: May the Almighty bless your teacher for her wisdom! Now,
can you tell me what the commandment means?
Everyperson: Sure. It's simple! It means that we shouldn't
worship idols like Baal, or all of those gods and goddesses that
we read about in Greek and Roman mythology.
Samuel: As simple as that is it?
Everyperson: Yea. It's the easiest commandment to keep!
Samuel: Is it?
Everyperson: Yes.
Samuel: (Shaking his head) Anything you worship, anything that is
very important to you, can be a god. Anything that is first in
your life, even temporarily, is an idol. Jesus told a parable
about a man who found a pearl that was so wonderful that he sold
all that he owned in order to buy that pearl. For that man, the
pearl became a god. Now, of course, Jesus' point was that the
kingdom of God is like that pearl, worth loosing everything for.
For the Christian, God is, and must be, our pearl of great value;
but how many times have we put worldly concerns ahead of our
relationship with God?
Everyperson: You mean like playing golf on Sunday morning instead
of going to church? I see.
Samuel: You're on the right track. Jesus said, "Seek ye first the
kingdom of God." When we put more energy into anything else than
we put into our relationship with God, we are breaking the first
commandment.
Everyperson: So if we do anything instead of going to church on
Sunday morning, we are breaking the first commandment. Right?
Samuel: Your vision is still not clear I'm afraid. I'm not just
talking about Sunday morning. God needs to be first every day,
every hour of our lives!
Everyperson: But nobody can afford to spend all of their time in
church!
Samuel: Your life is your church! How you live it is your
offering to the Almighty! If money, or power, or popularity, or
anything else occupies more of your heart than God does, you have
made it a god. If you are willing to break any of God's laws in
order to obtain something, it is your god! You worship it just as
surely as the Canaanites worshiped Baal!
Everyperson: I think I understand, but I still don't see the
connection between that and the young man in our Gospel Lesson.
He came to Jesus in order to follow him. He wanted to worship
God.
Samuel: Yes, I'm sure he did, as long as it wasn't inconvenient,
and it didn't cost him too much. When Jesus told him that he had
to give up his wealth, the young man turned and walked away. The
price was too high! You see, Jesus saw into the young man's
heart, just the way he sees into ours. He knew how important the
young man's possessions were to him. Jesus knew that the young
man could not worship God with his whole heart because he already
had a god. His wealth was his god.
Everyperson: But that was an awful lot for Jesus to ask, to
expect him to give up everything!
Samuel: Now you begin to see! What the first commandment demands
and what Christ asked of the rich young man in the Gospel Lesson
are one in the same! God expects to be the center of our lives.
He expects to be more important to us than any thing or any one.
He expects us to love him more than we love anyone, even the
members of our families! You are right about one thing. It is
very difficult indeed! The first commandment is not the easiest,
but the very hardest commandment to follow!
The world is full of temptations that beckon us to worship
them. Wealth, power, popularity, success; these and many others
try very hard to come between us and the one true God. But we
must reject them! Christ offers us the same eternal reward that
he offered to the rich young man in the Gospel Lesson. We must
not be as foolish as he was! There is nothing that the world can
offer us that comes close to what Christ offers us! As Paul
wrote, "For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and
regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ."
God must come first in our lives, now and always!
