A Prince Is Born In Egypt
Drama
Holy Moses
A Family-Focused Lenten Series
Object:
Lent 1 Drama
Characters
Narrator
King Pharaoh (also singing part)
Pharaoh's Daughter
Miriam
Shiphrah (nonspeaking)
Puah
Props
"The Nile" sign
Reeds
Setting
King Pharaoh's Egyptian court
Narrator: Good friends, I am your narrator for tonight's production titled, "A Prince Is Born In Egypt." The story begins in ancient Egypt. You find it recorded in the Holy Bible, the first and second chapters of the book of Exodus.
These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his own household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. The total number of people born to Jacob was seventy. Joseph was already in Egypt. Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and that whole generation. But the Israelites were fruitful and prolific; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them (Exodus 1:1-7).
Now a new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. Neither did he appreciate the sons and daughters of their families who had now become the people of Israel. (sniffs) I smell trouble! (melodrama music is played) -- a villain has arrived!
Scene 1
(King Pharaoh comes down the aisle with a flair, wearing a flowing cloak, evil
painted eyes, and black moustache reminisent of the villain in a melodrama. He paces back and forth, with a worried look on face and a furrowed brow.)
King Pharaoh: Wouldn't you be worried? (points to audience) Wouldn't you wake up in a sweat in the middle of the night? Wouldn't you pray to every god you ever heard of? (prays mockingly) O Isis, O Zeus, O Astarte, O Baal -- oh me, oh my. What am I gonna do? Look, the Hebrew people are exploding -- more numerous and more powerful, perhaps, than us Egyptians. Look at 'em. (points and scans over the audience)
(Piano begins to play. King Pharaoh sings "Israel The Fruitful Nation.")
You know Reuben and Levi and Judah and Asher, and Zebulun, Simeon and Benjamin.
Now do you recall the most famous of all, the most famous nation of all?
Israel, the fruitful nation, grew and grew 'n' grew.
And if you ever saw them, you could hardly count that crew.
All of the sons of Jacob, sired children by the score,
So many Hebrew people, what's the use of anymore?
Then one dusty desert day, I, the Pharaoh came to say,
"Israel with your families, get to work! There's no more ease!"
Then how the nation jeered me, they disregarded my throne,
They groaned and groaned as I told them, "I will work you to the bone."
(Big finish -- King Pharaoh freezes.)
Narrator: (King Pharaoh pantomimes while Narrator speaks) The king, upset and worried, devised a plan: Work them to death! Diminish them by making them slaves. By their sweat they would build the mighty supply cities -- Pithom and Ramses for Pharaoh. O the king was ruthless ... (King Pharaoh rubs hands together) O the king was oppressive.... O the Pharaoh king made their lives bitter, bitter, bitter. (King Pharaoh freezes) But the harder they worked, the tougher they got. They multiplied! (happy music) They prospered! (more happy music) They grew stronger and stronger. So the king acted!
King Pharaoh: (unfreezes) Hey you two women ... (Shiphrah and Puah appear) Come over here. Who are you anyway and what are you up to?
Puah: (bows) Yes, your highness ... we are your humble citizens Shiphrah and Puah. We are midwives. We help with births ... we assist mothers ... as they deliver their babies ...
King Pharaoh: (rudely) Oh be quiet! Listen to me and listen good! (all lean in to listen) Because the Hebrews -- those Israelites -- are multiplying so rapidly and obviously thriving even more than us Egyptians, I want you to, to, to ah, ahem, kill every male you help deliver! Got it? (points at them and freezes)
Puah: Got it, your highness. (bows and freezes)
Narrator: But the midwives feared God more than Pharaoh and instead of killing the boys as soon as they were born, they let them live. And when the king found out -- he was furious!
King Pharaoh: (in a rage -- all unfreeze) Why have you done this? Why have you allowed the male boys to live? I thought I ordered you ...
Puah: (bows and speaks from kneeling position) Well, your honor, your highness, your excellency, your Pharaohship, ahem ... uh ... (winks at audience and crosses fingers as she speaks) because the Hebrew women are so vigorous and not like the Egyptian women they deliver before we even get there ... so we're too late.
King Pharaoh: A likely story! We'll see! (exits first, then women follow)
Narrator: So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. And because the midwives feared God, God gave them families. Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, "Every boy that is born to the Hebrew you shall throw into the Nile, but every girl shall live" (Exodus 1:20-21).
(music)
Scene 2
("The Nile" sign crosses right to left.)
Miriam: (enters) Hello, my name is Miriam. (waves) I am the sister of a baby boy born in that troubled, terrible time in Egypt. Let me tell you what happened.
Narrator: "Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it among the reeds on the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him" (Exodus 2:1-4).
(Miriam stands at the side of the stage behind reeds, obviously watching.)
Narrator: (Pharaoh's Daughter pantomimes while Narrator speaks) Pharaoh's daughter comes down to the Nile River (show "The Nile" sign) to bathe. (Pharaoh's Daughter pretends to dry herself) Pharaoh's daughter sees the basket. (Pharaoh's Daughter pretends to see basket) She sees the baby. (Pharaoh's Daughter points)
Pharaoh's Daughter: This must be one of the Hebrew children.
Miriam: Shall I go and find a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?
Pharaoh's Daughter: (nods head) Why, yes, young lady, go fetch a nurse to nurse this beautiful little baby. (oogles and ahhs over the baby)
Miriam: (turns to audience) So I found our mother and I brought her to Pharaoh's daughter (laughs) and our mother took care of the little child (whispers), my brother. Pharaoh's daughter even paid her to nurse little Moses. Yes, Moses, that was his name because it means, "I drew him out of the water."
(All stand and sing the "Holy Moses" theme song.)
Lent 1 Sermon
Pulled From The Nile
By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that the child was beautiful and they were not afraid of the King's edict.
-- Hebrews 11:23
When one miner from the Sago mine was rescued after an explosion in a mine shaft recently, you may have recalled the dramatic rescue of Jessica McClure many years before. If you remember, Jessica was an eighteen-month-old child in Midland, Texas. In the late '80s she fell into a 22-feet deep well and was trapped for over two days. The entire community rallied to save her and eventually a paramedic pulled Jessica to safety from a newly drilled shaft.
Later, when asked "Who saved you?" Jessica replied, "Winnie-the-Pooh." What happened was that, while she was trapped in the well, a small speaker had been dropped down to her, and her mother kept singing her two favorite songs: "Jesus Loves Me" and "Winnie-the-Pooh."
Let us pray. Lord Jesus, some of us know what it feels like to be trapped in a dark and lonely place. Our traps can be of our own making -- trapped in a well of fear, or chronic anxiety. When we feel the rising waters of insecurity and worry, save us by your almighty hand. In your gracious name we pray. Amen.
The River Nile is the longest river in the world. It snakes 4,160 miles from Burundi, Africa, to the Mediterranean Sea. In this exotic, life-giving river, lives one of the most fearsome creatures in the world -- the crocodilus Nilocticus -- the Nile crocodile. Twelve species of this strong, ferocious creature watch from the shoals, ready to spring and devour an unsuspecting animal or human.
It's hardly a place to hide a child -- a beautiful child. In fact, nowhere in Egypt was it safe for a Hebrew child to be born and live under the Pharaoh Ramses II (1290-1224 B.C.E.).
During that time, in the twelfth century B.C., human crocodiles were on the prowl on the Nile banks, in the streets, in the back alleys with instructions to kill every Hebrew male child they could find. Pharaoh, as you heard, was paranoid over the rapid growth of the Hebrew people.
In this setting, a Hebrew couple from the tribe of Levi married. A beautiful baby was born to father, Amram, and mother, Jochebed (Exodus 6:20).
This child would not be left to the human crocodiles. This child was placed in a basket made with reeds from the Nile. It was a safe place. Besides, his sister, Miriam, kept a watchful eye.
The anonymous writer to the Hebrews explained, "By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that the child was beautiful and they were not afraid of the king's edict."
God used five strong women in the saving of this child. The first were two brave midwives -- Shiphrah and Puah -- they defied Pharaoh's orders and allowed the children to live.
The midwives feared God more than Pharaoh and every child that was born was saved. The third was the mother, Jochebed. She was motivated by faith to put away her fears. Jochebed could think of nothing but protecting her child, God's gift to her. Jochebed boldly became a risk taker and went against Pharaoh's killing frenzy.
Then there was Pharaoh's unnamed daughter. Unlike her murderous father, she is overcome with compassion as she approaches the Nile River for a bath. She takes pity on the child and orders him to be pulled out of the water. She adopts the child as her own. And he becomes a prince in the palace.
The fifth woman is the child's sister, Miriam. She watches from the shadows, ensuring that her brother will be safe. She steps forward. Miriam offers her own mother, the child's own mother, as a nurse.
Five women of faith, compassion, imagination, and ingenuity save the child whose name in Hebrew means "I drew him out." He is "the one drawn out." He is Moses! The literal meaning of Moses is "saved" or "delivered by God."
Your name and my name is Moses, too. We have been drawn out of the dangers of sin, death, and the power of the devil. Our Savior is not Winnie-the-Pooh, but Jesus the Christ.
Since 9/11 we have been threatened and terrorized. Uncertainty rules. Where and to whom do you look for safety and security?
A young, black convict was heard pleading as he was being executed in the South many years ago. He wept, "Joe Louis, save me, save me, Joe Louis." Joe Louis, the then heavyweight boxing champion of the world, was his only model of strength and power and salvation.
I want to be saved and safe from whatever would threaten me or my family. I yearn for hope and purpose. My hope is not built on my stocks, my military, or on human structures and institutions. In the end, all of that returns to dust. It becomes only ashes. My hope and salvation is simply built on Christ and him crucified.
One Sunday morning, Rocky O'Daniel was crossing the bridge over the Bad River near Fort Pierre, South Dakota, when he saw a boy had fallen into a hole in the ice. Eleven-year-old Tony Nye flagged Rocky down and said his playmate was drowning. "Help!" he pleaded. Mr. O'Daniel raced to the river, broke through the ice, and discovered it was his own son, Alan.
A garden hose was thrown out and both father and son were rescued.
When we know we are "Moses," too -- delivered by God -- we move forward in this Lenten season with joy and anticipation. Amen.
Music for "Israel, The Fruitful Nation" is included in the book version of Holy Moses
Lent 1 Manna Minute
Bitter Water Sweet
Object: small twigs (one for each person coming up front) and water in a small bottle or small bowl
Good evening. I am Moses, son of Jochebed and Amram, a prince in Pharaoh's palace for a time. I am the leader God called to lead the oppressed people of Israel out of the Egypt. I'm so glad to be here with you tonight. At this time I would like to invite children, teenagers, a few parents, and grandparents to come forward.
(traveling music)
Thank you for joining me. I've a story to tell. It happened after we left Egypt and found ourselves wandering in the wilderness of Shur. Oh, it was hot and dry. We were all thirsty. Three days out from Egypt and no water. Ever been so thirsty you would almost die for a drink?
Well, we found a place called Marah, but the water was bitter. We couldn't drink it. So I prayed to God and the Lord showed me a piece of wood like this only larger. (show a twig) I threw the wood into the bitter water and the water suddenly became sweet -- so sweet we could drink it! And we all had a wonderful thirst-quenching drink. (lap up a drink from a container) Oh, how wonderful!
Now listen to this: People in many countries today do not have sufficient, unpolluted water to drink. They are poor and very thirsty. They need wells and clean springs. Sometimes they have to carry the water for miles. One way you can help make "bitter water sweet" like God did through me is to help them in Africa, Brazil, Haiti, and other places through well-drilling programs of Lutheran World Relief, Church World Service, Catholic Relief Service, Mennonite Central Committee, and other agencies.
By throwing a piece of wood into this basket (hand out twigs to everyone) -- along with a donation of money for wells, new wells will be dug and their bitter lives can be made sweet. (pass a basket through the congregation)
Thank you. You may be seated. (a prayer may be added here)
(traveling music)
Characters
Narrator
King Pharaoh (also singing part)
Pharaoh's Daughter
Miriam
Shiphrah (nonspeaking)
Puah
Props
"The Nile" sign
Reeds
Setting
King Pharaoh's Egyptian court
Narrator: Good friends, I am your narrator for tonight's production titled, "A Prince Is Born In Egypt." The story begins in ancient Egypt. You find it recorded in the Holy Bible, the first and second chapters of the book of Exodus.
These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his own household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. The total number of people born to Jacob was seventy. Joseph was already in Egypt. Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and that whole generation. But the Israelites were fruitful and prolific; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them (Exodus 1:1-7).
Now a new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. Neither did he appreciate the sons and daughters of their families who had now become the people of Israel. (sniffs) I smell trouble! (melodrama music is played) -- a villain has arrived!
Scene 1
(King Pharaoh comes down the aisle with a flair, wearing a flowing cloak, evil
painted eyes, and black moustache reminisent of the villain in a melodrama. He paces back and forth, with a worried look on face and a furrowed brow.)
King Pharaoh: Wouldn't you be worried? (points to audience) Wouldn't you wake up in a sweat in the middle of the night? Wouldn't you pray to every god you ever heard of? (prays mockingly) O Isis, O Zeus, O Astarte, O Baal -- oh me, oh my. What am I gonna do? Look, the Hebrew people are exploding -- more numerous and more powerful, perhaps, than us Egyptians. Look at 'em. (points and scans over the audience)
(Piano begins to play. King Pharaoh sings "Israel The Fruitful Nation.")
You know Reuben and Levi and Judah and Asher, and Zebulun, Simeon and Benjamin.
Now do you recall the most famous of all, the most famous nation of all?
Israel, the fruitful nation, grew and grew 'n' grew.
And if you ever saw them, you could hardly count that crew.
All of the sons of Jacob, sired children by the score,
So many Hebrew people, what's the use of anymore?
Then one dusty desert day, I, the Pharaoh came to say,
"Israel with your families, get to work! There's no more ease!"
Then how the nation jeered me, they disregarded my throne,
They groaned and groaned as I told them, "I will work you to the bone."
(Big finish -- King Pharaoh freezes.)
Narrator: (King Pharaoh pantomimes while Narrator speaks) The king, upset and worried, devised a plan: Work them to death! Diminish them by making them slaves. By their sweat they would build the mighty supply cities -- Pithom and Ramses for Pharaoh. O the king was ruthless ... (King Pharaoh rubs hands together) O the king was oppressive.... O the Pharaoh king made their lives bitter, bitter, bitter. (King Pharaoh freezes) But the harder they worked, the tougher they got. They multiplied! (happy music) They prospered! (more happy music) They grew stronger and stronger. So the king acted!
King Pharaoh: (unfreezes) Hey you two women ... (Shiphrah and Puah appear) Come over here. Who are you anyway and what are you up to?
Puah: (bows) Yes, your highness ... we are your humble citizens Shiphrah and Puah. We are midwives. We help with births ... we assist mothers ... as they deliver their babies ...
King Pharaoh: (rudely) Oh be quiet! Listen to me and listen good! (all lean in to listen) Because the Hebrews -- those Israelites -- are multiplying so rapidly and obviously thriving even more than us Egyptians, I want you to, to, to ah, ahem, kill every male you help deliver! Got it? (points at them and freezes)
Puah: Got it, your highness. (bows and freezes)
Narrator: But the midwives feared God more than Pharaoh and instead of killing the boys as soon as they were born, they let them live. And when the king found out -- he was furious!
King Pharaoh: (in a rage -- all unfreeze) Why have you done this? Why have you allowed the male boys to live? I thought I ordered you ...
Puah: (bows and speaks from kneeling position) Well, your honor, your highness, your excellency, your Pharaohship, ahem ... uh ... (winks at audience and crosses fingers as she speaks) because the Hebrew women are so vigorous and not like the Egyptian women they deliver before we even get there ... so we're too late.
King Pharaoh: A likely story! We'll see! (exits first, then women follow)
Narrator: So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. And because the midwives feared God, God gave them families. Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, "Every boy that is born to the Hebrew you shall throw into the Nile, but every girl shall live" (Exodus 1:20-21).
(music)
Scene 2
("The Nile" sign crosses right to left.)
Miriam: (enters) Hello, my name is Miriam. (waves) I am the sister of a baby boy born in that troubled, terrible time in Egypt. Let me tell you what happened.
Narrator: "Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it among the reeds on the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him" (Exodus 2:1-4).
(Miriam stands at the side of the stage behind reeds, obviously watching.)
Narrator: (Pharaoh's Daughter pantomimes while Narrator speaks) Pharaoh's daughter comes down to the Nile River (show "The Nile" sign) to bathe. (Pharaoh's Daughter pretends to dry herself) Pharaoh's daughter sees the basket. (Pharaoh's Daughter pretends to see basket) She sees the baby. (Pharaoh's Daughter points)
Pharaoh's Daughter: This must be one of the Hebrew children.
Miriam: Shall I go and find a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?
Pharaoh's Daughter: (nods head) Why, yes, young lady, go fetch a nurse to nurse this beautiful little baby. (oogles and ahhs over the baby)
Miriam: (turns to audience) So I found our mother and I brought her to Pharaoh's daughter (laughs) and our mother took care of the little child (whispers), my brother. Pharaoh's daughter even paid her to nurse little Moses. Yes, Moses, that was his name because it means, "I drew him out of the water."
(All stand and sing the "Holy Moses" theme song.)
Lent 1 Sermon
Pulled From The Nile
By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that the child was beautiful and they were not afraid of the King's edict.
-- Hebrews 11:23
When one miner from the Sago mine was rescued after an explosion in a mine shaft recently, you may have recalled the dramatic rescue of Jessica McClure many years before. If you remember, Jessica was an eighteen-month-old child in Midland, Texas. In the late '80s she fell into a 22-feet deep well and was trapped for over two days. The entire community rallied to save her and eventually a paramedic pulled Jessica to safety from a newly drilled shaft.
Later, when asked "Who saved you?" Jessica replied, "Winnie-the-Pooh." What happened was that, while she was trapped in the well, a small speaker had been dropped down to her, and her mother kept singing her two favorite songs: "Jesus Loves Me" and "Winnie-the-Pooh."
Let us pray. Lord Jesus, some of us know what it feels like to be trapped in a dark and lonely place. Our traps can be of our own making -- trapped in a well of fear, or chronic anxiety. When we feel the rising waters of insecurity and worry, save us by your almighty hand. In your gracious name we pray. Amen.
The River Nile is the longest river in the world. It snakes 4,160 miles from Burundi, Africa, to the Mediterranean Sea. In this exotic, life-giving river, lives one of the most fearsome creatures in the world -- the crocodilus Nilocticus -- the Nile crocodile. Twelve species of this strong, ferocious creature watch from the shoals, ready to spring and devour an unsuspecting animal or human.
It's hardly a place to hide a child -- a beautiful child. In fact, nowhere in Egypt was it safe for a Hebrew child to be born and live under the Pharaoh Ramses II (1290-1224 B.C.E.).
During that time, in the twelfth century B.C., human crocodiles were on the prowl on the Nile banks, in the streets, in the back alleys with instructions to kill every Hebrew male child they could find. Pharaoh, as you heard, was paranoid over the rapid growth of the Hebrew people.
In this setting, a Hebrew couple from the tribe of Levi married. A beautiful baby was born to father, Amram, and mother, Jochebed (Exodus 6:20).
This child would not be left to the human crocodiles. This child was placed in a basket made with reeds from the Nile. It was a safe place. Besides, his sister, Miriam, kept a watchful eye.
The anonymous writer to the Hebrews explained, "By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that the child was beautiful and they were not afraid of the king's edict."
God used five strong women in the saving of this child. The first were two brave midwives -- Shiphrah and Puah -- they defied Pharaoh's orders and allowed the children to live.
The midwives feared God more than Pharaoh and every child that was born was saved. The third was the mother, Jochebed. She was motivated by faith to put away her fears. Jochebed could think of nothing but protecting her child, God's gift to her. Jochebed boldly became a risk taker and went against Pharaoh's killing frenzy.
Then there was Pharaoh's unnamed daughter. Unlike her murderous father, she is overcome with compassion as she approaches the Nile River for a bath. She takes pity on the child and orders him to be pulled out of the water. She adopts the child as her own. And he becomes a prince in the palace.
The fifth woman is the child's sister, Miriam. She watches from the shadows, ensuring that her brother will be safe. She steps forward. Miriam offers her own mother, the child's own mother, as a nurse.
Five women of faith, compassion, imagination, and ingenuity save the child whose name in Hebrew means "I drew him out." He is "the one drawn out." He is Moses! The literal meaning of Moses is "saved" or "delivered by God."
Your name and my name is Moses, too. We have been drawn out of the dangers of sin, death, and the power of the devil. Our Savior is not Winnie-the-Pooh, but Jesus the Christ.
Since 9/11 we have been threatened and terrorized. Uncertainty rules. Where and to whom do you look for safety and security?
A young, black convict was heard pleading as he was being executed in the South many years ago. He wept, "Joe Louis, save me, save me, Joe Louis." Joe Louis, the then heavyweight boxing champion of the world, was his only model of strength and power and salvation.
I want to be saved and safe from whatever would threaten me or my family. I yearn for hope and purpose. My hope is not built on my stocks, my military, or on human structures and institutions. In the end, all of that returns to dust. It becomes only ashes. My hope and salvation is simply built on Christ and him crucified.
One Sunday morning, Rocky O'Daniel was crossing the bridge over the Bad River near Fort Pierre, South Dakota, when he saw a boy had fallen into a hole in the ice. Eleven-year-old Tony Nye flagged Rocky down and said his playmate was drowning. "Help!" he pleaded. Mr. O'Daniel raced to the river, broke through the ice, and discovered it was his own son, Alan.
A garden hose was thrown out and both father and son were rescued.
When we know we are "Moses," too -- delivered by God -- we move forward in this Lenten season with joy and anticipation. Amen.
Music for "Israel, The Fruitful Nation" is included in the book version of Holy Moses
Lent 1 Manna Minute
Bitter Water Sweet
Object: small twigs (one for each person coming up front) and water in a small bottle or small bowl
Good evening. I am Moses, son of Jochebed and Amram, a prince in Pharaoh's palace for a time. I am the leader God called to lead the oppressed people of Israel out of the Egypt. I'm so glad to be here with you tonight. At this time I would like to invite children, teenagers, a few parents, and grandparents to come forward.
(traveling music)
Thank you for joining me. I've a story to tell. It happened after we left Egypt and found ourselves wandering in the wilderness of Shur. Oh, it was hot and dry. We were all thirsty. Three days out from Egypt and no water. Ever been so thirsty you would almost die for a drink?
Well, we found a place called Marah, but the water was bitter. We couldn't drink it. So I prayed to God and the Lord showed me a piece of wood like this only larger. (show a twig) I threw the wood into the bitter water and the water suddenly became sweet -- so sweet we could drink it! And we all had a wonderful thirst-quenching drink. (lap up a drink from a container) Oh, how wonderful!
Now listen to this: People in many countries today do not have sufficient, unpolluted water to drink. They are poor and very thirsty. They need wells and clean springs. Sometimes they have to carry the water for miles. One way you can help make "bitter water sweet" like God did through me is to help them in Africa, Brazil, Haiti, and other places through well-drilling programs of Lutheran World Relief, Church World Service, Catholic Relief Service, Mennonite Central Committee, and other agencies.
By throwing a piece of wood into this basket (hand out twigs to everyone) -- along with a donation of money for wells, new wells will be dug and their bitter lives can be made sweet. (pass a basket through the congregation)
Thank you. You may be seated. (a prayer may be added here)
(traveling music)
