Restoration Rules!
Drama
Thespian Theology
Advent, Christmas, Epiphany
Thespian Theological Thoughts
Restoration is the thread running through this Sunday's readings. Zephaniah shares God's promise of restoration: "I will turn their shame into praise and renown." Psalm 85 calls on the God of our salvation to restore us. And in Philippians 4, Paul tells us to be anxious for nothing, but to pray with thanksgiving -- and the peace that passes understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Talk about restoration: that's the best!
Richard Rich, the thing-restorer, has that materialism problem which is common to us all. When his house of things falls like the proverbial card-house, Richard is devastated. But he is also blessed: God's word, buried deep within him since his Sunday school days, helps him regain perspective.
The material solution to Richard's problem may seem contrived and simplistic to some, but miracles have a way of appearing so to those who won't believe. As believers, we understand that the real miracle here is Richard's spiritual restoration: "I've got the peace that passes understanding down in my heart to stay!"
Cast
Narrator
Richard Rich
Stagehand
Pauly Producer
Sammy Sales
Roland Research
Voice of Jesus (offstage)
Props/Costumes
Richard -- vase, sign: "Restoration Rules!"
Pauly -- computer printout
Sammy -- papers
Roland -- computer printout
(Stage is empty, except for "Restoration Rules" sign at center)
Narrator: This is the story of Richard Rich ... (Richard enters stage right, carrying an ornate vase) ... who is the host of "Restoration Rules!" ... (Richard points to sign: "Restoration Rules!") ... a popular local show on KFAD-TV in Fashion City, U.S.A.
Richard: And that, my friends, is how -- with just an old toothbrush and some elbow grease -- you can transform this vaaahse from a grungy old pot into a beautiful and priceless treasure! Join us tomorrow, when we'll tackle a wonderful eighteenth century desk which had been languishing in a dusty attic for fifty years. 'Til then, remember: One man's junk is another man's treasure ... when "RESTORATION RULES!"
Stagehand: (Offstage) That's a wrap. (Enters stage left; Richard hands vase to him)
Richard: Here, take this piece of junk. When are we going to get some decent objets d'art on this program? I'm sick of junky old vases (Pronounces it with the long "a") and dusty old desks!
Stagehand: I dunno, man ... not my job. (Exits stage left)
(Pauly Producer enters stage left, carrying a computer printout)
Pauly: Yo, Richard! Have you seen these Nielsen numbers? Your viewership has gone down the tubes. I think yo' momma is the only one who's watching you!
(Sammy Sales enters stage right, carrying a fistful of papers)
Sammy: Hey, Rich, three more sponsors just cancelled! The only one you got left is your brother-in-law, and his credit stinks!
Richard: (Looks back and forth to left and right) Whoa, what's going on here?
(Roland Research enters stage left, carrying a computer printout)
Roland: You wanta know what's going on here? I'll tell you what's going on here --
Richard: Who are you -- and what rock did you crawl out from under?
Roland: I'm Roland Research, and I'm here to tell you, Mr. Big-Shot TV Personality, why your audience numbers are in the toilet. Consumers in Fashion City are no longer into antiques and objets d'art. They're into steel and plastic. Wal-Mart is king, because it's totally retro! In Fashion City, you're a creature of the forgotten past, Mr. "Restoration Rules!"
Roland/Sammy/Pauly: (Together) You're history, Richie!
Roland: Adios, dude! (Exits stage left)
Sammy: Arrividerci, bubba! (Exits stage right)
Pauly: I don't know no foreign language. So ... SeeYaah! (Exits stage right)
Richard: (Looks up to the sky) God, what am I gonna do? I've got nowhere to turn! Restoration is my thing, and --
Voice of Jesus: (Offstage) Funny you should say that, Richard. Restoration is my thing, too!
Richard: Huh? Who's that?
Voice of Jesus: Who do you think it is, Richard? Restoration ...
Richard: I dunno. Bob Vila?
Voice of Jesus: Restoration of lives, Richard, not things.
Richard: Ummm ... the Good-Hands man from Allstate?
Voice of Jesus: Let me try another hint: "Behold ... I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will turn their shame into praise and renown."
Richard: Now you've really got me. I haven't got a clue!
Voice of Jesus: I'm an old friend, Richard; someone you haven't thought about in years. I've been in the restoration business for longer than you can imagine. A long time ago a shepherd boy wrote this prayer to me: "Restore us, O God of our salvation --"
Richard: OH-MY-GOD! (Falls on his knees)
Voice of Jesus: Ah, finally, you got it!
Richard: Lord, I never was any good at Twenty Questions. But why are you here now?
Voice of Jesus: I am with you always, Richard. It's just that you don't listen for me until you get in trouble, do you?
Richard: Touché. Lord, my life is falling apart: My TV program has been canceled, my credit cards are maxed out, my BMW has been repossessed, my wife is gonna leave me, and I haven't got any visible means of support left. Talk about stress: I'm off the chart on stress levels!
Voice of Jesus: I've got a word of advice for you, Richard. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." That's pretty good advice from my boy Paul -- and he knew something about stress, Richard!
Richard: Oh, he did, did he? He never had a TV show canceled, and he didn't have a wife with an addiction to Visa and MasterCard!
Voice of Jesus: No, he didn't, but Paul suffered imprisonment, beatings, whippings, stonings, shipwrecks, floods, robberies, sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, cold and exposure. Look it up, Richard: It's in Second Corinthians, chapter 11.
Richard: Okay, Lord, so Paul went through a lot more trouble than I have, but he says I should give thanks and pray?
Voice of Jesus: That's right, Richard.
Richard: What's gonna happen if I do that, Lord? Are you gonna touch the hearts of those lemmings out there in Fashion City TV-land, and bring 'em back to Richard Rich and "Restoration Rules"?
Voice of Jesus: No, but maybe I'll touch your heart, Richard.
Richard: What do you mean by that?
Voice of Jesus: If you stop worrying, Richard; if you pray -- turn your worries into prayers and praises and thanksgivings; and if you let your requests be made known to me, then, I promise you, "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your heart and mind through Christ Jesus."
Richard: Um ... no offense meant, Lord, but the peace-of-God-which-passeth understanding ain't gonna do me much good when my creditors come calling and I've got no paycheck comin' in.
Voice of Jesus: Richard, Richard, Richard. When are you going to wake up? Stop filling your mind with the things of this world --
Richard: Lord, I live in this world! What should I be filling my mind with?
Voice of Jesus: Fill your mind with things true, things noble, things reputable, things authentic. Fill your mind with the best, not the worst; things to praise, not things to curse.
Richard: Such as?
Voice of Jesus: Such as the greatest commandment. I know you learned it in Sunday school, Richard, and I trust that it's still in you. Let's say it together.
Voice of Jesus/Richard: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind ... and love your neighbor as yourself."
Voice of Jesus: Good, Richard! Now set your mind on things like this, and let's see what happens.
(Richard kneels and starts to pray)
Richard: Thank you, Lord, for reminding me that you are with me always! Thank you for loving me, even when I forget to love you. Help me to fill my mind with the best, not the worst ... and help me to find your path out of this mess I've got myself into.
(Pauly Producer and Sammy Sales enter stage right)
Richard: Pauly Producer and Sammy Sales! What do you guys want?
Pauly: Rich, I'm so glad we found you, man. The station just got a twenty million dollar grant to do a series on restoring inner-city apartment buildings to provide housing for the homeless.
Richard: So, what's that got to do with me, Pauly?
Pauly: It's got everything to do with you, man! Roland ran some focus groups, and your name came up most often as the M.C. for the series.
Sammy: Yeah, and if Roland is right, this is gonna be a sales bonanza! It's gonna start a whole new consumer trend in Fashion City, U.S.A.
Pauly: Now, Richie, I gotta tell you one thing up front, baby: twenty million bucks seems like a lot of dough, but this budget doesn't have room for a big-bucks salary for you --
Richard: Hey, that's okay, Pauly. It's a paycheck! And I'm happy to be working ... and helping and loving my neighbor as myself. (Looks skyward) Thank you, Lord. I've got the peace that passes understanding down in my heart to stay!
Voice of Jesus: Restoration rules, huh, Richard?
Richard: Your restoration rules, Lord!
(Richard, Pauly, and Sammy exit stage right)
Restoration is the thread running through this Sunday's readings. Zephaniah shares God's promise of restoration: "I will turn their shame into praise and renown." Psalm 85 calls on the God of our salvation to restore us. And in Philippians 4, Paul tells us to be anxious for nothing, but to pray with thanksgiving -- and the peace that passes understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Talk about restoration: that's the best!
Richard Rich, the thing-restorer, has that materialism problem which is common to us all. When his house of things falls like the proverbial card-house, Richard is devastated. But he is also blessed: God's word, buried deep within him since his Sunday school days, helps him regain perspective.
The material solution to Richard's problem may seem contrived and simplistic to some, but miracles have a way of appearing so to those who won't believe. As believers, we understand that the real miracle here is Richard's spiritual restoration: "I've got the peace that passes understanding down in my heart to stay!"
Cast
Narrator
Richard Rich
Stagehand
Pauly Producer
Sammy Sales
Roland Research
Voice of Jesus (offstage)
Props/Costumes
Richard -- vase, sign: "Restoration Rules!"
Pauly -- computer printout
Sammy -- papers
Roland -- computer printout
(Stage is empty, except for "Restoration Rules" sign at center)
Narrator: This is the story of Richard Rich ... (Richard enters stage right, carrying an ornate vase) ... who is the host of "Restoration Rules!" ... (Richard points to sign: "Restoration Rules!") ... a popular local show on KFAD-TV in Fashion City, U.S.A.
Richard: And that, my friends, is how -- with just an old toothbrush and some elbow grease -- you can transform this vaaahse from a grungy old pot into a beautiful and priceless treasure! Join us tomorrow, when we'll tackle a wonderful eighteenth century desk which had been languishing in a dusty attic for fifty years. 'Til then, remember: One man's junk is another man's treasure ... when "RESTORATION RULES!"
Stagehand: (Offstage) That's a wrap. (Enters stage left; Richard hands vase to him)
Richard: Here, take this piece of junk. When are we going to get some decent objets d'art on this program? I'm sick of junky old vases (Pronounces it with the long "a") and dusty old desks!
Stagehand: I dunno, man ... not my job. (Exits stage left)
(Pauly Producer enters stage left, carrying a computer printout)
Pauly: Yo, Richard! Have you seen these Nielsen numbers? Your viewership has gone down the tubes. I think yo' momma is the only one who's watching you!
(Sammy Sales enters stage right, carrying a fistful of papers)
Sammy: Hey, Rich, three more sponsors just cancelled! The only one you got left is your brother-in-law, and his credit stinks!
Richard: (Looks back and forth to left and right) Whoa, what's going on here?
(Roland Research enters stage left, carrying a computer printout)
Roland: You wanta know what's going on here? I'll tell you what's going on here --
Richard: Who are you -- and what rock did you crawl out from under?
Roland: I'm Roland Research, and I'm here to tell you, Mr. Big-Shot TV Personality, why your audience numbers are in the toilet. Consumers in Fashion City are no longer into antiques and objets d'art. They're into steel and plastic. Wal-Mart is king, because it's totally retro! In Fashion City, you're a creature of the forgotten past, Mr. "Restoration Rules!"
Roland/Sammy/Pauly: (Together) You're history, Richie!
Roland: Adios, dude! (Exits stage left)
Sammy: Arrividerci, bubba! (Exits stage right)
Pauly: I don't know no foreign language. So ... SeeYaah! (Exits stage right)
Richard: (Looks up to the sky) God, what am I gonna do? I've got nowhere to turn! Restoration is my thing, and --
Voice of Jesus: (Offstage) Funny you should say that, Richard. Restoration is my thing, too!
Richard: Huh? Who's that?
Voice of Jesus: Who do you think it is, Richard? Restoration ...
Richard: I dunno. Bob Vila?
Voice of Jesus: Restoration of lives, Richard, not things.
Richard: Ummm ... the Good-Hands man from Allstate?
Voice of Jesus: Let me try another hint: "Behold ... I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will turn their shame into praise and renown."
Richard: Now you've really got me. I haven't got a clue!
Voice of Jesus: I'm an old friend, Richard; someone you haven't thought about in years. I've been in the restoration business for longer than you can imagine. A long time ago a shepherd boy wrote this prayer to me: "Restore us, O God of our salvation --"
Richard: OH-MY-GOD! (Falls on his knees)
Voice of Jesus: Ah, finally, you got it!
Richard: Lord, I never was any good at Twenty Questions. But why are you here now?
Voice of Jesus: I am with you always, Richard. It's just that you don't listen for me until you get in trouble, do you?
Richard: Touché. Lord, my life is falling apart: My TV program has been canceled, my credit cards are maxed out, my BMW has been repossessed, my wife is gonna leave me, and I haven't got any visible means of support left. Talk about stress: I'm off the chart on stress levels!
Voice of Jesus: I've got a word of advice for you, Richard. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." That's pretty good advice from my boy Paul -- and he knew something about stress, Richard!
Richard: Oh, he did, did he? He never had a TV show canceled, and he didn't have a wife with an addiction to Visa and MasterCard!
Voice of Jesus: No, he didn't, but Paul suffered imprisonment, beatings, whippings, stonings, shipwrecks, floods, robberies, sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, cold and exposure. Look it up, Richard: It's in Second Corinthians, chapter 11.
Richard: Okay, Lord, so Paul went through a lot more trouble than I have, but he says I should give thanks and pray?
Voice of Jesus: That's right, Richard.
Richard: What's gonna happen if I do that, Lord? Are you gonna touch the hearts of those lemmings out there in Fashion City TV-land, and bring 'em back to Richard Rich and "Restoration Rules"?
Voice of Jesus: No, but maybe I'll touch your heart, Richard.
Richard: What do you mean by that?
Voice of Jesus: If you stop worrying, Richard; if you pray -- turn your worries into prayers and praises and thanksgivings; and if you let your requests be made known to me, then, I promise you, "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your heart and mind through Christ Jesus."
Richard: Um ... no offense meant, Lord, but the peace-of-God-which-passeth understanding ain't gonna do me much good when my creditors come calling and I've got no paycheck comin' in.
Voice of Jesus: Richard, Richard, Richard. When are you going to wake up? Stop filling your mind with the things of this world --
Richard: Lord, I live in this world! What should I be filling my mind with?
Voice of Jesus: Fill your mind with things true, things noble, things reputable, things authentic. Fill your mind with the best, not the worst; things to praise, not things to curse.
Richard: Such as?
Voice of Jesus: Such as the greatest commandment. I know you learned it in Sunday school, Richard, and I trust that it's still in you. Let's say it together.
Voice of Jesus/Richard: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind ... and love your neighbor as yourself."
Voice of Jesus: Good, Richard! Now set your mind on things like this, and let's see what happens.
(Richard kneels and starts to pray)
Richard: Thank you, Lord, for reminding me that you are with me always! Thank you for loving me, even when I forget to love you. Help me to fill my mind with the best, not the worst ... and help me to find your path out of this mess I've got myself into.
(Pauly Producer and Sammy Sales enter stage right)
Richard: Pauly Producer and Sammy Sales! What do you guys want?
Pauly: Rich, I'm so glad we found you, man. The station just got a twenty million dollar grant to do a series on restoring inner-city apartment buildings to provide housing for the homeless.
Richard: So, what's that got to do with me, Pauly?
Pauly: It's got everything to do with you, man! Roland ran some focus groups, and your name came up most often as the M.C. for the series.
Sammy: Yeah, and if Roland is right, this is gonna be a sales bonanza! It's gonna start a whole new consumer trend in Fashion City, U.S.A.
Pauly: Now, Richie, I gotta tell you one thing up front, baby: twenty million bucks seems like a lot of dough, but this budget doesn't have room for a big-bucks salary for you --
Richard: Hey, that's okay, Pauly. It's a paycheck! And I'm happy to be working ... and helping and loving my neighbor as myself. (Looks skyward) Thank you, Lord. I've got the peace that passes understanding down in my heart to stay!
Voice of Jesus: Restoration rules, huh, Richard?
Richard: Your restoration rules, Lord!
(Richard, Pauly, and Sammy exit stage right)
