The Spirit Of The Lord Is Upon Us
Drama
Graduation Is Not For Angels
Contemporary Christian Dramas
Object:
This intense drama takes the dry bones vision of the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 37 and ties it with the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. Scripturally based, this drama is meant to add depth and meaning to the church's celebration of Pentecost and/or Baptism.
* * *
Setting: The graveyard of bones which the prophet Ezekiel saw in Ezekiel 37. It is now centuries later
Characters:
THE PROPHET EZEKIEL: A man who speaks with conviction and vision, very learned, gifted, with a powerful intellect
THE PROPHET JOEL: A man who is soft-spoken, yet deeply committed to the message of God
SEVEN SAINTS: Can be assorted ages (ideal for baptismal candidate involvement) Note: Though dialogue is taken directly from Scripture, it may be made personal, where appropriate, for effect
Costumes: Biblical dress for prophets, white robes or Sunday modern dress for Saints. Saints carry Bibles
Props: Bones, two draped boxes, Bibles for Saints
Scene: Ezekiel and Joel stand among a large array of dry bones scattered about the stage. Among the bones sit two darkly draped boxes for seating
* * *
(EZEKIEL and JOEL are chatting about the events of earth. JOEL is sitting while EZEKIEL stands center stage facing the audience. JOEL is intently listening)
EZEKIEL: (Telling the story, with conviction and forcefulness) The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley. It was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them. I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very parched and dry. And he asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
And I said, "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know."
Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.' "
So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: breathe into these slain, that they may live.' " So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet -- a vast army.
Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ... I will put my Spirit in you and you will live ... Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord' " (Ezekiel 37:1-14 NIV).
(Sighs deeply. Turns to his companion) Ah, Joel, it still seems like only yesterday. (Spreads his hands out in emphasis to encompass the whole audience) And that which you see now going on earth is that which you and I prophesied about centuries ago. God is truly pouring out his Spirit.
JOEL: (Rises to his feet and joins EZEKIEL. He is obviously touched) To see God's life imparted to lives as dead as these skeletons, Ezekiel. I find it too marvelous to comprehend. When you walked among these bones, did you know what God was truly doing? What the future would hold? And me ... when I spoke that God would pour out his Spirit on all people. (Looks out at audience as though telling a story, pensively as though remembering back to those times on earth) "Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions" (Joel 2:28-29 NIV). "So rejoice, O people of Zion, and be glad in the Lord your God, for he has given you the early rain for your vindication. And he has poured down for you the rain. The early and latter rain as before. And the threshing floors will be full of grain, and the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil" (Joel 2:23-24 NIV).
(SAINTS begin slowly moving from the pews to various positions around and on stage. They surround both prophets at a distance)
Look ... (Points to the line of SAINTS) You and I thought that when God poured out his Spirit in Jerusalem, that day on Pentecost, the glory of the Lord had risen indeed. But that was just the beginning. That was just the beginning.
EZEKIEL: (Softly, puts hand on Joel's shoulder in brotherhood, looks up to heaven almost prayerfully) And his precious Spirit just keeps pouring out, Joel, it just keeps pouring out. Without measure, with life-changing power ... with truth, and joy, and love ... Those who desire the presence of God in their lives receive. It's truly the mystery of the ages.
JOEL: (Steps forward) And praise God for his goodness, Ezekiel, you and I are about to see it again. (Glances around) Look at these precious saints of God. I see their hearts, their hunger for a living God to take control of their lives. They will not be disappointed. No, they will not be disappointed. Listen ...
(Song: "Holy Spirit Thou Art Welcome In This Place," or something similar, begins to play in background. Continues softly as 1ST SAINT speaks)
1ST SAINT: Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17-18 NIV).
2ND SAINT: For I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants; and they will spring up among the grass like poplars by streams of water (Isaiah 44:3 NIV).
3RD SAINT: Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God. For we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:12,16 NIV).
4TH SAINT: But just as it is written, things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him. For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God (1 Corinthians 2:9-10 NIV).
5TH SAINT: But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you (John 16:13-14 NIV).
6TH SAINT: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will (Romans 8:26-27 NIV).
7TH SAINT: Because you are sons (and daughters), God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son (a daughter); and since you are a son (a daughter), God has made you also an heir (Galatians 4:6 NIV).
(Song fades out)
EZEKIEL: (Puts both hands on Joel's shoulders) Oh, Joel, my dear brother, it will be so glorious to watch these saints continue to grow with God's spirit. Their hearts are ready. As the prophet Hosea said, "So let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And he will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth."
JOEL: (Raises hands in prayer) Come, Holy Spirit of God. Come fill these hearts with your power, your love, and your grace, that the world may know that you truly are God. To him be the power and the glory now and forevermore. Amen.
(All characters bow heads for a brief moment. SAINTS exit first, then both PROPHETS)
* * *
Setting: The graveyard of bones which the prophet Ezekiel saw in Ezekiel 37. It is now centuries later
Characters:
THE PROPHET EZEKIEL: A man who speaks with conviction and vision, very learned, gifted, with a powerful intellect
THE PROPHET JOEL: A man who is soft-spoken, yet deeply committed to the message of God
SEVEN SAINTS: Can be assorted ages (ideal for baptismal candidate involvement) Note: Though dialogue is taken directly from Scripture, it may be made personal, where appropriate, for effect
Costumes: Biblical dress for prophets, white robes or Sunday modern dress for Saints. Saints carry Bibles
Props: Bones, two draped boxes, Bibles for Saints
Scene: Ezekiel and Joel stand among a large array of dry bones scattered about the stage. Among the bones sit two darkly draped boxes for seating
* * *
(EZEKIEL and JOEL are chatting about the events of earth. JOEL is sitting while EZEKIEL stands center stage facing the audience. JOEL is intently listening)
EZEKIEL: (Telling the story, with conviction and forcefulness) The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley. It was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them. I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very parched and dry. And he asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
And I said, "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know."
Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.' "
So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: breathe into these slain, that they may live.' " So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet -- a vast army.
Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ... I will put my Spirit in you and you will live ... Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord' " (Ezekiel 37:1-14 NIV).
(Sighs deeply. Turns to his companion) Ah, Joel, it still seems like only yesterday. (Spreads his hands out in emphasis to encompass the whole audience) And that which you see now going on earth is that which you and I prophesied about centuries ago. God is truly pouring out his Spirit.
JOEL: (Rises to his feet and joins EZEKIEL. He is obviously touched) To see God's life imparted to lives as dead as these skeletons, Ezekiel. I find it too marvelous to comprehend. When you walked among these bones, did you know what God was truly doing? What the future would hold? And me ... when I spoke that God would pour out his Spirit on all people. (Looks out at audience as though telling a story, pensively as though remembering back to those times on earth) "Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions" (Joel 2:28-29 NIV). "So rejoice, O people of Zion, and be glad in the Lord your God, for he has given you the early rain for your vindication. And he has poured down for you the rain. The early and latter rain as before. And the threshing floors will be full of grain, and the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil" (Joel 2:23-24 NIV).
(SAINTS begin slowly moving from the pews to various positions around and on stage. They surround both prophets at a distance)
Look ... (Points to the line of SAINTS) You and I thought that when God poured out his Spirit in Jerusalem, that day on Pentecost, the glory of the Lord had risen indeed. But that was just the beginning. That was just the beginning.
EZEKIEL: (Softly, puts hand on Joel's shoulder in brotherhood, looks up to heaven almost prayerfully) And his precious Spirit just keeps pouring out, Joel, it just keeps pouring out. Without measure, with life-changing power ... with truth, and joy, and love ... Those who desire the presence of God in their lives receive. It's truly the mystery of the ages.
JOEL: (Steps forward) And praise God for his goodness, Ezekiel, you and I are about to see it again. (Glances around) Look at these precious saints of God. I see their hearts, their hunger for a living God to take control of their lives. They will not be disappointed. No, they will not be disappointed. Listen ...
(Song: "Holy Spirit Thou Art Welcome In This Place," or something similar, begins to play in background. Continues softly as 1ST SAINT speaks)
1ST SAINT: Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17-18 NIV).
2ND SAINT: For I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants; and they will spring up among the grass like poplars by streams of water (Isaiah 44:3 NIV).
3RD SAINT: Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God. For we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:12,16 NIV).
4TH SAINT: But just as it is written, things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him. For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God (1 Corinthians 2:9-10 NIV).
5TH SAINT: But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you (John 16:13-14 NIV).
6TH SAINT: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will (Romans 8:26-27 NIV).
7TH SAINT: Because you are sons (and daughters), God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son (a daughter); and since you are a son (a daughter), God has made you also an heir (Galatians 4:6 NIV).
(Song fades out)
EZEKIEL: (Puts both hands on Joel's shoulders) Oh, Joel, my dear brother, it will be so glorious to watch these saints continue to grow with God's spirit. Their hearts are ready. As the prophet Hosea said, "So let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And he will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth."
JOEL: (Raises hands in prayer) Come, Holy Spirit of God. Come fill these hearts with your power, your love, and your grace, that the world may know that you truly are God. To him be the power and the glory now and forevermore. Amen.
(All characters bow heads for a brief moment. SAINTS exit first, then both PROPHETS)
