Whose Gift Is It, Anyway?
Drama
Thespian Theology
Advent, Christmas, Epiphany
Thespian Theological Thoughts
What does it mean to be "gifted"? When our kids were growing up, there was a program in the public schools called TAG: the Talented And Gifted program. When our oldest failed to qualify for TAG, I was indignant: Who were these so-called educators to tell my little princess that she wasn't Talented And Gifted?
The truth is: We're all gifted. God has given each and every one of his children a gift or gifts, and our job is to discover what that gift is, and then exercise it -- to God's glory.
But that's not the way we tend to view things, is it? We tend to idolize the exceptional athletes and entertainers and orators in our midst, and we call them "gifted." As if the rest of us are not! And more often than not, these exceptional athletes and entertainers and orators become so puffed up with their own giftedness, that their allure gets lost in a miasma of self-centeredness.
But God says that he has given to each one of us "the manifestation of the Spirit" (i.e., gifts) "for the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7; emphasis mine). So we must not toot our own horns ... toot God's!
I pray that you will have fun singing the silly little ditties contained in this play. Ham it up!
Cast
Narrator
Wilhelmina Wisdom
Knorton Knowledge
Frederica Faith
Harriet Healing
Mikey Miracles
Peter Prophecy
Teresa Tongues
Paul the Apostle
Props/Costumes
Wilhelmina -- Bible
Knorton -- Bible
(Narrator is at podium, stage left)
Narrator: Once-upon-a-time -- not that along ago -- there was a very gifted community of Christians. Every single one of these folks had a wonderful gift.
(Wilhelmina Wisdom enters stage right and moves to center stage)
Narrator: There was Wilhelmina Wisdom, whose gift was the message of wisdom.
Wilhelmina: (Reads from a Bible) "Wisdom shouts in the street, she lifts her voice in the square. Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forsake her, and she will watch over you." (Turns to the audience) Ah, yes, my brothers and sisters. Listen to my good advice: Wise counsel is the key to life! (Moves upstage right)
(Knorton Knowledge enters stage left; moves to center stage)
Narrator: Another gifted one, Knorton Knowledge, also used the Bible in the exercise of his gift.
Knorton: That's Knorton with a "K," please note.
Wilhelmina: Oh, right, that's Mr. Ka-norton Ka-nowledge, shooting off his big mouth!
Knorton: Put a cork in it, Ms. Wise Counsel! Your wisdom is as shallow as a toddler's wading pool, when compared to the erudition and integrity of my biblical research. If you truly seek a clear understanding, my word of knowledge is the key to life! (Struts upstage left, sticking his tongue out at Wilhelmina)
Narrator: My goodness, we seem to have an intellectual heavyweight bout going on here!
(Frederica Faith enters stage right; comes to center stage)
Narrator: Maybe Frederica Faith can shed some light here.
Frederica: Yes, indeed, I can! "For by grace are ye saved through faith." That's the King James Version: I think it sounds so much more like God speaking, don't you? (Turns to Wilhelmina and Knorton) My dear sister and brother: What you need in your life is my simple faith and trust in God. "Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth." Good ol' King James! (Moves upstage right)
(Harriet Healing enters stage left; moves to center stage)
Harriet: (Sweeps her hand around, indicating all the others on stage) "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have I give thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
Narrator: Harriet Healing! What do you have to add to this discourse?
Harriet: My healing touch, of course, what else? I have the gift of healing, and I will share it with all who are sick or distressed in mind, body, or spirit. My healing is the key to life! (Moves upstage left, making a sign of the cross over others)
Wilhelmina/Knorton/Frederica: (Together) Sheesh! Gimme a break!
(Mikey Miracles enters stage left; moves to center stage)
Mikey: Have no fear ... Mikey Miracles is here! What this community needs can't be supplied by any of you bozos: You need a miracle. My gift is the working of miracles, and I will work my miracles on this sorry little group ... if you'll just shut up and give me a chance.
Harriet: Oh, give it a rest, Mikey!
(Mikey moves upstage right; Peter Prophecy enters stage left)
Peter: Silence! I have a word of prophecy from the Lord.
Narrator: And just who are you, sir?
Peter: I, sir, am Peter Prophecy ... and the Lord hath spoken to me a word of prophecy to wit: "If this bunch of ding-a-lings will turn their hearts and minds toward my prophet Peter, I will speak my word of truth through him."
(All five cast members, in unison, stick out their tongues at Peter, and give him a big razzberry; Teresa Tongues enters stage right; moves to center stage)
Teresa: Shabba dabba poku obbah shoo.
Entire Cast: (Together) Excuse me?
Teresa: Oh, pardon me. I'm Teresa Tongues, and I was just using my gift of tongues to lift a special prayer to our Father in heaven. He really hears my prayers, you know.
(At this point, each cast member begins to sing his/her own song, in turn, as follows. When one has finished, the next one starts)
Wilhelmina: (To the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat")
Wise, wise, wise advice --
That is what I give!
Sensibly, rationally, shrewdly, judiciously --
Wisdom helps you live!
Knorton: (To the tune of "Frere Jacques")
Understanding, understanding:
That's the key, that's the key!
With my gift of knowledge,
I don't need a college --
I've got me, I've got me!
Frederica: (To the tune of "Three Blind Mice")
Simple faith, simple faith:
That's the key --Êlook at me!
I only lean on my trust in God,
And even if you may think I'm odd,
The gift of my faith is a gift from God,
So look at me!
Harriet: (To the tune of "Dixie")
I can heal you -- doesn't matter what you've gotten,
Blindness, deafness, teeth so rotten!
I can heal! I can heal! I can heal!
Come to me!
Mikey: (To the tune of "Amazing Grace")
My miracles are wondrous works!
Just stick around -- you'll see!
Forget the gifts of all these jerks --
Just come and follow me!
Peter: (To the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic")
Mine eyes have heard direction
from the one and only God,
He hath told me what to tell you,
even though you think it's odd!
If you listen to me closely,
then I'm sure that you will see:
The key to life's in me!
Teresa: (To the tune of "Edelweiss")
Shabba doo, Obbah doe,
Pushka dushka maplinga!
Shibba dee, Glibba ree
Gloopa Moopa Sherplinga!
(All six characters now sing their songs at the same time; the cacophony is horrible! Paul the Apostle comes down the center aisle)
Paul: Whoa! Cool it! Silencio, already! (When everybody is quiet) Man, talk about a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal: You guys take the prize! What is going on here?
Wilhelmina: And just who are you, barging in here like this?
Paul: I'll give you a hint: "If I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal."
Frederica: Oh my, it's Paul the Apostle! (Runs to Paul, curtsies and takes his hand) Oh, Your Grace, I have so wanted to meet you in person!
Paul: Er, ah. Nice to meet you. But tell me: What was going on around here? It sounded like a herd of wounded water buffaloes!
Frederica: I was merely exercising my gift of faith, Your Grace.
Wilhelmina: And I, my gift of wise counsel.
Knorton: I was merely sharing my words of wisdom.
Harriet: And I, my gift of healing.
Peter: My gift of prophecy was what I gladly shared.
Teresa: And I, my gift of praying in tongues.
Paul: Whose gifts are these?
All Six: (In unison) Mine!
Paul: I don't think so! Each one of you was given a gift -- a manifestation of God's Holy Spirit -- for the common good. Not so that you can toot your own horns! The expressions of God's power are in action everywhere ... but God is behind them all. These gifts you have should point people to God, not to you.
All Six: (In unison) Ooooops!
Paul: So, whose gift is it, anyway?
All Six: (In unison; point to the sky) His!
(Optional: Paul leads the cast in singing "Wind, Wind, Blow On Me")
What does it mean to be "gifted"? When our kids were growing up, there was a program in the public schools called TAG: the Talented And Gifted program. When our oldest failed to qualify for TAG, I was indignant: Who were these so-called educators to tell my little princess that she wasn't Talented And Gifted?
The truth is: We're all gifted. God has given each and every one of his children a gift or gifts, and our job is to discover what that gift is, and then exercise it -- to God's glory.
But that's not the way we tend to view things, is it? We tend to idolize the exceptional athletes and entertainers and orators in our midst, and we call them "gifted." As if the rest of us are not! And more often than not, these exceptional athletes and entertainers and orators become so puffed up with their own giftedness, that their allure gets lost in a miasma of self-centeredness.
But God says that he has given to each one of us "the manifestation of the Spirit" (i.e., gifts) "for the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7; emphasis mine). So we must not toot our own horns ... toot God's!
I pray that you will have fun singing the silly little ditties contained in this play. Ham it up!
Cast
Narrator
Wilhelmina Wisdom
Knorton Knowledge
Frederica Faith
Harriet Healing
Mikey Miracles
Peter Prophecy
Teresa Tongues
Paul the Apostle
Props/Costumes
Wilhelmina -- Bible
Knorton -- Bible
(Narrator is at podium, stage left)
Narrator: Once-upon-a-time -- not that along ago -- there was a very gifted community of Christians. Every single one of these folks had a wonderful gift.
(Wilhelmina Wisdom enters stage right and moves to center stage)
Narrator: There was Wilhelmina Wisdom, whose gift was the message of wisdom.
Wilhelmina: (Reads from a Bible) "Wisdom shouts in the street, she lifts her voice in the square. Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forsake her, and she will watch over you." (Turns to the audience) Ah, yes, my brothers and sisters. Listen to my good advice: Wise counsel is the key to life! (Moves upstage right)
(Knorton Knowledge enters stage left; moves to center stage)
Narrator: Another gifted one, Knorton Knowledge, also used the Bible in the exercise of his gift.
Knorton: That's Knorton with a "K," please note.
Wilhelmina: Oh, right, that's Mr. Ka-norton Ka-nowledge, shooting off his big mouth!
Knorton: Put a cork in it, Ms. Wise Counsel! Your wisdom is as shallow as a toddler's wading pool, when compared to the erudition and integrity of my biblical research. If you truly seek a clear understanding, my word of knowledge is the key to life! (Struts upstage left, sticking his tongue out at Wilhelmina)
Narrator: My goodness, we seem to have an intellectual heavyweight bout going on here!
(Frederica Faith enters stage right; comes to center stage)
Narrator: Maybe Frederica Faith can shed some light here.
Frederica: Yes, indeed, I can! "For by grace are ye saved through faith." That's the King James Version: I think it sounds so much more like God speaking, don't you? (Turns to Wilhelmina and Knorton) My dear sister and brother: What you need in your life is my simple faith and trust in God. "Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth." Good ol' King James! (Moves upstage right)
(Harriet Healing enters stage left; moves to center stage)
Harriet: (Sweeps her hand around, indicating all the others on stage) "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have I give thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
Narrator: Harriet Healing! What do you have to add to this discourse?
Harriet: My healing touch, of course, what else? I have the gift of healing, and I will share it with all who are sick or distressed in mind, body, or spirit. My healing is the key to life! (Moves upstage left, making a sign of the cross over others)
Wilhelmina/Knorton/Frederica: (Together) Sheesh! Gimme a break!
(Mikey Miracles enters stage left; moves to center stage)
Mikey: Have no fear ... Mikey Miracles is here! What this community needs can't be supplied by any of you bozos: You need a miracle. My gift is the working of miracles, and I will work my miracles on this sorry little group ... if you'll just shut up and give me a chance.
Harriet: Oh, give it a rest, Mikey!
(Mikey moves upstage right; Peter Prophecy enters stage left)
Peter: Silence! I have a word of prophecy from the Lord.
Narrator: And just who are you, sir?
Peter: I, sir, am Peter Prophecy ... and the Lord hath spoken to me a word of prophecy to wit: "If this bunch of ding-a-lings will turn their hearts and minds toward my prophet Peter, I will speak my word of truth through him."
(All five cast members, in unison, stick out their tongues at Peter, and give him a big razzberry; Teresa Tongues enters stage right; moves to center stage)
Teresa: Shabba dabba poku obbah shoo.
Entire Cast: (Together) Excuse me?
Teresa: Oh, pardon me. I'm Teresa Tongues, and I was just using my gift of tongues to lift a special prayer to our Father in heaven. He really hears my prayers, you know.
(At this point, each cast member begins to sing his/her own song, in turn, as follows. When one has finished, the next one starts)
Wilhelmina: (To the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat")
Wise, wise, wise advice --
That is what I give!
Sensibly, rationally, shrewdly, judiciously --
Wisdom helps you live!
Knorton: (To the tune of "Frere Jacques")
Understanding, understanding:
That's the key, that's the key!
With my gift of knowledge,
I don't need a college --
I've got me, I've got me!
Frederica: (To the tune of "Three Blind Mice")
Simple faith, simple faith:
That's the key --Êlook at me!
I only lean on my trust in God,
And even if you may think I'm odd,
The gift of my faith is a gift from God,
So look at me!
Harriet: (To the tune of "Dixie")
I can heal you -- doesn't matter what you've gotten,
Blindness, deafness, teeth so rotten!
I can heal! I can heal! I can heal!
Come to me!
Mikey: (To the tune of "Amazing Grace")
My miracles are wondrous works!
Just stick around -- you'll see!
Forget the gifts of all these jerks --
Just come and follow me!
Peter: (To the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic")
Mine eyes have heard direction
from the one and only God,
He hath told me what to tell you,
even though you think it's odd!
If you listen to me closely,
then I'm sure that you will see:
The key to life's in me!
Teresa: (To the tune of "Edelweiss")
Shabba doo, Obbah doe,
Pushka dushka maplinga!
Shibba dee, Glibba ree
Gloopa Moopa Sherplinga!
(All six characters now sing their songs at the same time; the cacophony is horrible! Paul the Apostle comes down the center aisle)
Paul: Whoa! Cool it! Silencio, already! (When everybody is quiet) Man, talk about a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal: You guys take the prize! What is going on here?
Wilhelmina: And just who are you, barging in here like this?
Paul: I'll give you a hint: "If I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal."
Frederica: Oh my, it's Paul the Apostle! (Runs to Paul, curtsies and takes his hand) Oh, Your Grace, I have so wanted to meet you in person!
Paul: Er, ah. Nice to meet you. But tell me: What was going on around here? It sounded like a herd of wounded water buffaloes!
Frederica: I was merely exercising my gift of faith, Your Grace.
Wilhelmina: And I, my gift of wise counsel.
Knorton: I was merely sharing my words of wisdom.
Harriet: And I, my gift of healing.
Peter: My gift of prophecy was what I gladly shared.
Teresa: And I, my gift of praying in tongues.
Paul: Whose gifts are these?
All Six: (In unison) Mine!
Paul: I don't think so! Each one of you was given a gift -- a manifestation of God's Holy Spirit -- for the common good. Not so that you can toot your own horns! The expressions of God's power are in action everywhere ... but God is behind them all. These gifts you have should point people to God, not to you.
All Six: (In unison) Ooooops!
Paul: So, whose gift is it, anyway?
All Six: (In unison; point to the sky) His!
(Optional: Paul leads the cast in singing "Wind, Wind, Blow On Me")
