You And The Law
Drama
Lectionary Scenes
57 Vignettes For Cycle A
Theme
There is a relationship between being guilty, the law, and forgiveness. But how does it really operate?
Summary
Dave, an eighteen year old, has had an accident with the family car. It's not a horrible accident but the other car was a police car. Marge, Dave's mom, is understandably angry and grounds her son. Their discussion of the punishment reveals the nature of forgiveness.
Playing Time: 4 minutes
Setting: Their home
Props: None
Costumes: Casual, appropriate for the characters
Time: The present
Cast: MARGE -- a middle-aged woman
DAVE -- her son
MARGE: (ENTERS, FOLLOWING DAVE) You're grounded!
DAVE: But, Mom, I ...
MARGE: I suppose you're going to tell me you didn't hit that car.
DAVE: I had an accident. I couldn't help it. It was an accident. He was stopped right in the middle of the street and I plowed right into him. It was an accident. I couldn't help it. That's why they call them accidents, because you can't help ...
MARGE: You wouldn't have had the accident if you would have been paying attention.
DAVE: I was paying attention.
MARGE: Paying attention to what? To what?
DAVE: Well, he shouldn't have stopped in front of me like that.
MARGE: What were you doing when you hit that car?
DAVE: What was he doing right in the middle of the street?
MARGE: Why didn't you see him stop? What were you looking at?
DAVE: Possibly, just for a moment, mind you, my attention could have been momentarily diverted.
MARGE: Aha! Just for a moment, eh?
DAVE: The smallest of possible moments. A minuscule, fleeting glance in another direction.
MARGE: At what? What were you looking at?
DAVE: Girls.
MARGE: Girls? I knew it. Girls!
DAVE: Some girls were walking down the street. I took a look.
MARGE: And plowed into a car.
DAVE: Girls, Mom. I'm eighteen. I can't help it. I look at girls.
MARGE: Okay, you look at girls. But did you have to plow into a car while you were looking? Of all the people out there you had to hit a policeman.
DAVE: He was the only one dumb enough to be sitting in the middle of the street.
MARGE: While you were ogling the girls.
DAVE: Don't say "ogling." It sounds so dirty -- "ogling."
MARGE: It is dirty. I meant it to sound that way. You were ogling.
DAVE: Okay. Put it on my criminal record -- "David Wilson, age 18, convicted of two counts of ogling nubile females."
MARGE: That does sound dirty.
DAVE: Well, it wasn't dirty. It was an accident.
MARGE: This is your first brush with the law.
DAVE: "Brush with the law." What does that mean?
MARGE: It means that you'll probably end up leading a life of crime.
DAVE: Mom, I had an accident. I'm not a criminal.
MARGE: It all has to start somewhere -- a "little" accident, then you'll be smoking marijuana, then the harder stuff, and then robbing banks, and then it's death row.
DAVE: Oh, for Pete's sake. I had an accident. If I have criminal tendencies they are probably inherited.
MARGE: Don't bring your father's family into this.
DAVE: I imagine the punishment that will be meted out to me will more than change my life for the good. Grounded! I'm eighteen!
MARGE: If you're old enough to drive our only car into that policeman's rear end you're old enough to deal with the consequences.
DAVE: You're a Christian. What would Jesus have to say about this punishment?
MARGE: Jesus, I'm sure, agrees with me.
DAVE: But the Bible says that Jesus came to abolish the law, so I'm free in Jesus.
MARGE: No so fast, my misinformed, biblical scholar. Jesus came to fulfill the law, not to abolish it.
DAVE: I'll bet Jesus never grounded any of the disciples.
MARGE: Maybe He should have.
DAVE: Who?
MARGE: Judas.
DAVE: Okay. Where's the Christian compassion?
MARGE: It comes after the Christian justice.
DAVE: I need the compassion first.
MARGE: First, you get justice. You're grounded.
DAVE: Okay, I'm grounded. Look, Mom, I'm sorry.
MARGE: Sorry?
DAVE: Sorry, have you heard of it?
MARGE: Not from you. So, you're sorry. What about the damages?
DAVE: I'll pay the damages. I work, you know.
MARGE: You're saving for your education.
DAVE: I think I just got one.
MARGE: Yes, I guess you did.
DAVE: (HUGGING MARGE) Well, am I forgiven?
MARGE: Of course you are. Now, stay out of my way. I've got work to do.
DAVE: Okay, Mom, I'll see ya. (BEGINNING TO EXIT)
MARGE: See ya. Hey! Wait! Where are you going?
DAVE: Out.
MARGE: Okay, don't be late. (DAVE EXITS) You're grounded. Oh, well. I wonder sometimes if I should have taught him about forgiveness.
There is a relationship between being guilty, the law, and forgiveness. But how does it really operate?
Summary
Dave, an eighteen year old, has had an accident with the family car. It's not a horrible accident but the other car was a police car. Marge, Dave's mom, is understandably angry and grounds her son. Their discussion of the punishment reveals the nature of forgiveness.
Playing Time: 4 minutes
Setting: Their home
Props: None
Costumes: Casual, appropriate for the characters
Time: The present
Cast: MARGE -- a middle-aged woman
DAVE -- her son
MARGE: (ENTERS, FOLLOWING DAVE) You're grounded!
DAVE: But, Mom, I ...
MARGE: I suppose you're going to tell me you didn't hit that car.
DAVE: I had an accident. I couldn't help it. It was an accident. He was stopped right in the middle of the street and I plowed right into him. It was an accident. I couldn't help it. That's why they call them accidents, because you can't help ...
MARGE: You wouldn't have had the accident if you would have been paying attention.
DAVE: I was paying attention.
MARGE: Paying attention to what? To what?
DAVE: Well, he shouldn't have stopped in front of me like that.
MARGE: What were you doing when you hit that car?
DAVE: What was he doing right in the middle of the street?
MARGE: Why didn't you see him stop? What were you looking at?
DAVE: Possibly, just for a moment, mind you, my attention could have been momentarily diverted.
MARGE: Aha! Just for a moment, eh?
DAVE: The smallest of possible moments. A minuscule, fleeting glance in another direction.
MARGE: At what? What were you looking at?
DAVE: Girls.
MARGE: Girls? I knew it. Girls!
DAVE: Some girls were walking down the street. I took a look.
MARGE: And plowed into a car.
DAVE: Girls, Mom. I'm eighteen. I can't help it. I look at girls.
MARGE: Okay, you look at girls. But did you have to plow into a car while you were looking? Of all the people out there you had to hit a policeman.
DAVE: He was the only one dumb enough to be sitting in the middle of the street.
MARGE: While you were ogling the girls.
DAVE: Don't say "ogling." It sounds so dirty -- "ogling."
MARGE: It is dirty. I meant it to sound that way. You were ogling.
DAVE: Okay. Put it on my criminal record -- "David Wilson, age 18, convicted of two counts of ogling nubile females."
MARGE: That does sound dirty.
DAVE: Well, it wasn't dirty. It was an accident.
MARGE: This is your first brush with the law.
DAVE: "Brush with the law." What does that mean?
MARGE: It means that you'll probably end up leading a life of crime.
DAVE: Mom, I had an accident. I'm not a criminal.
MARGE: It all has to start somewhere -- a "little" accident, then you'll be smoking marijuana, then the harder stuff, and then robbing banks, and then it's death row.
DAVE: Oh, for Pete's sake. I had an accident. If I have criminal tendencies they are probably inherited.
MARGE: Don't bring your father's family into this.
DAVE: I imagine the punishment that will be meted out to me will more than change my life for the good. Grounded! I'm eighteen!
MARGE: If you're old enough to drive our only car into that policeman's rear end you're old enough to deal with the consequences.
DAVE: You're a Christian. What would Jesus have to say about this punishment?
MARGE: Jesus, I'm sure, agrees with me.
DAVE: But the Bible says that Jesus came to abolish the law, so I'm free in Jesus.
MARGE: No so fast, my misinformed, biblical scholar. Jesus came to fulfill the law, not to abolish it.
DAVE: I'll bet Jesus never grounded any of the disciples.
MARGE: Maybe He should have.
DAVE: Who?
MARGE: Judas.
DAVE: Okay. Where's the Christian compassion?
MARGE: It comes after the Christian justice.
DAVE: I need the compassion first.
MARGE: First, you get justice. You're grounded.
DAVE: Okay, I'm grounded. Look, Mom, I'm sorry.
MARGE: Sorry?
DAVE: Sorry, have you heard of it?
MARGE: Not from you. So, you're sorry. What about the damages?
DAVE: I'll pay the damages. I work, you know.
MARGE: You're saving for your education.
DAVE: I think I just got one.
MARGE: Yes, I guess you did.
DAVE: (HUGGING MARGE) Well, am I forgiven?
MARGE: Of course you are. Now, stay out of my way. I've got work to do.
DAVE: Okay, Mom, I'll see ya. (BEGINNING TO EXIT)
MARGE: See ya. Hey! Wait! Where are you going?
DAVE: Out.
MARGE: Okay, don't be late. (DAVE EXITS) You're grounded. Oh, well. I wonder sometimes if I should have taught him about forgiveness.
