* Designed to be done at the beginning of service, interrupting the “welcome”

SETTING and CHARACTERS
While the congregation does get a line (they will always say “Good morning” back when addressed. One of the few for sure things in a church!) the two main characters are HOPE and FEAR. Hope should be read by the person doing the announcements or welcome. Fear should be seated in the congregation or choir (a big black shirt with white letters that says “FEAR” is a nice touch). Body language is Fear’s best costume. Fear will need a good microphone. You can also do this from two microphones up front but it works much better if Fear is “interrupting” from the congregation.

SCRIPT
Hope Good morning!
Church: Good morning.
Fear What do you want?
H What do I want?
F Yeah…what do you want?
H Nothing…I’m just saying “Good morning.”
F No one says “Good Morning!” like that unless they want something.
H No, really…this is just an exciting morning for us. This is Consecration Sunday.
F There it is.
H There what is?
F Consecration Sunday…I knew you wanted something.
H What do you mean?
F Time to butter me up before you make your demands.
H Why do you need to be buttered up?
F You are going to tell me how much I should be giving, aren’t you?
H No.
F No?
H No.
F What do you want then?
H Nothing.
F Yeah, right.
H Now, what God wants…that is something different.
F Oh, I get it. You get God to do your dirty work for you!
H No, just being truthful. Today we will look at our level of commitment to God. And we will look at what God expects of us.
F So, how much does God expect from me…and is that before or after taxes?
H I don’t know.
F You don’t know!?! You are not very good at this. If you don’t know, then you can’t know how much guilt to use in getting me to write my check.
H You won’t get any guilt from me. But you do get things from God.
F Yeah, like potlucks, the music, donuts before Sunday School, and a softball team. I can get all those things somewhere else.
H How about love? How about support? How about salvation?
F See, there you go with the guilt.
H No guilt. Just reminding you of what God gives us.
F And I should pay for that? I thought the best things in life were free! Isn’t that in the Bible somewhere? Church should be free.
H The best things are free.
F Then why are we going to talk about tithing, giving and everything else today?
H Stewardship.
F That’s not an answer. That’s a committee. How is that an answer?
H Do you know what it means?
F Enlighten me.
H It means taking care of the gifts we are given.
F But it is not a gift if I am paying for it!
H It’s the other way around. We give because we have already received.
God blesses us and in response, we use those blessings to share God’s love with others.
F Did God pay taxes on those blessings?
H I know it can be difficult to see it this way, but it is true. God’s blessings come in the forms of health, love, support, teaching, learning, playing, and in every breath of every day. Stewardship is how we use those blessings.
F But, why did God give them to us if we aren’t supposed to use them for ourselves?
H Well, it isn’t like we are going to live here on earth forever! Even our most prized possessions are just temporarily in our custody. We are just caring for them while we have them. Anyway…in Christ we are one people, one body. My gifts are yours….
F And mine should be yours?
H That is your decision. That is why we are here today.
F But so many have more things…
or are temporarily watching over more things than me.
Surely they can afford to cover me this year.
H It is not about covering a budget. It is not about evening things out.
It is about responding to God in faith. Stop thinking about this as a bill to be paid.
F But you will send me a bill if I don’t pay!
H When you were little, did your family ever remind you to say your prayers?
F Sure.
H We all need reminders. But that doesn’t change the fact that our giving is between us and God. It is our response. God has given so much. The only question left is how we will use it.
F I’m not sure.
H Of course you are not sure.
F What do you mean?
H That’s why they call it faith.
F So, I am supposed to…
H You are supposed to trust God! If not, you may live your whole life in fear.
If not, you may become so afraid that you even change your name to fear.
F But my name is fear!
H See what I mean.
F What am I supposed to do about it?
H Let go of your fears…trust God.
F That is a big jump.
H That’s what God is looking for from you…big jumps.
Let go. Trust God.
F But I have responsibilities…a family, a home, a job.
H And God knows that. God loves your family too! Try caring for them together with God. Remember, your responsibilities are part of God’s gifts to you.
F I don’t know. Maybe I will wait for the sermon and see what the preacher, my spouse, my accountant and my broker have to say.
H Okay…but, maybe along the way, you will stop and listen to what God has to say as well.

Sunday – China

Opening Ceremony: Welcome and introductions
Music with Sue Lou
Mission introduction for the week
Light the Christ Candle – take light to Centering time

Centering: Olympic theme and idea that we are each Christ bearers
Learn about your country (See Country List)

Scripture: John 17: 20 – 21
“…and Jesus prayed that all may be one…”

Daily Praise:
“Praise God” in Chinese = Zan – Mei – Shen

Snack: Fortune cookies with scripture inside (order on-line)
Craft: Coffee filter globes (filters, blue ink, green ink, table protectors)
Games: Shot put, javelin throw, and other classic Olympic style games

Cultural Exchange:
Ambassador: Rebecca Cardwell
Songs: Sue Lou’s choice

Monday – Kenya

Opening Ceremony: Light the Christ Candle
Welcome and introductions
Music with Sue Lou
Mission update
Take the light to Centering time

Scripture: Ephesians 3: 13 – 14
But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.

Daily Praise:
Bwana Asifwe (Bwah-nah A-sif-way) = “Praise God” in Kenya

Centering: Focus on refugees
Worshiping God in different ways

Snack: “Ants on a Log” (Celery filled with crème-cheese with raisons on top)
Craft: Canvas bags (wondering people) or masks (traditional African designs)
Games: Blob tag, bump tag, grab tag (people moving, connecting, and being stuck)

Cultural Exchange:
Ambassador: Sheila McFarland
Songs: Sue Lou’s choice

Tuesday – Argentina

Opening Ceremony: Welcome
Music with Sue Lou
Mission update
Light the Christ Candle – take light to Centering time

Scripture: Hebrews 12: 1
And let us run with patience the race set before us…

Daily Praise: “Praise God” in Spanish = Adore al Senor

Centering: God is with us at the table
Give thanks for what god gives us
God is not about winning and loosing, but those we play with

Snack: Empanadas (Mandye to get recipe)
Craft: Woven pot-holder loop things
Games: relay races and obstacle course (focus on not rushing but collecting things)

Cultural Exchange:
Ambassador: Mandye Yates
Songs: Sue Lou’s choice

Wednesday – Italy

Opening Ceremony: Welcome
Music with Sue Lou
Mission update
Light the Christ Candle – take light to Centering time

Scripture: Psalm 67
“…Let all the people’s praise you…”

Daily Praise:
“Lode a Dio” = Praise God in Italian

Centering: Tradition of faith passed down through the years
Catholic concept of history
Widows told the story to those who could not read

Snack: Bagel pizzas
Craft: stained glass crosses
Games: Crab soccer and passing the Earthball games
Instructions for older ones in picture form… no verbal rules

Cultural Exchange:
Ambassador: ____________ (Catholic leader?)
Songs: Sue Lou’s choice

Thursday – Russia

Opening Ceremony: Welcome
Music with Sue Lou
Mission update
Light the Christ Candle – take light to Centering time

Scripture: Mary and Martha story
And the smell of the perfume filled the room

Daily Praise:
“Praise God” in Russian = Bog Pokvaly

Centering: Multi-sensory worship
Incense to connect smell
Something for touch and sight?
Old Icons?

Snack: Ice-cream Sundays (blindfold when picking toppings- by smell or touch)
Craft: Incense burners
Games: Blindfold games / trust activities

Cultural Exchange:
Ambassador: ___________
Songs: Sue Lou’s choice

The .pdf contains the way the snowmanpf font looks.  It was a fun addition to the programs.

Love Your Enemies Skit

Characters: Teen Girl

Spirit of Good Conscience (dressed in white)

Spirit of Bad Conscience (dressed in black)

Teen Girl: I Hate Her!

Spirit of Good Conscience: No you don’t, you’re just really mad at her.

Teen Girl: No way, I Hate Her! I Hate her more than I hate peas, more than I hate having my cell phone taken away, more than I’ve ever hated anyone in my entire life. I hope she dies…or gets her shampoo substituted with Nair and all of her hair falls out.

Spirit of Bad Conscience: Yeah! Girl, you have every reason to hate her. After what she did to you? Man, she’s lucky to still be…well, you might have gone a little overboard on the whole “I hope she dies” thing, but you should totally look into that Nair stunt. At the very least get her back with a little baldness.

Spirit of Good Conscience: Oh, you don’t hate her. Hate is not good for the soul.

Teen Girl: You know what’s good for the soul? Posting all of her secrets on Facebook. That’s totally what I’m going to do. That time she forgot to study for the test and cheated off of someone else? That’s going out to the world. That time she spilled her chocolate milk all over and blamed it on someone else? She’s busted. I’m going to let it all out.

Spirit of Good Conscience: You know that won’t make you feel better?

Spirit of Bad Conscience: Whatever! It will totally make her feel better.  And besides, the misery that she’ll get  from that humiliation is just a fraction of the pain that she caused you.

Teen Girl: (Crying) My life is over!!!

Spirit of Good Conscience: Your life isn’t over. You will be fine. You are hurting right now, and it’s ok to hurt.  This is a painful time and you need to take time to feel sad. But tomorrow you will feel a little better. And you’ll feel a little better the day after that. And eventually this day will be a bad memory. What she did was not nice, but you will gain nothing by being mean back to her.

Teen Girl: Whatever! It says in the bible, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” She ruined my life, I’m going to ruin hers. We were in love! Don’t you understand that? He was totally the hottest guy that I have ever met.  Did you see him? His blue eyes, the way he flipped his hair to the side just like Justin Bieber? We were going to spend our lives together and she just comes and and takes him away from me. I will never be happy again! (Cries in to Spirit of Bad Conscience’s shoulder)

Spirit of Bad Conscience: (Patting Teen Girl on the back) There, there. I’ll help you get that backstabbing, no good, boyfriend stealer back. She won’t know what hit her.

Spirit of Good Conscience: Jesus actually said, “You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” He also said, “I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Teen Girl: Jesus wants me to do what?

Spirit of Bad Conscience: Yeah, Jesus wants her to do what?

Spirit of Good Conscience: Love your enemies. Pray for them.

Spirit of Bad Conscience: Jesus must be crazy. Ain’t no way this poor girl is going to have her boyfriend stolen out from under her without some consequences.

Spirit of Good Conscience: Oh, there will be consequences all right. But the consequences are that our girl here is hurting. And she’s going to hurt for awhile. But she’s not going to seek revenge. Instead, she’s going to pray.

Teen Girl: Pray?

Spirit of Good Conscience: Pray.

Teen Girl: For a house to fall on her?

Spirit of Good Conscience: No. Pray that she can feel God’s love for her.

Teen Girl: Pray… (She thinks about it…Gets down on her knees) Dear God, I’m hurting right now. My friend has done me wrong.  But as much as I want to get back at her for what she did to me, I know that’s not what you want. I know you want me to love her, to pray for her. So here I am God. Please be with her. I pray that she might feel your love, just as I do. Amen.