Another Easter Drama

Easter Sunday is a big deal at my church. This is fitting, of course, since Easter is the most important holiday in Christendom. As 1Corinthians 15:14 reminds us:

and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.

Because we want to make Easter Sunday worship special, we put a lot of work into all parts of the service. This year, I was once again asked to write a short drama to communicate some truth about Easter. Below the fold, you will find the script of what we ended up performing.

Before you read the script, I want you to know three things. First, feel free to use this script in any way that helps you provide a meaningful experience for your fellow Christians. I would appreciate a credit, but the script is not copyrighted in any way. Second, I have only three or four original ideas when it comes to drama, so I tend to recycle them quite a bit. If you remember my previous Easter drama, you will find the basic premise and even the final line to be essentially the same. Nevertheless, I do think the drama presents a profound truth about Easter in a meaningful way. I hope you agree. Finally, this script was made significantly better with the help of Diana Waring. Without her help, the ending would not have been nearly as effective.

[The drama starts in a blackout. When the lights come up, we find a man in New-Testament-period clothes (Mordecai) with a large, pretty wooden object, such as an ornate wooden chair. He is using a rag to clean it up. Another man wearing New-Testament-period clothes (Jesus after the resurrection) enters and heads straight for Mordecai.]

Jesus: Hello. Are you Mordecai the woodcrafter?

Mordecai: (smiling at a memory) “Mordecai the woodcrafter.” That’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. (pause) Yes, I am Mordecai.

Jesus: (Looking at the object Mordecai is cleaning) That’s a very fine piece you have there.

Mordecai: Thank you. It’s a present for my wife.

Jesus: It’s not for a paying customer?

Mordecai: (with regret) I wish it were, but people just won’t spend the money on work like this.

Jesus: (sincerely) That’s a shame, because it’s a very nice piece, and I speak with some experience on the matter.

Mordecai: Well, thank you very much. (pause) Is there something I can do for you?

Jesus: Actually, I just stopped by to tell you that I have been using your work, and I am very pleased with it.

Mordecai: (pleasantly surprised) Really?

Jesus: Yes. As a matter of fact, you might say that my life was shaped (at least in part) by the work you have done.

Mordecai: (intrigued) What do you mean?

Jesus: Well, when my mother was pregnant with me, she and my father had to take a long journey. When they arrived at their destination, they found it to be so crowded that they couldn’t find a place to stay. A nice man named Ishmael allowed them to sleep with his animals, and that’s when I was born. They had no place to put me, so they took a manger, filled it with hay, and put me on the hay. As I understand it, that manger was your work.

Mordecai: (thoughtful) You know, you may be right. I apprenticed as a woodwooker for many years, and my master was very hesitant to let me make a piece on my own. However, when a man named Ishmael asked for a manger, my master assigned it to me as a solo project. I was thrilled. I worked very hard on that manger, and I was quite proud of it when I gave it to Ishamel. But that manger was designed for feeding cattle, not holding babies!

Jesus: As my parents tell me, it was actually good at both of those jobs!

Mordecai: (happy at the old memory) Well…I’m glad it worked out for you.

Jesus: Actually, the main reason I came was to tell you that I used a piece you made much more recently.

Mordecai: (immediately somber) No…I don’t think that’s possible.

Jesus: I think it is.

Mordecai: No…you see…I don’t make things like this (motioning to the object) anymore. I just can’t make a living doing this kind of work. I…I make crosses for the Roman government.

Jesus: You sound ashamed.

Mordecai: I know what those crosses are used for, and I don’t like it.

Jesus: Then why do you do it?

Mordecai: It’s the only way I can make enough money to support my family.

Jesus: Well, I think it’s important for you to know that I did, indeed, use one of your crosses recently.

Mordecai: (confused) What would you use a cross for? You don’t look like a centurion.

Jesus: This particular cross was very strong and quite sturdy. It held a lot of weight. (looking out into the audience) In fact, I was able to hang a whole lot of burdens on that cross you made.

Mordecai: (still confused) Burdens?

Jesus: (still looking at the audience) Yes, and because I was able to hang so many burdens on that cross, a lot of people are going to be blessed for a long, long time. (He pauses and then looks at Mordecai. He puts his hand on Mordecai’s shoulder and is as sincere as he can possibly be.) I thought you would want to know that.

(Jesus begins to leave. Mordecai is thoughtful, but stops Jesus before he is completely gone.)

Mordecai: Wait a minute. What’s your name?

Jesus: Who do you say that I am?

(Blackout)

2 thoughts on “Another Easter Drama”

  1. Thank you for this Dr Wile.

    I was severely rebuked by a Christian friend of mine for encouraging/promoting pagan rituals and tradition.

    Apparently Christians have no business celebrating Easter.

    1. Jason, I have also run into Christians who say that. Yes, there are pagan elements in the world’s celebration of Easter. For example, the rabbit is a common symbol of fertility in many pagan religions, and the “Easter bunny” is an attempt to incorporate such pagan traditions into Christianity. Even the word “Easter” has its roots in pagan religions. However, that’s not what Easter Sunday is about to Christians. It is a remembrance of Christ’s resurrection, which is something every Christian should celebrate!

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