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An Easter Worship Drama

By Administrator | March 23, 2008

JESUS CHRIST IS RISEN TODAY

a worship drama based on John 20, 21 using NRSV

by Rev. Scott Elliott Copyright ©

Easter 2008

 

The actors playing Mary, Jesus, Peter and Thomas should be in period costume. The narrator is a minister. Peter and Thomas being the play in the audience. Mary and Jesus are off stage. The Narrator begins the play:

NARRATOR: We thought we would do an Easter drama this year. It’s a little different this time. You all have a part(and you did not even need to audition!) Your lines will appear on the screen and flash. That is the easy part, but, you also have to sing some hymns. The words for the hymns will be on the screen but your musical cues will be the piano playing the introduction. So when you hear music look up, wake up pay attention, it’s time to sing! 

Okay I am going to help you out. Your first line is about to appear on the screen. CHRIST IS RISEN!

CONGREGATION: He is risen indeed.

NARRATOR: Great job. Now listen here is your first musical cue now look up and sing…

 

 

CONGREGATION SINGS “Christ The Lord is Risen Today” 

 

 

NARRATOR: The Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John each tell the Easter story a little different. This morning we thought we would focus just on John’s narration of what happened after Jesus was captured and killed by the Roman authorities, wrapped up and buried in a tomb. 

 

Mary enters and approaches the tomb. 

 

Early on the first day of the week while it was still dark that original Easter morn, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed (Mary runs down the center aisle.) So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them. 

 

Mary runs into Peter and a disciple half way down an aisle in the CONGREGATION. 

MARY: They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’’ 

 

During the next lines Peter and the disciple run to the tomb. Mary slowly follows and sits on the apron stage right watching & waiting. Thomas runs ahead of Peter and looks into the tomb 

NARRATOR: Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards the tomb. The other disciple reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 

 

During the following Peter goes into the tomb and comes out holding the cloth with a stunned look of disbelief on his face. 

Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’s head not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 

 

During the following Thomas goes into the tomb and comes out also with a look of disbelief on his face. Peter drops the cloth. 

The other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in and he saw. 

For as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

 

  

 

NARRATOR: Then the disciples returned to their homes. 

Peter and Thomas run out the aisle them came in on. Mary gets up to look in the tomb again. She picks up the cloth that Peter dropped. She mimes seeing the angels as the narrator indicates she see and hears them.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 

ANGELS: (offstage voices) Woman, why are you weeping?

MARY: They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.

NARRATOR: When she had said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus, she thought he was the gardener.

JESUS: Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?

MARY: Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.

JESUS: Mary!

MARY: Rabbi!

JESUS: Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”

NARRATOR: Mary Magdalene the first to see Jesus risen went and announced his resurrection and all that she experienced to the disciples.

Mary exits exclaiming with great astonishment and joy

MARY: I have seen the Lord! 

 

 

CONGREGATION SINGS: “The Day of Resurrection” 

 

 

NARRATOR: When it was evening on that first Easter day the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the authorities. . . We thought that you all could play the part of the disciples. Your lines will flash on the screen. 

 

Okay back to the story. . . Jesus came and stood among the disciples. 

 

Jesus appears on the chancel area. 

JESUS: Peace be with you. 

NARRATOR: He then showed the disciples his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord:

CONGREGATION: Cheers! Yea! Woo-hoo. Yeeha! Yipeeyaaye! Etc.

JESUS: Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.

NARRATOR: When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,

JESUS: Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.

 

 

Jesus backs away off stage

NARRATOR: Thomas come forward. 

 

Thomas who is in the narthex runs to get up on stage.  

 

Thomas, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 

So the other disciples told him

CONGREGATION: We have seen the Lord.

THOMAS: Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.

 

Thomas leaves stage and sits in CONGREGATION.  

 

 

NARRATOR: A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said 

 

JESUS: Peace be with you. 

To Thomas in his seat. 

Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe. 

THOMAS: My Lord and my God!

 

Jesus say this next line to everyone. 

 

JESUS: Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe. 

 

“We Live By Faith and Not By Sight” NCH 256 

 

 

NARRATOR: Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in the book of John. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. 

After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples.

 

Peter stands up in the audience. 

PETER: I am going fishing. 

DISCIPLES: We will go with you.

NARRATOR: They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

 

Peter sits as Jesus appears on the chancel stage again. Jesus speaks to the CONGREGATION. 

JESUS: Children, you have no fish, have you? 

DISCIPLES: No.

JESUS: Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.

NARRATOR: So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.

THOMAS: It is the Lord!’

NARRATOR: When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the lake. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards. When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread.

JESUS: Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.

Come and have breakfast.

NARRATOR: Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, ’’Who are you?’’ because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. When they had finished breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter

JESUS: Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?

 

Peter steps onto the stage from audience. 

 

PETER: Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. 

JESUS: Feed my lambs.

 

As Peter is going back to his seat Jesus says. 

 

JESUS: Simon son of John, do you love me? 

 

Peter stops and replies 

 

PETER: Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. 

JESUS: Tend my sheep.

 

Peter goes to sit again and Jesus says. 

 

JESUS: Simon son of John, do you love me? 

PETER: Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.

JESUS: Feed my sheep. (Peter sits. Jesus addresses the congregation) Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go. . . Follow me.

 

  

237 “I Come to the Garden Alone”

 

NARRATOR; You sang that pretty well. See if you can loudly respond to this: Christ is risen! 

CONGREGATION: He is risen indeed!

NARRATOR: Just as Jesus shared a meal on the beach that day we remember Jesus’s meal practice today. We are going to have communion in just a minute. When we are done with communion we will sing “He Lives, He Lives” and let’s really belt it out. Christ and his disciples are are going to serve communion today.

JESUS: This Communion Table is open to all.

MARY: It does not matter who you are, where you have been, where you are going or what you do or do not believe.

THOMAS: This church invites everyone to worship with us and anyone who wished is invited to partake in this Communion Supper.

PETER: All are welcome here, there are no questions asked, no beliefs required, no discrimination enforced.

JESUS: All who know God’s love. or seek to know such love, this table is set for you.

MARY: Please join me in prayer. Glorious God, we humbly beseech you to prepare our hearts for this spiritual feast and bless with your Holy Spirit these gifts of bread and drink.

In an attitude of humility, we offer ourselves at this table, our souls and bodies to be a reasonable, holy and living sacrifice to you. May we receive with these symbols of Christ’s body, the cleansing of your forgiveness and fresh strength for the journey.

Empower us, that your love may flow through us, and touch all who are in need.

For the gift of Easter and your child Jesus and all that he did and does for us we give thanks. AMEN.

NARRATOR: On the night that Jesus was apprehended, on the eve of his death, he took bread.(take bread hold it up) And when he had given thanks (silently pray for a moment) , he broke it (break bread) saying:

JESUS: Take eat, this is my body broken for you. This do in remembrance of me.

NARRATOR: In the same manner, Jesus also took the cup after eating and poured it out (pour out cup) saying:

JESUS: This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink of it in remembrance of me.

THOMAS: Today we will serve the bread and have you come forward and take and eat it. We invite you to do this with us. Remember that anyone can take this bread

PETER: Our tradition is to also pass out the juice and hold it and drink together. Remember this cup is for anyone who wants to take it. Actors pas out the juice.

NARRATOR: Please pray with me. God of Easter and love and new life pour your Spirit into this bread and into this cup and into all who are gathered here today, so that we might know your love and remember Christ’s call to love and to forgive others and ourselves. Amen. Come to this table, for all things are ready.

MARY & THOMAS: Take eat this amazing bread of life!

PETER & JESUS: Take drink this wonderful cup of blessing!

 

 

CONGREGATION: “He Lives, He Lives” 

 

MARY: May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of Christ Jesus, our risen Savior.

JESUS: And the blessing of God Almighty, Creator, Redeemer, and Comforter be among you always.

ALL: Amen.

 

 

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