Four friends talk at the coffee hour at church. The skit is intended as a lead-in to a sermon or skit written by you! This is just a tickler to get others thinking. The full presentation of the message comes in your sermon or devotion.
Matthew 20:1-16
Estelle: I see pastor is preaching on grumbling today.
Julie: I hear a lot of grumbling at work, that’s for sure.
Vaughn: When I was growing up it took too much time to grumble.
Estelle: That’s silly, Vaughn. Why, I can grumble and work at the same time.
Vaughn: Well, at my house if my mom caught you grumbling she would make you stop whatever you were doing and write down five things you were grateful for.
Leon: Writing that list made you change your grumbling heart into a thankful one. She was a wise woman. That’s a great idea.
Vaughn: Well, it’s not so great when you’re 10 years-old. I remember one time grumbling about my brother. She let him go outside to play ball before his homework was done, but she was making me stay in until I finished mine. Not only did I have to finish my homework, but now because I grumbled about it, I had to write a list. Of course when I complained about that, she made me write five more things to be thankful for.
Julie: Well, I can easily think of ten things to be thankful for .
Vaughn: Well, I couldn’t, and when I complained about having to come up with ten things the number grew to fifteen. I had to add liver and sauerkraut just to have enough things on my list to get out of there.
Leon: I’ll bet you got teased about that.
Vaughn: Everytime we had liver or sauerkraut.
Julie: Still, that was a wonderful way to get you to stop complaining and focus instead on the blessings God gives to each one of us every day.
Estelle: Let’s do that right now. Let’s all write down five things to be thankful for.
Leon: I don’t know. I hate making lists. Anyway, I don’t have a pen.
Julie: That’s ten things for you, Leon.
END
Read more articles by Katherine Hussmann Klemp or search for articles on the same topic or others.
Just this morning, in prayer meeting at church, I was prompted to confess my sin of grumbling! I asked God to help me bite my tongue, when I see so much in life that isn't right, and instead of complaining to see this as a prompting to pray!
This is a wonderful skit, and I am delighted that I discovered it, when I came looking, here, to send you a thank you for your kind comment on my "Hope" entry for this week. God bless you, richly! And, thanks so much!
