TITLE: The Body of Christ: Who's Really in Charge? By Shari Hughson 05/03/06 |
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(Make an outline of a body out of cardboard rolls painted white or rolled paper. Have paper hands, legs, eye, nose, heart and brain on rulers or craft sticks for each character to hold. Each character stands in their anatomically correct location. Head extends over the baptistery so JESUS may appear from within as the true head.)
MIND: Listen up, everyone!
EAR: That’s my job!
R. HAND: Glad someone else around here has a job. Lefty and I do just about everything.
L. HAND: Yeah. Uh-huh. That’s for sure.
MIND: Okay. We have an important mission.
HEART: Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not unto men.
(LEGS snore loudly.)
EYE: Good luck getting their attention.
EAR: They’re marching to the beat of a different drummer.
R. HAND: When they’re not asleep.
L. HAND: Yeah. That’s for sure.
MIND: Hands, will you please nudge them and wake them up.
R. HAND: (grumbling) See what I mean about who does everything around here?
HEART: Do all things without murmuring and disputing.
L. HAND: Uh-huh. That’s right.
EYE: Seeing is believing.
EAR: I’m hearing too much complaining.
MIND: Give those legs a nudge!
(R. HAND taps R. LEG while L. HAND taps L. LEG. LEGS snort loudly and continue to snore. HANDS look at each other then give LEGS a shove.)
R. LEG: Hey! What’s going on?
L LEG: Can’t you see we’re sleeping here?
MIND: Everyone knows your sleeping.
EAR: I heard your loud snores.
EYE: I saw you just laying there.
MIND: We’re trying to have an organizational meeting here.
HEART: Do all things decently and in order.
MIND: Now, the first task is door knocking.
HEART: Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
R. HAND: Knocking? Looks like we’ll be doing all the work again, as usual.
L. HAND: Yah. Uh-huh. Same old, same old.
EAR: Those are the whiniest hands I’ve ever heard.
(LEGS snicker loudly)
R. HAND: I can punch as easily as I knock.
L. HAND: Yeah. That’s right!
HEART: As much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
MIND: Everyone had to be involved in the door knocking to make it successful. Right, Legs?
R. LEG: Uh, I guess that means you want us to walk there.
L. LEG: (groans) Oh, my aching feet!
MIND: And the eyes will show us the way.
EYE: No one has better sight than me.
MIND: Mr. Ear will listen to all the people we meet.
EAR: Hear! Hear!
MIND: So it’s not just you, Hands, doing all the work. Okay?
HEART: We are laborers together with God…God’s building.
R. HAND: (grumbles) Well, it should be called something else then because door knocking sounds an awful lot like something only hands can do.
L. HAND: Yeah. Sure does.
EAR: Murmurers.
MIND: Enough! The next item is the potluck.
R. HAND: Only the mouth benefits from that.
L. HAND: Yeah. That’s for sure!
EYE: And I don’t see him at this meeting.
EAR: I heard he went out to eat instead of coming here.
R. HAND: (raises high) I vote we cancel the potluck for lack of interest.
L. HAND: (raises high) Uh-huh! Good idea!
HEART: A dinner of herbs where love is-
MIND: (sighs) Fine. Whatever. Trying to accomplish anything around here is pointless anyway.
R. LEG: Does that mean I can be excused?
L. LEG: Yeah, we’ve been carrying the weight of the bunch of you long enough.
EYE: Look, they want us to sit down again.
EAR: All I ever hear from them is complaints.
HEART: Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise.
MIND: I didn’t say the meeting was over. You never listen!
EAR: I always hear you.
EYE: I see you’re kissing up again.
R. HAND: Get on with the meeting, then. We’ve got things to do.
L HAND: That’s right! We do.
MIND: We’ve got to reach out to the community--
R. HAND: Reaching? More work for us hands to do.
L. HAND: Uh-huh. Always more work.
MIND: -- to show the world the heart of Christ.
HEART: By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
R. LEG: I need to rest first. Can we only do that one day per week?
L. LEG: That would take some of the weight off us.
MIND: We’re supposed to be always doing the Lord’s work.
HEART: Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season.
R HAND: Preaching is another job for the mouth, but he’s always off somewhere feeding his face. Or expecting me to do it for him!
L. HAND: Yeah. That’s for sure!
EYE: Looks like this is going nowhere fast.
EAR: Sounds like the same old arguments.
MIND: That’s it! I quit!
HEART: Stand fast.
R. LEG: Enough standing already! I’m too tired.
L. LEG: If he can quit, we’re going on strike too.
R. HAND: What are you complaining about? We do all the real work!
L. HAND: Uh-huh! That’s right!
HEART: Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.
(JESUS rises slowly form the baptistery during this final exchange. Body parts should be looking at each other angrily so no one sees Him.)
JESUS: Hear ye!
EAR: Hark, a voice of power.
EYE: Behold the Lord!
(Everyone freezes.)
JESUS: (touches MIND) Be strong. If they believe me, they’ll believe you. (Looks at everyone) Who’s the head of this body?
HEART: My Lord and my God.
JESUS: Very well. Why won’t you listen to the mind?
EAR: I hear everything.
JESUS: To hear is not the same as obeying.
EYE: You see how they can’t get along.
JESUS: Yes, I see everything. This is supposed to be My body, but none of you will listen to the brain.
R. HAND: The mind is always bossing us around and making us do all the work.
L. HAND: Yeah. That’s right!
JESUS: Idle hands are the instruments of the devil. Be ye servants of your Lord.
R. LEG: We need our day of rest.
L. LEG: The weight is too great.
JESUS: The Lord your God labored six days and rested on the seventh. Are you better than Him?
(LEGS look sheepishly at each other.)
HEART: How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
JESUS: You have your marching orders. Go (points down aisle.)
(Everyone picks up part of the frame of the body and LEGS lead the way out.)
EYE: Teamwork is a thing of beauty.
MIND: Onward Christian soldier!
EAR: Sweet music! Marching in time to the Master’s cadence.
R. HAND: Clap for joy.
L. HAND: Yeah. Uh-huh!
R. LEG: Right.
L. LEG: Left.
HEART: If you know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.
JESUS: Who’s the head of this church?
(Exit)
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