Company is coming

Group, Nov/Dec 2003 by Case, Steve

24. Will you help me practice my solo?

25. Mooooooom!

26. I did not!

27. You did too!

28. I did not!

29. You did too!

30. Mooooooooom!

(Silence.)

Have a Reader speak Psalm 122 into a microphone offstage. If you're comfortable using The Message paraphrase, do it. During the reading, have Mom rise and light a candle on the wreath.

Have a Speaker walk out and say: "Let us pray. God, you have a joy that you're waiting to give to us. Help us to listen.

When the voices in our lives get so loud that we can't even hear ourselves think, whisper to us. Let us hear the still, small voice above the chaos. Your Son is coming. Help us to welcome him without the clutter. Amen."

(Silence.)

dad and the boxes

Have one of your guys dressed in "dad" clothes (for example, a suit and tie) walk in from offstage and stand in front of the sanctuary. He should be carrying a briefcase and a plastic coffee mug.

Have someone come up and hand him a stack of newspapers and walk off. Have a second person come from another place in the sanctuary and hand Dad a box, then walk off. Have more and more people walk forward and hand the man various-size boxes and items, then walk off. One of the items could be a game with a lot of pieces (this will later fall and make a cool noise). The speed at which Dad gets loaded down should slowly increase until the boxes and bags are too much for him to handle and all the boxes and bags fall.

IMPORTANT: Be sure Dad holds back one item. When the boxes fall, some of the congregation may laugh or chuckle. Have your Dad throw the remaining box to the floor in a rage to draw attention back to the scene.

Have a Reader speak Psalm 80 into a microphone offstage. During the reading have Dad light one of the Advent candles.

Have a Speaker walk out and say: "Let us pray. Father God, you have an amazing gift to give us. It's ready, and all we have to do is hold out our hands and receive it. The problem is, God, that we have too much to carry already. We think things are important that are not. We cling to everything thinking we can do it all, carry it all, juggle it all-and we can't. The one thing we need this season is for your Son Jesus to help us to open our hands and receive the gift. Amen."

(Silence.)

the teenager and the cellphone

A Teenager talking on a cellphone walks to the front of sanctuary from offstage. She's wearing a sweater but she's acting like she's outside and cold.

"Is that better?. . . No, I had to go outside to get a signal. . . Mom, I know Dad can afford the call, but I needed to get out of the house anyway. . . Yes. . . Yes. . . I put on a scarf when I went out the door. . . I just had to get out that's all. . . Tracy's sister is here and she wants me to call her Aunt Molly. . . (laughs) Yeah, I know. . . I think the bleach has affected her brain. . . Tracy's okay. . . She's trying to be all Mrs. Huxtable. . . No, Sean is playing the video game she got him. . . I don't know, something with tanks. . . How was I supposed to know she got him the same game?. . . Mom. . . I don't know what she got me-I haven't opened it yet. . . She's one of those presents-on-Christmas-Eve people. . . That's what I told her. . . Mom. . . Aren't you going to Aunt Violet's?. . . I thought you were going to go tonight and then go to church. . . It's not going to snow. . . No, the green dress fits-you had it on two weeks ago. . . Mom. . . Go to church. . . You love Christmas Eve services. . . Mom, Sean and I haven't been in a Christmas play in three years. . . You should go. . . Then do something else. . . You can't sit at home. . . Mom, that doesn't make sense. . . Do you want me to come home?. . . It's the first Christmas since the divorce, I think Dad can be a little understanding. . . Who cares what Tracy thinks?. . . I'll borrow the car and I can be home in an hour-we can go to church together. . . Are you sure?. . . No it isn't your fault. . . Mom. . . (sighs). . . Mom, I'm sorry about what I said when we left. . . I didn't mean it. . . I wish I were there. . . Go to Aunt Violet's, Mom. . . I don't know if it gets easier. . . I think we just have to keep doing it 'til we don't think about how hard it is. . . Yeah. . . I'll call in the morning. . . But I'm going to call Aunt Violet's house. . . Hey, if you're not there then you don't get to talk to anyone, do you. . . Yeah. . . I miss you, too. . . Merry Christmas, Mom."