letters from the dead

Group, Mar/Apr 2004

Love,

Donna

Have Letter Reader #3 exit through the tomb.

Have your Soloist(s) walk to the altar, sing the third verse of "It Is Well With My Soul," then sit down again.

Have Psalm Reader #4 enter and read aloud or recite the following paraphrase of Psalm 55.

PSALM READER #4:

God, I can't take this anymore. Listen. Please listen. I can't silence the voices in my head. I can't calm down. I can't get any peace. I am so incredibly stressed out that I think I'll be sick. If I had a fast car I'd get out of this place. IfI had wings I could fly away and find shelter alone in a cave. Then I wouldn't have to deal with this anymore. They're after me. Lord. Confuse them. Twist their ankles. It's like having a camera on me day and night. Cover their lenses so they quit watching me. You've always been there for me, God. I've been through bad times before. And you rescued me. But this is bad, God. Someone I trusted set me up. Spoke kind words and then talked trash behind my back. That hurts the worst of all. My fingers cannot hold me to the edge anymore, God. Hold me up. Hold me up. Amen.

Psalm Reader #4 should exit the stage through the tomb.

Have one of your kids enter, read aloud Luke 23:44-53, then exit through the tomb.

At this point have one of your young people quietly walk forward and extinguish the candle at the front. Have your students quietly begin heading out the door before you start the closing music.

Have your Soloist(s) walk to the altar, sing the first verse of "It Is Well With My Soul" again, then exit through the tomb.

STEVE CASE is a veteran youth minister and a contributing editor for group. He recently authored the book The Youth Worker's Big Book of Case Studies (Zondervan). He lives in Florida.