Items Needed:
- Printed copy of the script
Script
First reader:
(As pompously as possible!!)
Our reading this morning is from Matthew chapter 5.
Jesus said:
Blessed are the rich, for they shall have absolutely no problems.
Blessed are those who mercilessly trample on others, for they shall reach the top of their career ladder.
Blessed are the organized, for they shall be less stressed than you are.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after celebrity, for they shall end up on Big Brother. Blessed are those who avoid persecution at all costs, for they shall have it easy.
Blessed are…
Second reader:
(Interrupting the first reader mid sentence)
NO! That isn’t right!
Jesus said:
You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
Close:
Praying something like the following prayer
Thank you Jesus that your teachings were so upside down, so different to the ideas of the rest of the world. Forgive us for the times that we don’t live up to your standards and help us to live out your values and show others your ways! Amen.