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> Congregations > A Gift Worth Sharing
Still Real, Still Relevant Advent Drama A Gift Worth Sharing by Carl Billings We are in a bedroom, late at night. A person is collapsed on the bed, sound asleep. The man's name is John. You can hear him snoring and mumbling to himself. Suddenly two people dressed in conservative business suits appear. They have on dark glasses. They look like some sort of FBI or Secret Service agents. They are Donner and Blitzen two agents of the Saint Nicholas Division, Gift Patrol Section. Donner: Is this the right guy? Blitzen: Yes. John Cross, age 37, single, struggling with what to buy his best friend, his mother and girl friend. Donner: Let's do it. I hate first contact. It takes so long to convince our (choosing his words) clients that we are who we say we are. Blitzen: Yeah, I know what you mean. Well, do you have everything ready? Donner: I think so. Blitzen: Let's run it one more time. Laser Holographic projector? Donner: Check. Blitzen: I.D.s? Donner: Check. Blitzen: (checking for his own ID) Check. Picture of us with the Big Guy? Donner: Check. Blitzen: Check. Elf hats? Donner: I hope we're not forced to use them? Blitzen: Me too, but sometimes it's the only way. Donner: Yeah, yeah I know. Check. Blitzen: Check. All right, let's move in. (Donner and Blitzen take off their sunglasses at the same time) Donner: Do you want to wake him or should I? Blitzen: Go ahead give it a try. Donner: Mr. Cross? Mr. Cross, we would like a word with you. Mr. Cross, please wake up. John: (Mumbles a protest) five more minutes. Donner: Mr. Cross, it is important that you wake up. John: Just five more minutes. Blitzen: John, hit the deck, NOW!!! John: Huh, what? Sure, I am up, I'm up! Blitzen: (to Donner) Sometimes you have to be a little more forceful. John: Who are you two and what are doing in my bedroom?! (Alarmed, he covers himself with a blanket) Donner: Mr. Cross, we would like a few words with you about gifts? John: Are you with the secret service? Donner: No. John: FBI? Donner: No, our organization is much larger than that. We would- John: You're not the CIA? Donner: Bigger. John: Not some sort U.N. multi-national force? Blitzen: Mr. Cross we are agents of the Saint Nicholas division, gift giving section. John: Saint Nicholas? Blitzen: You know him as Santa Claus. John: You're elves! Blitzen: (sighs) We prefer the title "Angels, elvin class" but elves will do. John: (suspicious) O.K., who put you up this? Donner: We were assigned to this case by our immediate supervisor John: Okay, cut the act. It was a good joke. Who put you up to it? Blitzen: I guess we'll just have to prove it to him. Donner: Like always. John: Go ahead, prove it. Blitzen: (said in a military style as in >Present arms.') Present IDs! (Both Blitzen and Donner grab IDs and hold them out in front of themselves.) John: (John goes over and reads IDs.) Agent Donner, Agent Blitzen. Let me guess--your boss's name is Rudolph. Donner: Our supervisor's name is of no concern to you. John: Okay. So you had a couple of joke IDs made. I bet it was Steve that got you to do this; he's always teasing me about the stupid things I give him. Blitzen: Present picture! (Again Blitzen and Donner reach inside their jackets and pull out a picture of them with Santa Claus.) John: (unimpressed) So what? You got your picture shot with a shopping mall Santa Claus. So, is it Steve? Donner: We're going to have to do it. Blitzen: The ultimate fix. John: The what? Donner: I hate doing thisY John: (slight panic) Hate doing what? Blitzen: Me too, but there is no other way. Ready? Donner: Ready. John: I'm not ready!! Blitzen: Set, Go! (Both Donner and Blitzen reach into their jackets as if they were pulling out a gun.) John: Don't Shoot!! (John covers his head.) (Donner and Blitzen pull out Santa Claus hats, put them on their heads and start singing:) We wish you a Merry Christmas, We wish you a Merry Christmas We wish you a Merry Christmas, And a Happy New Year. John: (Transfixed in sort of a daze) You really are elves. Blitzen: The hats always work. (putting the hat away) Donner: I just wish we didn't have to use them. (Pause) Mr. Cross, we wanted to take a moment to talk to you about your Christmas gift giving. John: Christmas gift giving? Oh I get it; you two realize how much I struggle with giving the right gifts, and you came here to tell me not to worry so much about the gift itself because it is the thought that counts. Donner: Wrong. Blitzen: You give some really stupid gifts. John: Huh? Blitzen: Use the laser projector. Donner: Mr. Cross, direct your attention over the dresser drawer.(Donner pulls out the pen like instrument and clicks it.) John: (Looking out over the audience as if at some sort of screen.) It looks like some sort Coke that has been spilt. Donner: This is the first gift to your friend Steve--the spilt coke can gag gift. John: Man, that was a long time a go, I'd forgotten all about it. You know everything. Blitzen: Let's just say, Mr. Cross, that we are aware of your gift giving habits. John: Come on, we were both young. That was just a joke gift. Blitzen: Your gifts haven't gotten much better since then. Donner: Here's just a brief survey: (Clicks, laser projector) A sweater two sizes too small, (Click) subscriptions to obscure magazines, (Click) soap on the rope, (Click) a compact disc containing one hit wonders of the 70's and 80's, (Click) a gift certificate to a dog grooming shop. John: What's wrong with that? Donner: Steve doesn't own a dog. John: Well, I thought he was going to get one that Christmas. Blitzen: The point is, Mr. Cross, the gifts that you have given have quickly become irrelevant and useless. Even your best gifts have been forgotten after a couple of months. John: Oh, I don't think that's true! Donner: What did you give Steve last year? John: Oh hmm, let me see, I believe it was a (thinking), oh yes, a magazine subscription! Donner: That was two years ago? John: Then it was . . . . Donner: You can't remember, because it wasn't important to you. Blitzen: The sad thing is, John, that you have something to share with Steve that is extremely important, relevant and very real. John: What's that? Blitzen: Your faith. John: My faith? Donner: According to our records, your faith has been very important to you. Remember when your father died? It was your faith, and your church family, that helped you through that time. John: (Reflecting back) That's true. Donner: Then there was the surgery that you faced last year, again it was your faith that helped you. John: Well yeah, butC Blitzen: More than that, your faith has deepened and broadened your everyday life. Think about how it has enriched your life. How your faith has helped you in everyday decisions. How your relationship with Jesus has enlivened all of your other relationships. How your knowledge of God has caused you to ponder the wonder and joy of life. How God's forgiveness has given you a new start when you had truly blown it. Your faith is the most valuable, and relevant thing you could share. Think how impoverished your life would be without your faith. God's love is good news worth sharing with your friend. John: Yeah I agree, it's just that-- Donner: Your faith is something that is more important, more relevant, more real than any other gift you could give. It certainly won't end up being used as a coffee coaster. John: Coffee coaster? Blitzen: That's what happen to the one hit wonders CD. Even as we speak it is being used as a coaster for a coffee mug. There's a reason all those songs were one hit wonders. (back to the subject) Sharing your faith could be the most valuable gift you can give. John: All this is true, but I am not a biblical scholar. The only Bible verses I remember are John 3:16 and the 23rd Psalm. Blitzen: That's a good place to start, both the 23rd Psalm and John 3:16 talk about God's passionate love for all humanity. But John, you don't need to be a Bible scholar to share your faith. Just tell Steve what your faith has meant to you-- Donner: How your faith has helped you in some pretty rough times-- Blitzen: And how it has enriched your life. Invite him to church and let him hear for himself about God's love for him, personally. John: Well it can't be any worse than some of the gifts I have given him. Blitzen: It could be the most valuable gift you have ever shared with Steve. John: You know Steve has even ask me some questions about my faith. It should be something I'm willing to share. OK. I'll give it a try. Donner: Good. Blitzen: Our mission here is completed. (Prepares to leave) John: Say, could you help me with my mother's present? Blitzen: John, we're angels, not the miracle worker. Donner: (Aiming the laser projector at him) Go back to sleep Mr. Cross; you will remember this as a very vivid dream. Blitzen: (hearing a jingle of bells) There's Rudolph now. Donner: Say, how does everyone know our superior's name? Blitzen: It's a long story. Let's go. (They both leave and we have reached YY. The End Notes on performing the play. Production: Keep the set as simple as possible. Use the audience's imagination. The bed can be made simply by putting together three chairs on a diagonal on the right side of the stage. Simply take a couple seconds before the play to describe the scene and set the stage. Hand props: The hands props can also be easily found, the holographic laser projector can be a laser pointer or TV remote, or even a large pen. The Id's can be driver's licenses. The picture of Santa Clause could be of anything as long as you don't show it to the audience. Elf hats or Santa hats can be found at most places that have Christmas decorations. In addition to the props mentioned in the play both Donner and Blitzen should have a small spiral pad to which to refer. John can use his blanket as a hand prop. Costumes: Keep it simple. Donner and Blitzen should dress in conservative business suits: black, brown or blue. They may be played by two women, two men or a woman and a man. John can wear sweats or gym shorts, be sensitive to the fact that you are in a church. Again, the character of John could be changed to Jane, depending on the actors available for your skit. Direction: As you block (planning where the actors will move) the play, there are several things to keep in mind. First, think in pictures. Directing is really putting together a series of pictures that communicate the play. Remember to keep the actors open to or facing the audience, while relating to each other. Use lots of movement. Make sure that your actors have hand props. This gives them something to do with their hands. Acting: It's important that Donner and Blitzen be played very straight and low-key. The one exception is when they sing, "We wish you a Merry Christmas." It should be sung like stereotypical elves. Two of the most important things are that the actors know their lines and blocking, and that they project loudly enough to be heard by the entire congregation. That should be possible in most congregations; for an extremely large congregation use wireless lapel microphones. Writers: Eric Deffenbaugh, Marta Poling-Goldenne, Carl Billings and David
Poling-Goldenne.
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