The Stuff of Thanksgiving

Biblical Reference: Luke 12:32-34

 ³²Â â€œDo not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. ³³Â Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Cast: Milo & Mercy (Muppet-style puppets), and Lioness (lion puppet)

Props: Costume jewelry and a sparkly tiara for the lioness; a battered old hat for Milo

Lioness: (Enters swathed in jewelry and rich decorations.)
I have lots of stuff, loads of stuff…oodles of stuff. How I love my stuff. I have jewels and money and crowns and robes and really expensive toenail clippers.

Milo: (Enters holding a tattered or hat or some other pitiful object.)
What a beautiful day! I have sunshine and fresh air and good friends and red hair! It’s a great day to be alive.

(Milo and Lion bump into each other. Lion drops some of his riches. Milo drops his hat.)

Milo: Oh, excuse me. I didn’t see you there.

Lioness: Hey! Watch where you’re going! You made me drop my stuff!

(They each accidentally pick up something that belongs to the other.)

Milo: Here. This must belong to you. It sure isn’t mine.

Lioness: It certainly does belong to me. Hand it over.

Milo: You sure are a grumpy lion. I would think you’d be happy with all that stuff.

Lioness: My stuff is none of your business. (Holds up hat.) What is this pathetic little object? It does not belong to me.

Milo: Thanks for picking up my hat. (Takes hat.)

Lioness: That is a hat? Ha-ha-ha. You call that a hat? I suppose that’s the only hat you own. That is one sorry looking hat.

Milo: There’s nothing wrong with my hat. It does what a hat is supposed to do. It keeps the sun out of my eyes.

Lioness: Well, I have lots of hats, tons of hats…. oodles and piles of hats. A princess has to dress in style. A princess has to look her best. Her appearance is a reflection on her royal family.

But what am I doing standing here talking to the likes of you. I have important things to do with my stuff! Goodbye!

(Lioness Exits.)

Milo: Wow. A princess. She sure had a lot of stuff. And she sure was stuck up about it. Compared to her, I’ve got nothing at all. Nothing! Where’s my stuff? How come I don’t have lots of stuff?

(Mercy Me enters.)

Mercy: Hey Milo! How are you? Isn’t this a beautiful day?

Milo: Well, it was a beautiful day, but it’s turning into a rotten day.

Mercy: Milo, what’s wrong? You’re usually in such a good mood.

Milo: I just ran into a very rich, very conceited princess who reminded me that I was not royal like she was and that I had nothing… absolutely nothing. And now I feel like nothing. I’m not a prince or a king or anything and I don’t even have any stuff.

Mercy: But Milo, stuff isn’t important. People are important. Friends are important. But stuff doesn’t matter. It doesn’t last.

Milo: Sometimes it feels like it matters though.

Mercy: And Milo, did I hear you say that you were not a prince? Did you say that you are not royalty?

Milo: Of course I’m not a prince. Do I look like a prince? Do I live in a castle?

Mercy: No, Milo, you don’t live in a castle, but is your father a king?

Milo: I’m pretty sure my father is not a king.

Mercy: Milo, I mean your Father in heaven. You are a child of God, right? You believe in Jesus, right?

Milo: Yes, I do believe in Jesus. But how does that make me a prince?

Mercy: Your heavenly Father is the Almighty King. That makes you a prince.

Milo: Wow! I never thought of it like that! I’m a king’s kid.

Mercy: That’s right. We’re kids of the kingdom. The King of the Universe is even getting a place ready for us in heaven. When we come to the end of our lives here on earth, we get to stay with our Father in heaven.

Milo: We even have a castle to live in! Wow! That’s wonderful. I guess all this stuff of the earth doesn’t really matter in the end.

(Lioness re-enters.)

Lioness: What do you mean stuff doesn’t matter?

Milo: Well, it doesn’t. Stuff doesn’t last forever. Nobody takes stuff with them when they die.

Lioness: What? You’ve got to kidding. Are you just pulling my tail?

Mercy:  No, really. It’s true. You can’t take it with you.

Lioness: Not even my totally awesome sparkly Hello Kitty tiara crown? I could let God borrow it when I get to heaven.

Mercy:  Um… I think God already has a crown.

Milo: God really doesn’t care about all of our stuff. What He really cares about is love. He loves us and He wants us to love Him. God wants us to give thanks for His wonderful love. That’s what’s most important.

Lioness: But what about being a princess? That certainly is important, don’t you think?

Mercy: What’s really important is to be thankful to God. We are thankful to be children of the King of the entire Universe!

Lioness: You two are royalty?

Mercy: Yes, we are.

Lioness: Well, my daddy is king of the jungle!

Milo: Actually, lions hunt in the savannah; in the grasslands, not in the jungle.

Lioness: Whatever!

Mercy: Your daddy may be a king, but when you open your heart to Jesus, your heavenly daddy is King of Time and Eternity forever. We can all be kids of the kingdom.

Lioness: Wow, I did not know that. I’d like to hear more about this.

Milo: Well today, we are celebrating Thanksgiving! And we have so much to be thankful for.

Lioness: Ya right; I know what you mean. I am so thankful for my priceless collection of Justin Bieber posters.

Mercy: Is that really what you’re most thankful for? I mean would you rather have posters or your family?

Lioness: Oh. I see what you mean. I guess I get caught up in the not-so-important stuff…. sometimes.

Milo: Thanksgiving is a good time to stop and think about all of the blessings that God has given us. When we think about these blessings, we can’t help but be joyful.

Teach: “Oh Be Joyful”

Tune: Laudeamus Hodie

(By Ruth Gilmore; copyright 2011.)

Oh, be joyful

Oh, be jubilant

Put your sorrows far away

Everybody sing together this happy day

 

Oh be joyful

Oh be joyful

Oh be joyful on this happy day!