The Last Enemy

For Easter Sunday

(from the Kidsermons’ book Scolding the Snakes)

Scripture References:

1 Cor. 15:20 – 26 and 54 – 57 Â “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

Preparation: Bring a bouquet of colorful spring flowers and a vase in which to place them on the altar or at the foot of the cross.

Happy Easter everyone! Do you know the words to the Easter greeting that has been used in the Christian church for almost two thousand years? When I say to you, “The Lord is risen!” you answer back, “He is risen indeed. Hallelujah!”

You have to sound really loud and happy when you answer because it is such good news. Let’s try it. “The Lord is risen!” (Children answer, “He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!” Try this several times so that the children can answer confidently and with excitement.)

(Hold up the flowers that you brought with you.) I brought a bouquet of flowers because today is such a special day. When people have won a victory or done something great, they are often given flowers. It’s a way to congratulate them and to say, “Way to go! You did a good job!”

Continue reading The Last Enemy

Death-Defying Act

Palm Sunday; Entering Jerusalem

Scripture References:

Matthew 20:17 – 19 and Matt. 21:1 – 17

Preparation: Bring palm branches and colorful coats and robes to lay on the steps or in front of the altar where the children gather for the children’s sermon. You can also bring pictures or books showing a circus parade or trapeze artists flying through the air.

This is a very special Sunday isn’t it? Today is Palm Sunday, the last Sunday before Easter. On this Sunday, we remember how Jesus entered Jerusalem and a cheering crowd of people ran to meet him. They cut palm branches from trees and waved them, they even laid their coats down on the road in front of him so he would have a beautiful, soft road to travel on with no dust to get in his eyes. The children were especially excited and they yelled the loudest, “Praise God for the Son of David!” They yelled so loudly that some grumpy old grownups, who didn’t want to celebrate, told them to be quiet. But Jesus stuck up for them and said that was exactly what they were supposed to be doing. They were celebrating Jesus, the King.

Continue reading Death-Defying Act

Love in Action: Children’s Sermon Response to 3/11

The March 2011 East Japan Earthquake

Scripture References:

Luke 13: 4 – 5 and Matthew 25:34 – 36

Preparation: Bring photos or a short video clip demonstrating the damage caused by the tsunami. Photos of families in refugee centers might also help the children understand what the conditions are like now in northern Japan.

On March 11, 2011 at 2:46 pm Tokyo time, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit Japan. The ground shifted and shook very hard and out in the ocean, a giant wave began to build as a result of the earthquake. As the wave approached the northern coast of Japanâ€™s main island, it rose up to a height of more than 10 meters, or 33 feet high. That is taller than the height of many houses or churches. A wave that big can wipe away almost anything in its path. When that wave hit the coast of Japan, entire towns were washed away. Many people died that day. It was a very, very sad day.

Continue reading Love in Action: Children’s Sermon Response to 3/11

Barefoot in the Snow Kindle Version Available

It’s here! After years of good intentions, the Kindle version of Barefoot in the Snow is finally complete and available from Amazon. Thank you to all who gave me good advice as I attempted to design the cover. And to my best friend, Joel, who tried to teach me how to create the EPUB files and convert them to Kindle format… and then ended up doing most of the work himself…. I owe you big time.

I’ve also completely revamped thisÂ web site. Read the stories, peruse the sample sermons and use the puppet scripts to put on shows for your friends and neighbors. I bet they haven’t seen a puppet show in ages.

A Gift for Faithful Lamb

Title: A Gift for Faithful Lamb

Text: Matt. 10: 40- 42

Cast: Faithful Lamb, Billy the Kid and Lamb Borgeeny

Narrator: That short Gospel reading, has a BIG lesson in it. Do you remember what Jesus said? How does Jesus want us to show our love to him?….Today Billy the Kid, Faithful Lamb and a new sheep named Lamb Borgeeny are going to help us understand what Jesus said.

(Enter Billy the Kid, carrying some grass. He arranges it carefully while he hums to himself. Soon, Lamb Borgeeny appears and eyes the grass hungrily.)

Lamb Borgeeny: Oh, that grass really looks good! Who is it for?

Billy: It’s for my best friend, Faithful Lamb. I picked it especially for him; the very best and greenest grass!

Continue reading A Gift for Faithful Lamb

Recognizing Jesus

Summary: A retelling of the â€œRoad to Emmausâ€ story.

Cast: Cleopas, Simon, Jesus

Stage Directions: Prop buildings, trees and signs should slowly travel in opposite direction behind the walking puppet characters to simulate traveling.

———————————

Cleopas: Simon, if we donâ€™t get started soon, weâ€™ll never make it to Emmaus before dark…. Simon…. Iâ€™m going to have to leave without you if you donâ€™t hurry.

Simon: (Offstage) Hey, wait, Cleopas! Itâ€™s hard to get ready when my head hurts. And itâ€™s hard to see what Iâ€™m doing when my eyes wonâ€™t stop crying.

Cleopas: Iâ€™m sorry, Simon. I know what you mean. I feel like crying too. Itâ€™s hard to stop. Itâ€™s hard to believe that our friend and master is gone.

Simon: He said he wouldnâ€™t leave us. He said that heâ€™d always be with us, didnâ€™t he?

Cleopas: Yes, he did.

Simon: And then he went and got himself killed! Why did Jesus let them nail him to a cross? Why didnâ€™t God send down his angels to save Jesus?

Cleopas: I donâ€™t understand it either, Simon. Maybe weâ€™ll never understand, but if we donâ€™t get going soon, we wonâ€™t reach Emmaus tonight and I donâ€™t want to have to camp out by the side of the road.

Simon: Okay; letâ€™s go. Sure wish he had a horse, like those wretched Roman soldiers who gallop about bossing everybody around. We have to walk everywhere.

Cleopas: Now, Simon; walkingâ€™s not that bad. When youâ€™re walking places, you often meet people and have interesting conversations. If youâ€™re on a horse, youâ€™d just gallop right past them without even saying, â€œHello.â€

Simon: Yeah, I guess youâ€™re right. Some day, maybe everyone will get around on horseback or closed up in some kind of chariot. And then nobody will be able to meet each other and talk while theyâ€™re on the road.

Cleopas: May God bless our journey to Emmaus and guide our footsteps.

Simon: Amen. Letâ€™s go.

(Both puppets walk off and reappear on opposite side of the stage, still heading the same direction, however. The effect of travel can be heightened by having signboards and buildings move slowly along in the background as the puppets “walk” along.)

Simon: My feet are tired. Iâ€™m sure that God is still guiding our footsteps, but donâ€™t you think he could send us some help… like a horse or even a donkey to carry us the rest of the way?

Cleopas: Remember how Jerusalem sang and rejoiced when Jesus arrived, riding on a donkey? What a wonderful day that was!

Simon: I remember all the palm branches waving along the streets, like a conquering hero had returned victorious from the battlefield. How could we have known then that Jesus was heading straight towards his death?

Cleopas: If I had known that was were he was headed, I would have turned that donkey right around and made him run for the hills and carry Jesus far away to safety.

Jesus: (Appears from behind and begins to walk with the two.)

Simon: It happened so fast. In just a few days, it went from the happiest day of my life to the saddest.

Cleopas: It doesnâ€™t make any sense. â€œWhy did he have to die?â€

Jesus: What are you two talking about as you walk along so sadly? You look like you just lost your best friend.

Simon andÂ Cleopas: We did!

Cleopas: Are you the only traveller around here who has not heard what happened?

Jesus: What do you mean?

Simon: Our friend, Jesus, the mighty prophet…. the one that we all hoped would save the people of Israel…. the chief priests and rulers gave him over to Pontius Pilate and he was condemned to death and crucified.

Cleopas: They nailed our friend to a cross and he died. Three days ago this all happened! And since then, strange things have been happening.

Jesus: Strange things?

Simon: Some women friends of ours claim that they saw Jesus, alive! They were at his tomb to cover his body with spices and his body was not there. They say that he spoke to them.

Cleopas: Weâ€™re afraid that they have gone crazy with grief. Poor crazy ladies; thinking they have seen a dead man walking and talking.

Jesus: Itâ€™s not the women who are crazy or foolish; itâ€™s you!

Cleopas: What? What do you mean? How can you say that weâ€™re foolish? Just because we know when a man has died and is not coming back. We may be sad, but weâ€™re not crazy like those women.

Jesus: Have you read the scriptures? Donâ€™t you remember what the Bible said? That the Messiah will come and will go through suffering. That the Christ would be killed and that three days later, God would raise up the Son of Man to life again? Have you been paying attention in church at all?

Simon: We pay attention in church! We listen to the Bible readings!

Cleopas: Well, sometimes weâ€™re not listening very closely. Right Simon?

Simon: Yeah. I guess thatâ€™s true. Sometimes we doodle on our bulletins.

Jesus: Everything that has happened in Jerusalem in the last few days was predicted to happen just the way that it did. The triumphal entry, the King, riding on the young donkey, the suffering and the death on the cross… and yes, even the resurrection!

Cleopas: What! You also believe that Jesus has risen from the dead?!

Jesus: I know that Jesus has risen from the dead.

Simon: How can you know this for sure?

Jesus: I can feel it inside. I am quite positive. Wouldnâ€™t you know, yourself, if you were dead or alive?

Simon: Well of course I would know if I was dead or alive. Iâ€™m living in me.

Jesus: I, too, am living within myself. And I know that I am alive. I am hoping that my friends will know this to be true as well.

Cleopas: Well, Iâ€™m sure that your friends know that you are alive. But that doesnâ€™t help us. We are sad because our best friend has died… and for all we know, he is not coming back. Dead people just donâ€™t do that, you know.

Jesus: All things are possible with God.

Simon: Most things are possible with God.

Jesus: Thatâ€™s not what the Bible says. It says, â€œAll things are possible with God, for those who love him and are called according to his purpose.â€

Cleopas: I never read that in the scriptures.

Jesus: Itâ€™s in the New Testament.

Simon: Whatâ€™s the New Testament?

Jesus: Youâ€™ll find out in a few hundred years.

Simon:Â (Looking at Cleopas…) Huh?

Cleopas: Weâ€™re stopping for the night here at this inn. Do you want to join us for supper?

Jesus: Thank you for the invitation. I would love to break bread with you. I already feel like Iâ€™ve known you for a long time.

Cleopas: Yeah, we have that same feeling too…. like youâ€™re an old friend.

Simon: Letâ€™s sit down and eat. Iâ€™m starved. I know that man does not live by bread alone…

Jesus: … but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord…

Simon: Right. Thatâ€™s the Bible verse… but sometimes I really need the bread.

Jesus: May I break the bread?

Cleopas: Sure. Come and be our guest… and let these gifts to us be blest.

Jesus: Simon and Cleopas, my dear friends. Sometimes, we think we just need bread…. when what we really need is the Bread of Life, the Word of God. We need to see what is really important. We need to see that Jesus is alive and standing right in front of us.

Simon: Lord?! Is that really you?

Cleopas: Master! Lord Jesus! You are alive!

The End

Reformation Sunday Children’s Sermon

Reformation Sunday; â€œSaved by Graceâ€

Ephesians 2:8-9

If you were on a big ship in the middle of the ocean, and you fell overboard, what might the captain of that ship do when she or he saw that you had fallen into the sea? What would the captain do? Would she tell you to start swimming and point in the direction of land? (Let children consider this and answer.)

Do you think the captain, seeing that you were drowning in the ocean, might say something to you like: “I’ll throw you the life ring but only if you can prove to me that you’re really worth saving. What have you done with your life so far? Have you created any useful inventions? Have you won the Nobel Peace Prize or any other important awards?” Would the captain ask that of you while you were drowning?

Do you think that the captain would say, “If you can climb halfway up the side of the ship, then I’ll pull you the rest of the way up.” Would the captain make you try to work your way up the side of the ship when she can see that you’re almost drowning?

Of course not! She would rescue you, right? The captain, or one of the crew, would probably throw you a life preserver or something that you could hang onto to keep you afloat.Â (You could show your prop at this point or even act out a rescue with one of the children.) Once you had a good hold on that flotation device, they would pull you back onto the ship and thus save you from drowning.

Let me read you a verse from the Bible that is found in the book of Ephesians: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God– not because of works, lest any man should boast.” We are like that person drowning in the ocean and God rescues us, not because of anything that we do, but simply because he loves us.

Today is Reformation Sunday. On this day, we remember how Martin Luther and other Christians of his time, wanted to change the way the church taught people about God’s love. At that time, the church was telling people that they had to work their way into heaven. Some people even thought they could pay their way into heaven! Luther knew that this was not what the Bible said. He knew that all of us are sinners and we need to be saved by Jesus. So Luther reformed, or changed the church for the better, by telling people what the Bible said. The printing press was invented around the same time, so lots of Bibles could be printed and people could read for themselves what the Bible said.

We are saved by grace, just because God loves us. It’s nothing that we can brag about. It is simply a wonderful gift.

Let’s bow our heads and thank God for this gift.

Prayer: Thank you God, for sending Jesus to save us from our sins. Thank you for throwing us the life preserver and saving our eternal lives. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Note: Thank you to Louise Ehmke of Amy, Kansas for requesting this sermon.

St. Michael’s Day or “Mikaelmaas” Children’s Sermon (September)

St. Michael’s Sunday (near Sept. 29); â€œThe Dragon and God’s Childrenâ€

Daniel 6:16-22 & Revelation 12:7-12

Preparation: Bring a visual such as a dragon puppet, stuffed animal or picture to help the children see what a dragon is like.

Can anyone describe a dragon to me? What does a dragon look like and how does it behave? (Let the children tell about their ideas and images of dragons.) Can you find flying, fire-breathing dragons in any part of our world? (Children may respond.) They are a made-up creature, aren’t they? We have found dinosaur bones, but we have never found dragon bones. This doesn’t mean that dragons are not important, because dragons can teach us something.

(Show the children your visual of a dragon.) This is what somebody thought a dragon might look like. And even though a dragon is an animal that doesn’t exist in our world as we know it, the dragon represents something that is very real and that does exist in our world today. The dragon often represents something that is bad or evil or frightening. Are there bad things in the world today? Yes, we see bad things happen in the news and even in our own lives. Evil is a real thing and Satan is real, but that does not mean that we need to be afraid. We do not need to fear dragons.

On this first Sunday of October, we celebrate St. Michael’s Day. St. Michael is one of God’s angels named in the Bible. In the last book of the Bible, Revelation, Jesus’ disciple, John has a very realistic dream, a vision; and he sees St. Michael fight the dragon, the Devil, and throw him out of heaven. So even though the Devil is powerful, like a dragon, St. Michael and the angels of God are more powerful. You are all God’s children, and God sends his angels to protect you.

Who remembers the true story of Daniel who was thrown into the lion’s den? How did God protect Daniel? (Let children answer.) God sent an angel to close the lion’s mouths so they did not bite Daniel. Angels are not just storybook characters. Angels are real. They helped God’s children long ago and they help protect God’s children today.

(You may share with the children a modern story or your own story of an angel’s protection. My example follows.) One summer, I was rock climbing with some friends on the tall cliffs of Lake Superior’s northern shore, at a place called Palisade Head. The cliffs were very high and steep and one could see on the shore far below a few skeletons of animals that had wandered off the edge of the cliff in the fog. My climbing buddies and I had begun picking blueberries on top of the cliffs when the thick fog coming off of Lake Superior rolled in. Even though I couldn’t see farther than one step ahead of myself, I kept walking and picking berries until I heard the faraway sound of a large choir singing beautifully. I sat down to listen, straining to hear the melodies and words. After a while, the fog lifted and the singing faded with the fog. As soon as the fog had cleared, I was shocked to see that I was only a few steps from the edge of the cliff. A couple more steps and I would have fallen to my death. I wanted to thank the church choir that had caused me to sit and listen but after asking around, realized that there wasn’t a church or choir around anywhere near the place. To this day, I don’t know what I heard, but it could have been angels.

If you feel like you are in danger, or afraid, or even if you feel like you are being tempted to do something that you shouldn’t do, you can always ask Jesus to help you. God might send an angel to help you, protect you, or guide you. God and the angels are always watching over you to protect you from every danger, imagined or real. You are protected from dragons and most of all, you are protected from the Devil. You are surrounded by the love of God and by the servants of God, the angels.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for surrounding us with your love and for sending your angels throughout all of these years and even now to protect your beloved children. Amen.

Note: Thank you to Ann-Charlotte Fang Norman of Uppsala Cathedral, Sweden, for requesting this sermon.

Perfectly Saved

Summary: An argument about perfection leads to the realization that no one is perfect enough to earn their way into heaven, but because God sent Jesus to redeem us, it is by God’s action that we receive eternal life.

Cast: Kit Fox, a red fox puppet with a long tail; Gloria, a silly goose; Snelly, a large snail.

Kit:Â (Appears as music ends; keeps singing song and dancing around.) Man those tunes really rock. This was a great idea having a courtyard concert. I love music. I could listen to music all day. I love to hear guitars and drums and singing voices belting out great tunesâ€¦

Gloria:Â (Singing off stageâ€¦) Oh, what a beautiful morning! Oh what a beautiful day! Iâ€™ve got a beautiful feeling, everythingâ€™s going my way!

Kit: What in the world is that awful sound? Make it stop!

Gloria:Â (Continues singing as she appears.) Hallelu-hallelu-hallelu-halleluia; Praise ye the Lordâ€¦ etc.

Kit: Gloria! Hey Gloria!Â (Yells.) Gloria N. Eggshells!!!

Gloria: Gloria N. Eggshells at your service. Thatâ€™s my name donâ€™t wear it out. Iâ€™ve got two ears so you donâ€™t have to shout!

Kit: What are you doing?

Gloria: Iâ€™m singing; what do think? I love to sing!

Kit: Well, you may love to sing, but the rest of us donâ€™t like to listen.

Gloria: Whatâ€™s wrong with my singing? I use my voice to praise the Lord.
I sing when Iâ€™m happy; I sing when Iâ€™m glad.

Kit: But Iâ€™m sorry to say, you sing really bad!

Gloria: I know my voice isnâ€™t perfect, but thatâ€™s what practice is forâ€¦ Iâ€™m getting closer and closer to perfection all the time.

Kit: I just wish you would get close to perfection a long, long ways away from here.

Gloria: Well, even if you donâ€™t like my singing, I know that God does. The Lord appreciates my singing very much!

Kit: The Lord must have a tin ear!

Gloria: God listens to me with his heart. He knows how I feel and how much I enjoy praising the Lord.

Kit: Does he know how much we enjoy peace and quiet?

Gloria: Kit, listen. When I sing to God, Iâ€™m not just practicing my singing, I practicing my friendship with God. And the more I practice, the closer I get to my Lord.

Kit: And the more you practice, the closer I get to running away!

Gloria: I know Iâ€™m not perfect, but nobody is perfect.

Kit: Ahem. What about me? Have you ever seen a more handsome fox. Look at this silky fur. Feast your eyes on this perfect nose. And have you ever seen such a gorgeous tail?

Gloria: Youâ€™re not perfect either. Seems to me I saw you trying to do something yesterdayâ€¦ over by that tree. You tried over and over again and you never once succeeded.

Kit: You were spying on me!

Gloria: I was not spying! I just happened to see you. It was very funny. You were running around in circles, your tongue was hanging out, your fur was sticking up all overâ€¦

Kit:Â (Tries to hush Gloria up; very embarrassed in front of the audience.) Quiet! They donâ€™t want to hear about it.

Gloria: Iâ€™m sure they would love to hear about it.Â (To audience:) Donâ€™t you want to hear what Kit Fox was trying to do?
(Audience responds.)
He was trying to catch his tail! He tried and he tried, but he never could do it! Oh, I almost died laughing.

Kit: I can too catch my tail. You just werenâ€™t around to see me do it. I caught my tail and now itâ€™s very easy for me to do!

Gloria: Oh, is that so?

Kit: Yes thatâ€™s so.

Gloria: Oh, is that right?

Kit: Yes, thatâ€™s right.

Gloria: OK then, prove it.

Kit: OK Iâ€™llâ€¦ what? You want me to prove it? You want me to catch my tail right here in front of everybody? I would love to. Itâ€™s as easy as pieâ€¦Â (stallingâ€¦)Itâ€™s just that Iâ€¦ Iâ€™ve got aâ€¦ pie. Yes! Pie! Iâ€™ve got a pie in the oven andâ€¦ and itâ€™ll burn up if I donâ€™t go take it out right now. Yeah! Gotta go.
(Kit tries to exit; Gloria can grab Kit by the tail or tackle him.)

Gloria: Oh no you donâ€™t. Pie my eye! Youâ€™re going to show everyone how you can catch your own tail.

Kit: All right then, I will. You just watch!

(Kit starts trying to catch his own tail which always flips out of reach before he can grab it.)

Kit: Itâ€™s very simple. I just reach aroundâ€¦â€¦ and â€¦â€¦ grab it! (Misses.)

I just have to be in the right position to start. Then itâ€™s easy. I just have to turn and grab it.

(Kit becomes more and more frantic trying to grab his tail, and tumbling into Gloria in the process. Big commotion.)

Kit:Â (With clenched teeth!) Iâ€™ve got it! I caught my tail!

Gloria: AAAAAUGH! Let go! Youâ€™re biting my tail feathers!

Snelly:Â (Enters and looks at the situation with mouth wide open.)
Kit! Gloria! What is going on here? Are you two fighting again?

Gloria: He bit me! He bit me! Bite your own tail, buster!

Kit: You got in my way! I woulda had it that time.

Snelly: What is going on here? Will somebody please tell me what just happened?

Gloria: Hello, Snelly. Iâ€™ll tell you what happened. â€˜Mr. Perfectâ€™ here was trying to catch his tail and was just proving how far from perfect he really is.

Kit: And â€˜Gloria Estefanâ€™ here was trying to break our ear drums with her perfectly awful singing voice!

Snelly: You two are fighting with eachother trying to prove how perfect you are?

(Kit and Gloria look at eachother and stammer.)

Kit: Well, sheâ€¦ I was just tryingâ€¦

Gloria: My point that I was making was just thatâ€¦

Snelly: Youâ€™re both being perfectly ridiculous!

Gloria: Snellyâ€™s right. Kit, Iâ€™m sorry I teased you about chasing your tail.

Kit: And Iâ€™m sorry I told you that your singing was awful.

Snelly: Nobodyâ€™s perfect.

Kit: Yeah, thatâ€™s what Gloria told me and then I started bragging and I guess I got a little carried away. Sorry about your tail feathers, Gloria.

Gloria: Itâ€™s all right Kit. Everyone makes mistakes. But you know God loves us even though we are far from perfect. You know that Jesus died for all of us while we were still sinners. He didnâ€™t wait until we were good enough or perfect enough for him to send His only Son to earth to save us.

Snelly: Thatâ€™s right! Itâ€™s not what we do that gets us to heaven. Itâ€™s what God did for us!

Gloria: Right Snelly! If we had to try to work our way into heaven by doing good deeds or being perfect people, thereâ€™s not one of us who would make it.

Kit: Hey! Trying to work your way into heaven is sort of like chasing your own tail. You never get anywhere. You only make progress when you take your eyes off of yourself and look to Jesus.

Gloria: Thatâ€™s a good point, Kit.

Snelly: Itâ€™s a good thing we donâ€™t have to make our way to heaven under our own steam. I usually go so slow, Iâ€™d never make it.

Kit: You are pretty slow, Snelly. But thatâ€™s OK. You may not be good at running races, but youâ€™re good at other things.

Gloria: Yeah, like being a peacemaker and keeping Kit and me from fighting. But you really are slow, Snelly.

Kit: Extremely slow.

Gloria: Slow as molasses in the wintertime.

Kit: Slow as moss growing on a rock.

Gloria: Slow as a kid eating frozen spinach.

Snelly: Now wait just a minute. Iâ€™m not that slow. I can go pretty fast if I want to. Tell you what fellows. Iâ€™ll race you to the church and back. I betcha Iâ€™ll win.

Gloria and Kit: Youâ€™re not gonna win. A snail winning a race? Thatâ€™s ridiculous!Â (Etc.â€¦)

Snelly: Just hold on guys, while I put on my new roller skates.

Gloria and Kit: Roller skates?!!!

Gloria: Snelly, are you sure you know how to use roller skates.

Kit: Oh no. Someoneâ€™s gonna get hurt.

Gloria: Yeah! And itâ€™s going to be us! Look out!

(Snelly comes zooming across the stage, knocking over Kit and Gloria. And soon as they recover, she comes zooming back in the other direction and knocks them over again.)

Kit: Wow! That is one crazy snail!

Gloria: You know, this reminds me of a song. Yep, I definitely feel a song coming on!

Kit: Oh, no! Where did I put my earplugs?

Gloria: Come on, Kit! Sing with me!
(Kit repeats each line after Gloria and they sing song together. Band can accompany.)
“Oh you canâ€™t get to heavenâ€¦”

Kit: “Oh you canâ€™t get to heaven.”

Gloria: “On Snellyâ€™s skatesâ€¦”

Kit: “On Snellyâ€™s skatesâ€¦”

Gloria: “Oh, you canâ€™t get to heaven”

Kit: “Oh, you canâ€™t get to heaven”

Both: “On Snellyâ€™s skates
Oh you canâ€™t get to heaven on Snellyâ€™s skates
Youâ€™ll roll right by those pearly gates
All my sins are washed away Iâ€™ve been redeemed.”

Gloria: Everybody sing!

“Iâ€™ve been redeemed
By the blood of the Lamb
Iâ€™ve been redeemed
By the blood of the Lamb
Iâ€™ve been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb,
Filled with the Holy Ghost I am.
All my sins are washed away Iâ€™ve been redeemed.”

Gloria: You all sing very well. Iâ€™m impressed.
(Give welcome, etc.)
Glad to see so many here this afternoon.

(Here you may insert introductions and announcements pertaining to your event or worship service. See examples below:)

Kit: You know, Gloria, Iâ€™ve met some of these folks before! Raise your hand if youâ€™ve seen me before.
(Blow bubbles from backstage.)
Some of you came to Vacation Bubble School here!

Gloria: Oh you mean Vacation Bible School! Did you have fun?

Kit: Oh yeah! We had a great time playing games, making cool crafts and learning about God.

Gloria: Hey, Kit! Did you know that Sunday School is starting soon?

Kit: Thatâ€™s great! When do I sign up?

Gloria: You can sign up today, if you like. I hope to see all of you here on September 12th at 10:00 for Rally Sunday. Bye.

Kit: Look out! Here comes Snelly!

Gloria: AAAUGH!

(Snelly comes zooming through, knocking over Gloria and Kit.)

Gloria: That is one fast snail!!

Never Cry “Wool”

(This script was used at a church camp called “Wolf Mountain.)

Summary: A sheep with many fears learns to trust the Good Shepherd, Jesus.

Cast: Baaa-Bara Ann; a silly little sheep with some very big worries… and You; a sensible, sensitive type who is willing to help a small sheep.

———————————————

You: Iâ€™d like to tell you the story of The Boy Who Cried â€œWolf.â€ This story is often called a â€˜fable,â€™ because there is a moral at the end; a lesson that is taught by the story. The story of The Boy Who Cried â€œWolfâ€ is a very old story and it has been told in many countriesâ€¦

Baaa-Bara:Â (Enters, running and out of breath:) Gorilla! Gorilla! Help thereâ€™s a huge, dangerous gorilla coming and Iâ€™m sure heâ€™s going to eat me and all of the other sheep as well.

You: Youâ€™re interrupting my story, Baaa-Bra. Could it wait?

Baaa-Bara: No it canâ€™t wait! Thereâ€™s a huge gorilla headed this way!

Gorilla:Â (Small ape or monkey puppet appears and calmy stands waiting.)

You: Is this your huge gorilla?

Baaa-Bara: He looked bigger from a distance.

You: Well thatâ€™s funny, most things look smaller from a distance.

Baaa-Bara: Sorry. I wonâ€™t bother you again.Â (Aside, to the ape:) Well, I hope youâ€™re happy! You sure made a monkey out of me!

(Exit Ape and Baaa-Bara.)

You: As I was saying before our little interruption, a fable is a story with a moral at the end. It has a lesson to teach about how to act towards others and how to behave properly in society.

Baaa-Bara: Help! Help! Youâ€™ve got to save me! Iâ€™m being followed!

You: What do you mean, youâ€™re being followed?

Baaa-Bara: Itâ€™s a stalker! I know it is! Heâ€™s sitting over there on the hill and heâ€™s looking at all of the sheep! He just sits there and looks at us, you know. Very suspicious.

You: Does he have a long stick in his hand thatâ€™s curved at the top?

Baaa-Bara: Yes! How did you know? Have you been followed by this same guy? Heâ€™s out to get us! Weâ€™d better run!

You: Baaa-Bara! Wait! That guy is a shepherd. As a matter of fact, I think heâ€™s the one in charge of your flock. Heâ€™s there to take care of you.

Baaa-Bara: Well, yeah! I knew that. I was just testing you. And you passed. Congratulations. I think Iâ€™ll just mosey along and join the herd.

You: â€˜Herdâ€™ of sheep?

Baaa-Bara: Well, of course Iâ€™ve heard of sheep! I happen to be one, you know.

You: Yes, I know that, but itâ€™s called a â€˜flockâ€™ of sheep, not a â€˜herd.â€™

Baaa-Bara: Okay, flock. See ya. Bye-bye.

(Exit Baaa-Bara.)

You: Back to the story. Once upon a time, there was a boy who liked to cause lots of excitement in town. When he got tired of watching the sheep all day, he would come running into the market square, yelling, â€œWolf! Wolf!â€ and pretend that a big wolf was attacking the sheep. Then the townspeople would run up into the hills to save the sheep and of, course, there would be no wolf thereâ€¦ one day a wolf finally did come, but by then, no one would believe him. And the moral is: Never cry wolf!

Baaa-Bara:Â (Enters shouting frantically.) Wool! Wool! I just heard that there was a huge ball of wool headed this way! Itâ€™s going to decimate the entire camp! And whatâ€™s worse, Iâ€™m allergic to wool! Ah-choo!

You: But, Baa-Bara, youâ€™re covered with wool. Wool is what sheep grow all over their bodies.

Baaa-Bara: No wonder Iâ€™m sneezing all the time.

You: Are you sure youâ€™re not supposed to be crying â€œWOLF!â€

Baaa-Bara: Why, why would I be afraid of a wolf?

You: Because… wolves eat sheep.

Baaa-Bara: No they donâ€™t! They only eat cupcakes. Thatâ€™s what I heard anyways.

You: No, they eat sheep.

Baaa-Bara: They donâ€™t!

You: They do!

Baaa-Bara: They donâ€™t!

You: They do!

Baaa-Bara: No way!

You: Itâ€™s true!

Baaa-Bara: Eat me?

You: Lamb stew.

Baaa-Bra: Ah-choo!

You: Bless you.

Baaa-Bara: When then whatâ€™s all this garbage about cupcakes?

You: Who told you that wolves only eat cupcakes?

Baaa-Bara: Just this morning, I was hiking up to the top of Wolf Mountain and I met a big, furry, long-legged dog and he told meâ€¦

You: That was a wolf!

Baaa-Bara: No! It was a dog; he said so. He even told me his breed.

You: Okay, what kind of dog was it?

Baaa-Bara: He was a Chihuaua, from Mexico.

You: Now I know it was a wolf.

Baaa-Bara: Why are you so smart all of a sudden?

You: Because Chihuauas are tiny little dogs with very short hair.

Baaa-Bara: Well, maybe he was a very big Chihuaua. I know he was from Mexico cuz he spoke Spinach to me.

You: You mean Spanish.

Baaa-Bara: Thatâ€™s what I said.

You: Ok, well what did he say to you in Spanish?

Baaa-Bara: He said, â€œBonjour.â€

You: Thatâ€™s French, not Spanish.

Baaa-Bara: Oh.Â (Stops to think about it) Oh boy… (Starts to shake.) You mean to tell me that I was out there talking to a real, live, big hairy wolf?

You: Yep. Fraid so. He sure pulled the wool over your eyes.

Baaa-Bara: Well that explains the puddle of drool! I thought that perhaps he was just teething. He ran off when he saw the shepherd. Uh, if youâ€™ll excuse me, I think Iâ€™m going to have to faint. (Baaa-Bara falls over.)

You: Baaa-Bara! Are you okay? Sheâ€™s out cold. Does anyone have a glass of water?Â (Shaking the sheepâ€¦) Baa-bara!

Baa-bara: Sorry. I just get so nervous and scared about everything. Do you think I worry too much?

You: Yes, I think you do. You do know that you have a Good Shepherd who cares about you and is always watching over you?

Baa-bara: Yes, I know that Jesus is the Good Shepherd; but sometimes I guess I forget to trust Him.

You: You really donâ€™t have to worry about giant gorillas or huge balls of wool; Jesus will take care of you.

Baa-bara: But doesnâ€™t Jesus tell his disciples in Matthew 10:16, â€œBehold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.â€

You: Youâ€™re right. The world can be a dangerous place, but Jesus has promised to be with us always, to protect us from the wolves of the world. Jesus tells his disciples; and this is the last verse in the book of Matthew; â€œI am with you always, even to the very end of time.â€

Baa-bara: That is very helpful. I will remember that. You know, if I donâ€™t have to spend so much time worrying about things, Iâ€™ll have enough time to take up a hobbyâ€¦ like knitting!

You: Thatâ€™s a great idea. Youâ€™ll have no shortage of wool!

Baa-bara: Thatâ€™s for sure. I think Iâ€™ll get started right away. Thanks for talking. Bye-bye!Â (Sheep exits.)

You: Bye Baa-bara. Goodbye everyone.Â (Exit)

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