SLUGGARDS AND SLOTHS

(Laziness—Romans 12:11)

 

[Uses two worm puppets.]

 

(Wilbur enters and falls asleep on one side of the stage, with his head at the end of the stage. Wanda enters from the other side, looking around for Wilbur.)

 

WILMA: Wilbur.  Wilbur. Where are you? Oh. There you are. (Finds him and bumps into him.) Wilbur, Wake up!

 

WILBUR: (sleepily) Go away, Wilma.

 

WILMA: (harshly) Wilbur Worm would you wake up?

 

WILBUR: Why should I? (Yawns)

 

WILMA: Mom has been working hard all day. She looks really tired. Let’s go help her do the dishes.

 

WILBUR: (gets up) I know what. You go help her do the dishes and I’ll sleep. (lays down on his other side, with his head toward the middle of the stage.)

 

WILMA: Don’t you care about your own mother who does so many things for us?

 

WILBUR: I do. That’s why I make her a Mother’s Day card every year. But right now I’d rather take a nap than do the dishes.

 

WILMA: (disgusted) Why Wilbur Worm, that’s terrible! You are such a…a…(paces toward the other side of the stage, mumbling) What is he? Think, think. I know. (coming back to Wilbur, in a louder voice) …a sluggard! That’s what you are. You are a sluggard if I ever saw one.

 

WILBUR: (getting up) I’m not a sluggard. I wouldn’t slug anyone. It takes too much energy. (Yawns) Besides. It’s hard to slug someone when you don’t have any hands.

 

WILMA: A sluggard isn’t someone who hits someone. A sluggard is a very lazy worm—like you.

 

WILBUR: Well, in that case, thank you for the compliment. (lays back down) I rather enjoy being lazy.

 

WILMA: You shouldn’t be.

 

WILBUR: Why not? I’m not hurting anyone.

 

WILMA: You’re not helping anyone either. The Bible says, “Be not slothful in business.”

 

WILBUR: What’s “slothful.”

 

WILMA: “Slothful” is lazy—like the animal called the sloth. There are two-toed sloths and three-toed sloths. They hang upside down from trees (mimics hanging upside down, then “stands” up again) and are incredibly lazy, slow creatures.

 

WILBUR: But I don’t have any toes at all. And if I hung upside down on a tree, I’d fall off. (rolls over and pretends to fall off the stage while saying this)

 

WILMA: When Romans 12:11 says, “Be not slothful in business.” it means, “Don’t be lazy in anything you do—like helping your mom with the dishes.

 

WILBUR: Oh. It’s kind of like “the early bird gets the worm.”

 

WILMA: Yuck, Wilbur.

 

WILBUR: Sorry.

 

WILMA:  So are you gonna come help Mom?

 

WILBUR: Yeah. As soon as I take a five-minute nap.

 

(Wilbur exits.)

 

WILMA: (disgusted) Boys! They’re impossible! (calling) I’m coming Mom.

 

(Wilma exits.)