LEARNING MANNERS, FIGHTING BEARS (1050 words)
(faithfulness in little things; David)
by Deb Brammer
[Uses three boy puppets or change names; props: a pair of chopsticks]
(In this script Arnie whines a lot. Bo bounces around and talks in a peppy voice. Zack is serious yet cheerful. Zack stands in the middle and looks back and forth at Arnie and Bo as they talk.)
( Arnie enters and sits with head in hands, boo-hooing loudly. Bo and Zack enter.)
BO: Arnie, what’s wrong? Did you hurt yourself?
ARNIE: No. Boo hoo.
BO: Then why are you crying?
ARNIE: (looks up) I’m never going to be a good missionary.
ZACK: Why not?
ARNIE: (holds up his chopsticks) I can’t eat jello with chopsticks. I’ve tried and tried and I just can’t get a hold on the slippery stuff.
BO: Does that mean you can’t be a missionary?
ARNIE: (stands up) Yeah. I thought maybe God wanted me to be a missionary when I grow up, so I decided I’d better start learning to do hard missionary things. I started eating all my meals with chopsticks. I’ve been sleeping on the floor with no pillow in case I have to live in the jungle.
BO: Do you check for spiders when you put your shoes on in the morning? I’ve heard that’s important for missionaries.
ARNIE: Oh, no! I never thought of that! I even asked Mom to fix spinach for supper so I could learn to eat things I hate.
BO: He did. I ate supper with them that night. Arnie, next time you ask for spinach, can you ask her to put bacon bits and cream sauce on it?
ARNIE: But then it doesn’t taste bad. If it doesn’t taste bad it won’t teach me anything.
ZACK: I’m glad you want to be a missionary, Arnie, but I think you are worrying too much.
ARNIE: I am?
ZACK: Yeah. For one thing, people in the jungle eat with their fingers. Most missionaries don’t have to sleep on the floor. And I sort of think even Chinese people would have trouble eating jello with chopsticks.
ARNIE: (brightening) Really? Then how am I supposed to get ready to be a missionary?
ZACK: Maybe God is already preparing you.
ARNIE: How can that be? Nothing exciting has been happening to me. Absolutely nothing!
BO: He’s right. Arnie leads the most boring life of anyone I know.
ZACK: Maybe God is preparing you and you just don’t know it. I’ve been reading about King David in my devotions.
BO: What’s “devotions?”
ZACK: That’s when you take time every day to read the Bible and pray. Remember King David?
BO: Sure. He was a really great king. He fought lots of battles and the Lord gave him the victory.
ARNIE: Everyone loved David–even God. The Bible calls him…how did that verse go?…I know. David was “a man after God’s own heart.”
ZACK: So how do you think he prepared to be king?
ARNIE: Maybe he went to Lawyer’s School and learned the law. Or maybe he learned some other languages.
BO: I can count to three in Spanish. Uno. Dos. Tres. Hey, maybe David went to Manners School and learned not to slurp his soup when he drank it out of his bowl.
Zack: I don’t think so. The Bible says David was a shepherd when he was a boy. When his brothers went off to fight in the war, he stayed home and took care of the sheep, out in the field alone for days at a time.
ARNIE: That doesn’t sound very exciting.
BO: I wonder if David ever snuck off and did some target practice or something. (points pretend gun and moves it around) Bang, bang, bang.
ARNIE: I don’t think so. David was faithful. He knew God was watching. If he would have left, something terrible might have happened to the sheep. Like the times he had to kill the lion and the bear so they wouldn’t hurt the sheep.
BO: The lion and bear sound exciting. Did he shoot ‘em?
ARNIE: No, silly. They didn’t have guns back then. Maybe he used a slingshot–like he did on old Goliath.
BO: (waves one hand around like he’s winding up a slingshot, then sings) “And one little stone went up in the air and the giant came tumbling down.” I wonder if David was scared.
ZACK: Maybe, but I guess he knew God would help him. He was pretty brave. But he was always faithful.
BO: I don’t think I’d want to be a shepherd. It sounds either boring or scary to me.
ZACK: But don’t you see? David had to be a shepherd before he could be a king. God knew David was really faithful in little things, like watching sheep, so he would be faithful in big things, like being a king.
ARNIE: (hopefully)Wow. Does that mean if I do a good job cleaning my room and helping Mom, and bringing my friends to Sunday School now, that later on I’ll be a good missionary?
ZACK: Probably. Anyway, God knows what we need to learn. I guess God will give us chances to learn what we need to. The other stuff doesn’t matter much.
ARNIE: Oh, no! (covers head with hand)
BO: What’s wrong, Arnie?
ARNIE: I’ve been so busy thinking about being a missionary, that I haven’t read my Bible all week long! I better start reading it again. And I will–first thing tomorrow!
ZACK: When?
ARNIE: Tomorrow. Oops! That’s when I plan to do lots of good things that never get done. I’d better go read my Bible right now! See ya later, Bo and Zack.
(Arnie exits one side of the stage.)
BO: Arnie’s right. We’ve got to work at it if we want to live for God. I think I’ll go get my slingshot and do some target practice–just in case God sends some giants my way.
(Bo exits the other side of the stage.)
Zack: (shaking head) I think Arnie’s going to make a great missionary some day. But that Bo…he’s hopeless! If he’s going after his slingshot I’d better follow him or the neighbour’s cat will come “tumbling down” just like Goliath!
(Zack follows Bo.)
[If used with missions, you can follow this script with a discussion of jobs kids can be faithful at doing now so that the Lord and Christian leaders can use them in bigger jobs as they grow.]