Hip Pocket Helper

Reverence in the sanctuary house of God, and when talking to, or thinking of, God.
Although most people "believe in religion" there is a habit to secularize or humanize religion. Ecclesiastes warned about this, and how we tend to treat Him as a "hip pocket" insurance policy, there if needed.

Man-centred religion shows through in wordiness, but this kind of shallow religion urges us to talk rather than to listen for the word of God. The word of God is not the echo of our words, it is His own word of judgment and grace. Before it we must be still, silent and listen. God is not "man in another form," or a super-human, but different in every way from man.

Cast: 4 m or f

• Mary
• Bobbie
• Norm
• Tracy

Bible Reference: Matthew 5:14

Set: bare

Sound: wireless mics if available

Song: none

Lighting: standard

SFX: none

Props:

• brochures and tickets, a hat for Norm
• cell phones

Costumes: standard

Special Instructions: none

Time: 15

Script Sample

(Mary and Bobbie enter from opposite sides of the stage.)

MARY
Hey Bobbie, what’s happenin’?

BOBBIE
Hey Mary! Nothing much, just thought I’d come by the church, see if anyone’s around. What about you?

MARY
I’m here for a ticket!

BOBBIE
A ticket?

MARY
Didn’t you hear the news, Bobbie? Pastor Todd got tickets for us to go to the NASCAR races this weekend!

BOBBIE
NASCAR tickets? You’re not serious!

MARY
Yep! Weekend races, and man, am I looking forward to that!

BOBBIE
No way! I thought those tickets sold out months ago.

MARY
No idea how Pastor Todd pulled it off, but he got some tickets.

BOBBIE
Those tickets are like gold!

MARY
Well, he’s got like 50 tickets—real good seats too!

BOBBIE
Wow, Mary, I mean, I’d totally love to go. Do you think he’s still got some left?

MARY
I was just talking to Pastor Todd, like five minutes ago, and there were still a few left.

BOBBIE
Listen, I’m gonna call my friend Tracy, see if she wants to go. I know she’s crazy about NASCAR!

MARY
I invited this new guy from my class—he’s supposed to meet me here to pick up his ticket. I told him he better get here before they’re all gone.

BOBBIE
(Pulls out phone, dials) Hold on, I’ll call Tracy right now—she lives just down the block.
(Into phone) Hey Tracy, Bobbie here. I— (pauses, listening)
Wait, listen, Tracy— (pauses, tries to interrupt)
I gotta tell you, Tracy, listen— (pauses, tries to interrupt again)
I said... listen! I’m over at the church, and Pastor Todd’s got NASCAR tickets for this weekend. Thought maybe you— (pauses, laughs)
Yeah, I figured you’d want to go. There’s just a few left, so best get over here on the run before they’re gone! (Pauses, listening)
See you in a minute then! Stop by Pastor Todd’s office, pick up your ticket—and grab one for me too—then meet us in the church gym. We’ll wait for you.

(Closes phone, turns to Mary)

I think Tracy was out the door before she even hung up the phone—she’ll be here in a minute!

MARY
This is gonna be some weekend! I can hardly wait. And I’m excited about bringing my friend Norm along. I don’t think he goes to church, so I figured this would be a good chance for him to meet some people in the youth group.

BOBBIE
Tracy is really enjoying being part of the group.

(Norm enters from the side of the stage.)

MARY
Here’s Norm now! Hey Norm, how are you?

NORM
Doin’ good! Now, what’s this about NASCAR tickets? That’s just about my favorite sport!

MARY
Glad you could come, Norm! I want you to meet my friend Bobbie. Bobbie, this is Norm.

BOBBIE
Hey Norm, isn’t this awesome? We’re going to NASCAR!

NORM
Alright, awesome cool! So, where’s my ticket?

MARY
You gotta go to Pastor Todd’s office to pick it up—it’s just down the hall to your left.

NORM
Yeah, I’ll wander over there in a bit.

MARY
Well, don’t leave it too late—there’s only a few tickets left!

NORM
It’s okay, I’ll go in a minute. (Looks around) So... this is your church?

BOBBIE
Haven’t seen you at Ebenezer Church before, Norm. I think you’ll like the youth group—Pastor Todd is way cool! Wednesday night is teen drop-in, and on Sunday we’ve got Sunday’s Kool and everything!

NORM
Sounds good, but my family doesn’t really go to church that much. I mean, we’re into religion and all—it’s just that, like my Pop always says, a guy doesn’t need to go overboard just to be religious.

BOBBIE
So, you’re a Christian?

NORM
Oh yeah—Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Shinto, Confucianism, whatever’s out there, we’re for it. Like Pop says, best sign up for it all. It’s not wise to take chances—you could end up on the outside looking in!

MARY
Speaking of being on the outside looking in... Norm, you better go see Pastor Todd and grab your NASCAR ticket while there’s still some left. Like I told you, it’s first come, first served!

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