Tag: drama

The Most Shockingly Significant Week in History

Posted on by Patricia Souder

Holy Week     Commonly known as Holy Week, the week between Palm Sunday and Easter offers us an opportunity to reflect on the unbelievable twists and turns that changed the “Hosannas!” of Palm Sunday into cries of “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” in less than a week.

How could public opinion reverse so rapidly? Who was behind it? Why? Could it have been stopped?

Twenty centuries later, the questions remain. The story still shocks us. Or, at least it should.

But what if you had been there? What if you had been with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane the night he was arrested? What if you had witnessed the treachery and illegal collusion that condemned him to death? What if you had watched as he was nailed to the cross?

What would you have felt? What would you have done?

The questions stretch through the centuries, not only because of the shocking insanity of condemning an innocent man to death, but also because of the divine significance being played out behind the events.

Romans 5:8, 9 shows us God’s ultimate purpose in allowing Jesus to be crucified for us: “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s judgment” NLT.

That, too, is shocking, but in a marvelous, life-transforming way. AlphaStarDrama offers monologues and two-voice dramas that bring Bible characters to life. Use our Free For Easter special to choose a script to minister to your church, small group, or youth group. It could have eternal results!

CHRISTMAS EUCHARISTEO

Posted on by Patricia Souder

Eucharisteo? Does that sound like Greek to you? Well, no wonder. It is Greek! And it’s my favorite new word for the year, first encountered in Ann Voscamp’s One Thousand Gifts, an engaging and energetic invitation to find joy by embracing everyday life with gratitude for God’s gifts of grace.

I’m fascinated by the beauty of the word as well as its meaning. Eucharisteo is used 37 times in the New Testament and is translated “thank” or “giving thanks” in English. That alone makes it appropriate to connect with Christmas in a year when Thanksgiving and Christmas nearly bump into each other.

But eucharisteo encompasses so much more. It grows out of the root word, charis, which means grace, and leads to chara, a spinoff from charis which means joy. Gratitude, grace and joy? What rich gifts!

I adopted Ann’s challenge to watch for and write down God’s simple gifts of grace. I’m up to 727 journal entries of simple blessings like morning dewdrops, Nathaniel’s two-year-old sparkle, and a serendipitous rendezvous with a friend whose photography-loving niece moved to town just when I was looking for a photographer for my parents’ 70th anniversary party. What priceless gifts that require neither ribbons nor dusting!

Our increasingly materialist society, however, substitutes consumer spending as the bottom line by which to measure the success of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Work and family demands in our fast-paced, instant internet world also rush and stress us, leaving us devoid of eucharisteo.

Those who lived in Bethlehem two thousand years ago had none of the modern conveniences that both simplify and complicate our lives. We may think that eucharisteo was easier for them, but they also faced frustrations and complications. Especially during the census that required them to return to the town of their birth. No airplanes. No trains. No cars. No way to call ahead for reservations. No room for Mary and Joseph after their long journey even though Mary was about to give birth to the Son of God.

It’s easy to look back at that incredible night and Tsk! Tsk! the people who failed to recognize the miracle taking place in their midst. But what if we had been there? Would we have realized what was happening?

1 Corinthians 10:11 tells us that the events in Scripture serve as examples to help us live wisely. AlphaStar Drama offers drama sketches that invite you to get to know the characters of Christmas. To slip into their skins and see life as they did. To experience their fears and perplexities and to wake up to the ways God worked in their lives and wants to work in ours.

Awareness. Fresh insights. A new alertness to God. Are they not steps toward experiencing eucharisteo?

Enjoy the scripts. Share them with others. And let me know if they add eucharisteo–gratitude, grace, and joy– to your Christmas celebration. That would be an eucharisteo entry for me!

Make a Difference

Posted on by Patricia Souder

It’s time to make a difference in your school, church, and community! ALPHASTAR DRAMA wants to help you do that with a “MAKE A DIFFERENCE SPECIAL” through Labor Day that offers

  • All individual sketches for only $.99 each (Use code: SKETCH99)
  • It All Started in Eden, a 20-minute collection of drama sketches from Genesis, for only $5.00 (Use code: EDEN5)

AlphaStar Drama offers short drama sketches based on Bible characters that feature word-play and humor designed to open hearts and minds to consider God’s perspective on marriage, family, justice, compassion, integrity, and truth. Short and pithy, the sketches are effective and easy to do whether acted out or read dramatically.

Here are a few possibilities guaranteed to generate discussion and make your programs memorable this year:

  • It All Started in Eden: A memorable, easy-to-do 20-minute collection of drama sketches from Genesis that promote discussion about relationships with God and each other. Especially good for Marriage Enrichment weekends or to kick off a series of studies in a small group.
  • What’s Wrong with Vegetables? A humorous sketch that challenges us to examine how attitudes affect our worship and service for God.
  • We’re Gonna Miss That Boat! A fun-filled sketch where Noah’s hillbilly neighbors ridicule Noah and his “ark boat” until the rain begins. The dramatic climax reminds us to get on board while there’s still time.
  • Weak Like Other Men: A sketch that exposes how easily a strong man like Samson can fall when enticed by temptation. A graphic reminder of our constant need of God’s strength to do what’s right.

There are many more sketches available, including wonderful pieces for Advent and Christmas. Remember: Individual sketches are only 99 cents and It All Happened In Eden is marked down to $5.00 from now through Labor Day.

Don’t miss this great opportunity!

The Greatest Drama Ever Lived

Posted on by Patricia Souder

Drama. It entertains and energizes, informs and inspires, challenges and changes us.

So how do we feel about drama in real life? Do we welcome it or run from it?

Shakespeare wrote:

“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players . . .” (As You Like It, Jacques, Act II, Scene VII).

Shakespeare plunks us all on the stage of life. No choice. Just seven stages of life that begin and end with dependency. Although artistic, his depiction leaves us with a sense of futility.

To be sure, life hands us many surprises. But is this all there is to life? Or is there a meta-drama that transcends and orchestrates the drama of life in which we’re involved? And if there’s a meta-drama, who’s writing the script and directing the production?

Think creation. Insubordination. Incarnation. Crucifixion. Resurrection. Redemption. Eternity.

Then think God.

Who but God would not only craft a master script but also direct, produce, and play the lead role in the incredible drama of redemption?

Drama is often used to portray the events leading up to Easter. And no wonder: The week between Palm Sunday and Easter is filled with drama. Characters with diverse motives and agendas enter and exit, spinning plot reversals that nail Jesus, an innocent man, to the cross. All seems lost.

To be sure, all would be lost except for the meta-drama of redemption that’s going on behind the scenes. It’s the greatest drama ever lived! And it’s the marvelous meta-drama that’s so needed in our world today.

Christ-centered drama can be a vital tool for outreach or discipleship in your church during the Lenten and Easter season. Check out our special offers at www.AlphaStarDrama.com.

Christmas: God’s Great Drama. Surprising or Scandalous?

Posted on by Janelle

Scandalous! Is that a word you associate with Christmas?

I’m reading a series of Advent devotionals this year that uses the word repeatedly. To be sure, it catches my attention. That the Creator of the universe willingly chose to clothe Himself in helpless infant flesh shocks me. That He chose a young woman with no special pedigree, an honest but humble carpenter, and shepherds who were regarded as the lowest of the low to be the main characters in this greatest of all dramas stuns me.

But scandalous? The 136 synonyms in my thesaurus all have negative connotations. Would God ever do anything that is disgraceful, shameful, or dishonorable? Of course not. But would His methods be so unorthodox that people in power might view them as scandalous? Quite possibly.

Mary, Joseph, the angels, the shepherds, the townspeople, Herod, the Magi . . . who among them really understood what was happening?

God surprised them. He continues to surprise us. Drama sketches of Bible characters allow us to see the situation from their viewpoint. As we do, we discover truths that transcend the centuries. We also find  we’re faced with the same dilemma they faced: Will we trust the God who orchestrated this great drama of redemption, or will we judge Him as scandalous? Which is, if you think about it, quite scandalous!