Revised for a small church stage
Written by Diane Taylor
Synapses:
This play is seen from the view point of the angels. It is a fictional passion play about Jesus’ attempt to save the earth from ecological and nuclear destruction. It begins in the future with Jesus in heaven. Jesus learns of earth’s destruction and decides to go back in time in order to save the people of earth. The angels help him throughout his life.
Comment: This is just the bare bones of the play with a lot of room for the actors to ad-lib speech, directors to alter scenes or add scenes to fit the time schedule, and add in favorite music and dance.
Narrator – Angel Gabriel:
“I am the Angel Gabriel. I have a story to tell about earth. Oh, I know you are thinking, Where are her wings? We angels don’t need to use wings, except for a few children who insist.
This is the story of Jesus birth and death as seen through the eyes of us angels. It begins far in the future. Well, not very far in the future, not far enough at all.
It happened during this time that many of the angels were falling down in tears because of some kind of sickness. The sickness kept spreading. At first we didn’t understand what was happening because it was very unusual for angels to cry. The cause of their tears is the story I wish to tell and Jesus solution to their woe.
It happened like this:
Soft music as background
Scene 1:
Stage - paradise. Background – paradise scene, but a standing map of a round earth darkened by fire is also on the stage. [can use three images of earth maps to replace with different scenes, dead and blackened, red with many fires of war, and a beautiful, pastoral, green earth]
Action: A number of angels are bent over crying. We can hear one angel sobbing, her shoulders are shuddering with sorrow. Jesus walks onto the stage and lifts her face up to him. He reaches out and touches one of her tears.
Jesus speaks: “Why are you crying?”
Angel speaks: “Earth.”
Many angels cry out:
“Earth. Earth. Earth.”
The first angel: “The people on earth are dying. Earth is dying.”
Jesus speaks: “Come on, lets go to earth and see what this is about.
Action: Jesus and the other angels walk to the large map of earth in the background.
[in a large production, this would be a movie screen showing a fire boiling earth]
Jesus is now on earth and he looks around at the destruction. All is dead. He shakes his head. He reaches down and lifts up a sample of burnt soil. He picks up a piece of bent and twisted metal.
Jesus speaks: What have the people done to their beautiful planet my father gave them? They dirtied the water and poisoned the air, then they threw nuclear bombs at each other Woe to earth. It is too late to save them, unless…?
Action: Jesus walks back to paradise rubbing his head as if thinking. Back in paradise, he looks up to the golden light of God. (A yellow light behind a screen at the upper stage right. This light represents God and is always on).
Jesus speaks: “Father, the people of earth have destroyed the earth. The few people left are suffering badly. The angels are sobbing in sorrow for the people. What can be done?”
Action: Jesus nods as if he got a message from God. He points to various angels.
Jesus speaks: “You, you, you.” The angels nod and leave the stage as if on a mission
Narrator - Angel Gabriel: God decided to try and save earth. He turned earth backwards in time, to its earliest written history. He sent leagues of angels and prophets to teach humans how to live. She names each prophet as they cross the stage.
Scene 2:
Action: Different prophets walk across the stage in a diagonal direction while narrator speaks. They each carry the symbols they are known by. Each has an angel by their side whispering to them as they write down the words. Moses, Buddha, Lao Tsu, Confucius, and Mohammed each walk across the stage listening to an angel and write into a tablet.
[More prophets can be added depending on time and costume availability]
Narrator - Angel Gabriel: All of the prophets and angels were not enough to save earth from destruction. The people still sinned against heaven and earth.
Scene 3:
Stage – still paradise setting. Many angels are still crying.
Jesus Speaks: My father has sent angels and prophets but humans still have not learned. Something more must be done.
Action: Jesus paces the stage thinking. The angels pace and think with him. Other people come onto the stage and sit down in the grass or stand around watching Jesus.
Jesus speaks: Suddenly Jesus cries out, “Yes, I will go myself.”
Angels speak: “Oh, no, surly you can’t.”
Action: angels show disbelief on their face.
Jesus speaks, “If death is all the people of earth can understand, I will go. I will live as a man and die as a man.”
An Angel speaks: “But if you become a man, you will forget like a man. It will be dangerous.
Jesus speaks: “Ah, but you will be there to guide me.”
Action: Jesus looks up towards God’s light. Motions with his hands as if imploring. Then he nods in agreement.
Jesus speaks: “Yes, it is decided.”
Angel speaks: “Your mother comes.”
Jesus speaks: “Mother, I have decided to go to earth. I must try to save the people of earth from themselves.”
Mary speaks: “But how will you do this if they have already destroyed themselves?”
Jesus speaks: “Father will turn back the time on earth.”
Action: Mary shakes her head with her hands at her face. Then she puts her hands down.
Mary speaks: “Then I must go with you, son.”
Jesus speaks: “Yes, we will both go.”
Narrator - Angel Gabriel:
“So it was decided that Jesus would be born of Mary on earth as the Son of Man. He was born into a simple family faithful to God during a time in earth’s early history long before humans had the ability to destroy their planet. He was to be raised just like any young human, normal in every way. Well, after a few readjustments were made.
Scene 4:
Stage: Stable scene (cardboard cutout pushed on to stage?)(green earth in background?)
Important note: Any time Jesus is on the stage, there is a line of angels leading from him to the ladder that leads up to the golden light of God. (they could sit on the ladder)
Action: Mary is holding child in her arms. Other people circled around her. Shepherds are looking at the baby.
Shepherd speaks: “Oh, look at the baby’s eyes. I can see the night sky. All the stars.
Another shepherd speaks: It’s as if I can see all the way to heaven.
Action: Other visitors look down at the baby’ eyes. Suddenly an angel standing next to the baby moves her arm in a wide arc to stop time. All motion stops on the stage except the angels.
Each angel nudges the next angel in line and the next in turn until finally the angel next to the yellow light (she is sitting at the top of a ladder) receives an answer from God. The angels nod their heads as the answer is relayed back down through the line of angels to the angel closest to the baby. This angel leans over the baby and moves her hands across the baby face of Jesus.
Movement begins again on the stage once more.
Another shepherd speaks: “You must have been mistaken. Look his eyes are just dark brown.
Action: the other Shepherds look once more at the baby’s eyes.
The other shepherds speak: “You are right, they look normal now.” Yes, they just look dark.”
Narrator – Angel Gabriel:
“It wasn’t only Jesus eyes that gave us trouble at first. We wanted to make sure he was raised as a very normal young boy. [Pause] But you know how boys are…boys will be boys.
Scene 5: Green earth background.- stable (with cardboard donkey with swiveling knee and hoof)
Action: A young boy of about 8 to 10 is laughing and teasing a donkey. He is on his knees and keeps pulling a bowl of food away (or handful of straw) the mule is heehawing and complaining and getting angry. Angels who are always gathered around Jesus look worried. They fret as Jesus teases the donkey. Jesus, on his hands and knees reaches to get more straw. While he is bent over the donkey rears his hoof back about to kick Jesus on the butt.
Once again the angels freeze time. Everything on the stage stops (put moving things on stage such as a weathervane to dramatize this point that everything stops) The lively music stops also. The only things moving are the angels. They send the question up the line. Their faces show frantic worry that Jesus might get hurt. The answer from God is “no.” Every angel shakes their head “no” while looking very sad. (Comment: always exaggerate emotions in angels)
Action: The angel
nearest Jesus makes a gesture of hopelessness then motions time to continue to
move forward again. The kick strikes pay dirt, Jesus’ rump. We hear a very loud
howl of pain. [ not sure how to end scene. If had curtain this would be time to
pull it.]
Scene: 6
Green Earth in background with bowl of water.
Action: Jesus is a young adult. He is a happy active person. But at one point he stops and makes a motion of thinking. He paces back and forth on the stage.
Jesus speaks: “It seems to me that I am forgetting something. Something important.
Action: The angels nod but Jesus looks over them.
Jesus speaks: “It almost comes to me at times.”
Action: He shakes his head, perplexed. The angels motion to Jesus trying to tell him what he forgot. Sometimes Jesus notices the angels, sometimes not. In walks John the Baptist with a crowd of people. He is baptizing people by sprinkling water on them from a bowl.
John the Baptist speaks: “Repent. Repent”
Jesus speaks: “Oh, yes. Now I remember.”
Action: The angels nod as Jesus walks up to John the Baptist to be baptized.
A golden dove appears with grand music.
God speaks: “This is my son, follow him.”
Action: Jesus dances and sings with joy. While dancing, he picks people out of the crowd to be his disciples. As he picks them he calls them by name. “Come, Peter, come John, etc.”
Music and dance
Narrator - Angel Gabriel: Jesus taught the people for three years, instructing them in parables and stories. He healed many people.
Important scenes that could be included in play:
Comment: Need to consider length of time of play. Perhaps scenes of Jesus life could move across stage or many could be combined into one. Perhaps some events could be narrated by Angel Gabriel.
Narrator – Angel
Gabriel: Jesus now knew he had come
to die. But, at first, he did not foresee how much agony he might suffer.
Scene 7:
Action: The apostles have lay down to sleep. Jesus kneels and begs God to take this cup from him. Jesus stands up and goes to front of stage. Sounds of nails being hammered into wood fills the audience
Jesus speaks directly to audience: What should I do? Will my death be worth it?
I can already hear the hammer and nails. [pause as we listen to the hammer hitting nails] What would you have me do? Should I let it continue? Do you want me to save you?”
Action: Jesus hangs his head and goes to wake up his apostles. Judas walks up to Jesus and kisses him then Roman solders take him away.
Scene 8:
Action: The angels move around as if in agony. They surround Jesus while he is nailed to the cross. The audience doesn’t see this happen because the angels are in front of Jesus. The Audience hears the real nails striking wood. The angels are in agony. They stop time. This time, instead of going to God, they beg Jesus to stop the crucifixion.
Angels speak: “Please stop this.”
Another Angel speaks: “Son of Man, you have done enough.”
Another angel speaks: “Don’t let it be finished.”
Action: All the angels groan in agony. It is obvious that has Jesus refused. The angels allow time to roll forward once more. We hear the nails being driven into Jesus hands.
The angels act frantic, pulling on their hair. Jesus’ mother enters the stage too and is so saddened she falls to the ground.
Comment: Instead of Jesus on a cross, which would be impossible on a stage, need to just show a cross or no cross at all, only the angels wailing and moaning running around with gestures to show their upset.
Action: Jesus dies.
All motion stops. All music ends. All the angels become silent. After a few minutes of silence, we hear the cloth of the temple tear and the sky boom and crackle with lightening and thunder.
Narrator – Angel Gabriel: We angels knew why Jesus had to die. But did he need to die so violently? Oh, we cried so hard the heavens shook. Yet, God always knows what is best. Jesus believed his death on the cross would save humanity. God knew that Jesus would emerge triumphant.
Action: Jesus walks back on to the stage amid a lot of halleluiahs and song. After a few minutes he waves the music to a stop himself. The apostles walk on to the stage and Jesus shows them his hands. He breaks bread and drinks a cup of wine. As he hands each apostle a piece of bread and cup of wine, he repeats his words to them.
Jesus speaks: “This is my body, this is my blood. Do this in memory of me. Go and teach all nations.”
Scene 11: paradise with map of a vivid, green earth to the side.
Action: Jesus and the angels are dancing and singing. One small angel wearing wings stops because she sees something hanging from Jesus neck. She points to Jesus’ neck.
The little Angel speaks: What is that hanging from your neck?
Jesus speaks: “This is two pieces of wood from earth. It is a cross, a symbol of my agony, and of the people’s rebirth. I will wear it forever.”
The end
Comments:
If contacted, I would be willing to give advise or help direct the play.