With Our Own Eyes-web - Seeds Publishers

1 with OurOwn EyesSeven Monologues for Childrenabout the Resurrection Appearances of Jesusfrom the Sacred Seasons Lent/Eastertide 2009 packetSeeds of Hope PublishersSacred Seasons 2 Lent/Eastertide 2009 Scene 1. Three Womenat the TombScripture: Matthew 28:1-10,Mark 16:1-8 (9-11), Luke 24:1-12 Setting: The entrance to a tomb. (We set this up by using anempty corner area under a stairwell. The area should be anyisolated area that is not well-traveled; it should be a space withwhich the children are not familiar. An outdoor tool shed wouldalso work. We draped the area with fabric to create the tomb.)

2 Weused styrofoam "rocks" at the entrance, with a stool covered infabric for one sturdier rock. We also used a coffee table drapedwith a white sheet, with a white cloth folded at one end.) Thewomen are dressed like simple peasant Our Own EyesSeven Monologuesfrom Seeds of Hopeart by Susan Daily, IBVME ditor's Note: Following are seven monologues written to beenacted for children during Eastertide. These monologuesare fashioned after the monologues of the Easter Walk, createdby Seventh & James Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, several yearsago and published by Seeds of scenes are based on the resurrection scenes from the fourGospels and from the Acts of the Apostles and are arranged in asomewhat chronological manner.

3 They include the final scenefrom the Easter Walk the testimony of the three women at thetomb compiled from Matthew, Mark and Luke, Mary Magdalene,the emmaus Incident, two testimonies from Thomas, breakfastby the sea in Galilee, and the Maundy Thursday at Seventh & James, seven of twelveavailable scenes are set up in different rooms in the church buildingsand outside on the church the first year, we borrowed costumes from the BaylorUniversity theater department mostly rough or loosely woventunics. (Costume professor Sally Askins now the Seeds of HopeCouncil president later helped us to make costumes to put in ourEaster Walk closet.)

4 Outer garments were created by wrapping lengths, of variouswoolens and woven fabrics with ethnic stripes, around the also borrowed a few props, such as Roman columns, from thetheater. Mostly, however, the props were improvised from furniturethat was already in the church. (For instance, the tomb wasrecreated by making a room dark with several candles, and awhite sheet over a coffee table, with a cloth folded on one placed styrofoam rocks and small potted trees at theentrance.)On the evening of the Walk, the children went from place toplace ( with at least two adult sponsors) to hear the monologuesthat the characters had prepared.

5 After each presentation, thechildren were invited to ask questions. The players answeredquestions and posed their own (such as, Why do you supposeJesus was so angry that he knocked all these tables over? ) Theyinteracted with the children in the Easter Walk, each player gives the children atoken to help them remember the testimony. For instance, thewitness in the Upper Room gives them small pieces of cloth torepresent towels and help them remember the footwashing. Thechildren carry baskets in which to keep their tokens. This wasoriginally intended to be an alternative Easter basket. You mightwant to create a token, or perhaps a card from each scene withart that will help the children remember the is designed to be an intergenerational event, with youthand all ages of adults playing the parts and creating the sets.

6 Itcan be enacted in one event or spread out over the seven Sundaysin Eastertide. It could be included in Sunday morning worship orperformed in Sunday school. We encourage you to be will find an overview of the resurrection appearances,and how we arrived at the arrangement of the scenes, on page23. lkcSacred Seasons 3 Lent/Eastertide 2009 When the children arrive, they are standing around theentrance. One could be sitting on the sturdy rock. As they talk,they interrupt one another, and they nod their heads at what oneanother is saying. They are clearly WOMAN: We came here, where they buried ourfriend and master, to anoint his body with spices, as is ourcustom of treating the dead.

7 But, s amazing! As wewere walking to the tomb, we had been worried about howwe would move the stone that covered the entrance to thetomb. We knew that it was very heavy too heavy for us tomove, and we were hoping that someone would be thereto help us. But, as we walked up the path toward the tomb,we WOMAN: We saw that the stone had alreadybeen moved! We were nervous and a little frightened, sowe slowed down a little and we looked all around. Whowould roll away the stone from the door of the tomb? Weasked each other. These two pushed me in front and mademe go into the tomb first!THIRD WOMAN: Oh, but you should have seen whatwe saw!

8 There was a young man sitting on the right side ofthe WOMAN: Wearing a white robe!THIRD WOMAN: Yes. And it was the most beautifulwhite I have ever seen. It almost sparkled! Well, as you canimagine, we were amazed and speechless. After a fewmoments, we dropped to our knees, out of fear and respect,and bowed to this radiant WOMAN: Then he spoke! Don t be amazed, he said, you seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who has beencrucified. He is risen; he is not here. FIRST WOMAN: When we heard these words, we allbegan to cry. He is what?! Risen?! What was that supposedto mean?SECOND WOMAN: But the angel went on.

9 Come, lookat the place where they laid him! We all got up slowly andwalked toward where they had laid Jesus. His garmentswere there, but his body was gone! It WOMAN: Incredible, amazing, wonderful! Thenthe angel spoke to us again! Go quickly, and tell hisdisciples he is risen from the dead. He goes before youinto Galilee; it is there that you will see him. See him!!We were going to see him alive again!FIRST WOMAN: Well, we were so excited, we couldn trun fast enough!SECOND WOMAN: The guys didn t believe us at thought we were crazy! Well, all except for Peter, whogot up and ran to the tomb to see for WOMAN: And we don t blame them, not hardly believe it ourselves.

10 That s why we came back tolook again. But it s true! We just went back inside and Heis gone! He is alive! This monologue, written by Kimmy Scott, is part of the EasterWalk, a dramatic Holy Week event for children, published bySeeds of 2. Mary MagdaleneScripture: John 20:1-18 Setting: First-century Jerusalem, in a garden, morning. Mary isdressed in modest clothing of the : This is where I was when it happened. Jesus hadbeen killed. That was so hard for me. I loved him verymuch. If you had known him, you would have loved him,too. He treated me me, a woman like I was an importantperson. He worried about poor people and orphans andwidows.