Monday Rewrite

Knock knock! Who’s there? Mary and Joseph. Mary and Joseph who? Mary and Joseph, who never expected life to go this way, bone-tired and needing a place to stay. Knock …

And did Abraham and Sarah, Rebekah and Isaac, Naomi and Ruth, Joseph and Moses join that cloud of witnesses that night, to hear the cries and snuffles and to catch …

A christening service is well underway in a local church. Vicar: I christen this child… excuse me, how many siblings does she have? Mum: Three. Vicar: Great! I christen this …

(A chief angel is issuing orders to an impressive army of angels when he is interrupted by a minor cherub.) Right you lot listen up! Order in the ranks there. …

Jesus wasn’t insecure. Never needed to do anything for show or to prove himself, or big himself up. When he washed feet it wasn’t about him. Though it could have …

Jesus on a dull day, There were many of these, When nothing much came his way, Just hammers, nails and bits of trees. He’s famous for the full days, Of …

They want him to join in, to point out what this man has done wrong, to call him out for his mistakes and misdemeanours. To put him down so that …

As he walked through that wilderness, in those 40 days of space and silence and emptiness, with time on his hands and the thoughts rattling like stones in his mind… …

Overheard at a certain feast of fish and bread: Right everyone, sit down, just sit down, that’s it, it won’t be long, the food’s coming round. Er… excuse me. Yes? …

Not one who merely talks through a phone or tablet screen, not mentioning the new and trendy products that he’s been wearing or using – not here for applause or …

As the woman anoints him with her exorbitant perfume, he can see the disdain on the sneers of those around, their thoughts scrawled large, like newsprint, across their faces. So …

And seeing the crowds he sat down on a hillside and began to teach them, and more and more people came to hear him.  Some were looking at their mobile …

Love is Like This… Based on 1 Corinthians 13 Themes – Love, friendship and support Cast – Narrator & Four actors, 1, 2, 3 & 4 Love is like this. …

Two went walking in the woods one spring, With no idea what the walk might bring. The girl fell asleep, near a big brown stone, But the boy soon discovered …

A voice calls out in the wilderness, Offering comfort and a way forward. ‘Lift up your eyes, look to the skies, And to the one who set them in place. …

‘Welcome one and all, family and er… interested parties… of Mr Richard Fool for the reading of his will, following his sad and mysterious demise after the completion of his …

Where was it, he was sure it was here somewhere. The torch flickered and the shadows danced on the ancient temple wall. Surely he heard right, that nudge, that whisper …

The walls had risen around them, so slowly they had not noticed. But now they felt it, the bricks of cynicism and self-doubt and confusion. And of drifting in a …

by James Clarke Yesterday – in the Temple, I saw something that took me back 30 years in a moment. A man was talking – arguing really – with the …

The three prophets Zechariah, Jeremiah and Elijah (Z, J and E) meet up for a chat. Z. I’m trying to plan my sermon for Sunday but I’m getting nowhere. J. …

I dreamt last night that I went to the stable. I’ve thought about it often but this was my first true visit. I dressed up in my best clothes, scrubbed …

He looks into those eyes, new and bright, searching and soft. And he can sense his own gaze softening. His own heart opening a little. There is something in this, …

A reading for one or two voices. 1. If God had let worry cloud his vision he may well not have set the wheels of time in motion. 2. If …

I had everything and nothing. Wealth, status, power, they lay around me like yesterday’s toys. You can be the envy of others who don’t know the rest of you. The …

He stares at the baby, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. When he lost his voice he wondered, now his wonder is of another kind. He may wonder …

Martha: Hi Mary. Mary: Hi Martha, how’s it going? Martha: Oh you know, the usual, busy busy busy. Mary: I hope you’re factoring in some breathing space. Martha: Well you …

Every morning those ancient words call me back, back to that crossroads. That place of quiet glory, that place of reminders and rediscovery, of the old way that is fresh …

James is lurking in the doorway, his huge body bent a little and sagging with regret. He’s making the others nervous. Even this far from the city there is danger. …

Easy to forget it was a garden full of trees, and they could pick the fruit off any of them. Any at all. It was only the one, the one …

He’ll wait all night if he has to, While those who think they have the power, Are floundering, flustered, chasing their tails, Tripping over their feet, concocting their tales, Empty …

A thought – miracles often come complete with skin and bone, flesh and blood. As Saul looks up now, dust and grime on his face, his threats and sadness and …

Lord you know what we need, What we want, and what is possible. You see the bigger picture here, there and everywhere. So today we want this_____ We need this_____ …

She is getting her nails done. Again. And her eyes. And her lashes. And pretty much everything else. She is well aware she is way more than this. More than …

In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed two prayers: ‘Rescue me’ and ‘Let it be.’ ‘If possible take this cup from me.’ Then, ‘Not my will but yours.’ Two prayers …

Peter doesn’t know it but he’s about to make the discovery of a lifetime, a discovery of life itself. – So, what’s the word on the street? Jesus says. – …

And seeing the crowds, lost and wandering and confused and empty he had compassion and wanted to help them. – Send them away, says Philip, so they can fend for …

Cast: Narrator, Moses, two sheep, a bush. The Narrator reads the lines in bold. Hello everyone, I’m the narrator. Hopefully the audience will say ‘Hello!’ And this is Moses. Moses …

In an age when everyone was pressured into towing the line and believing what they were told, they refused to conform. They would not bow to the gods of success …

  – – – – – – A simple sketch to illustrate the need to pray at all times. It involves one narrator and a group of 4 – 10 …

People underestimate the power of a good story. As I stood there before the king, detesting the smell of my own body, disguised as someone who had lost all care …

1. Ah good morning. Welcome to the fruit shop of life. 2. Yes, morning, I thought I’d pop in and pick up a few bits of fruit… 1. Oh well …

John writes… his letter, so hold tight, a rollercoaster, The king’s here, and brave John is sore afraid: Letters to the churches, don’t forget your first love, I know about …

There was a time when this small band of pilgrims included furious, brow-furrowed fishermen, troubled tax demanders, courageous women with embalming fluid in the creases of their palms, boundless party …

When disappointment hangs in the air, When plans and hopes and dreams lie lost along the way. When success must be replaced with faithful holding on, When the options and …

I met her on my travels, she was going one way, me the other. She was a dancer she said, or had been when younger. Till one evening when she …

Two friends (1 and 2) are sitting on a crowded hillside, listening to Jesus and reacting to those around. The atmosphere resembles a trip to the cinema. 1. (Sighs) Oh …

Four readers – Narrator, Jesus, Peter and Leah (the woman who has been ill) Narrator: The next day, as they landed in Capernaum, a large crowd gathered around Jesus again. …

Cast: Martha – M, Sarah – S, Esther – E, God – G (a voice offstage) The three women are meeting to pray, there is a table near them with …

Long, long time ago, Or was it just today you know, A world got made from breath and dust, And people lived in open trust. And fears we’re calmed, and …

In my twenties I felt bulletproof Wanted to fight for love and troof, Change the world and make it right, Wouldn’t take long… maybe overnight.   In my forties it …