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AN EXERCISE IN FUTILITY

MAIN POINT
Few passions in American culture are stronger than the pursuit of physical health and fitness. The exercise craze of the 20th century has endured beyond being merely a fad. People are focused and obsessed with what they take into their bodies, how their bodies look and how long they can get them to last. But beneath all the toning up, working out and slimming down, there can be a lingering awareness that all the effort is ultimately a losing battle. Our bodies will inevitably age, decay and return to dust. God has urged us to understand that, though the physical body should be maintained responsibly, physical fitness is no substitute for spiritual fitness. The eternally important things, and those which Jesus called his followers to address, are not so much physical aptitude, but how we feed and nourish our souls and spirits - exercising our character, our devotion and our commitment to follow him.

CHARACTERIZATION
Both key players should be people with whom the audience can relate. Avoid the temptation to make Boyd all positive or Phil all negative. As each speaks, the audience should find themselves saying, "He's got a point. But so does he."

Boyd: He's generally high energy - a likable, positive-thinking salesman. He's not just throwing clichés; he genuinely believes what he's saying, and he really wants to encourage his friend not to lose heart. But he's more susceptible to being influenced by opposing viewpoints than he lets on.

Phil: He's an honest guy who's giving it his best, but he can't hide his doubts. He has melancholic tendencies, but he can be influenced and is willing to be convinced.

Ray: Mostly an innocent bystander who's unaware of the conversation he has inadvertently followed.

DIRECTOR'S NOTES
1) Because the entirety of the sketch takes place on stationary bicycles, blocking is very limited. But a lot of physical humor can be used by altering the posture, body movement and pedaling speed of the characters to reflect the pace of the dialogue. For instance, the pedaling should be perky, quick and energetic when the mood is lifting, and slower and laborious when the mood is negative.

2) The pauses are important timing tools; allow sufficient time so that the droning sound of the bikes without dialogue can add to the feel of monotony that Phil is describing.

3) Any exercise equipment can be substituted for the stationary bicycles, and they don't have to be two of the same. Just keep audience sightlines in mind if considering apparatuses that are closer to floor level.

RELATED SCRIPTURES
Obvious parallels can be drawn to Paul's words about the place of physical exercise in 1 Timothy 4:7-8. For the connection of the treatment of the physical body as the spiritual temple, consider 1 Corinthians 6:12-20.

RELATED THEMES
Consider also Jesus' teachings about establishing priorities based on eternal values rather than physical needs in Matthew 6:25-30. The futility of investing in temporal pursuits runs throughout Ecclesiastes; see especially chapter 2 and chapter 12. You can also use this sketch to discuss issues of health, beauty, self-esteem, goal-setting, spiritual fitness and inspiring others.