NEIGHBORS 61084
by John Cosper

GENRE: Dramatic
TIME: 5 minutes
THEME: Loving your neighbor
SUGGESTED USE: Sermon Illustration; Discussion Starter

SYNOPSIS: Monologues by four "undesirable" neighbors addressed to Christians

CHARACTERS:
BUDDY––An obnoxious guy from work
EDNA––An old lady
REGGIE––A homeless man
JUDY––A gay woman

PROPS: None
COSTUMES: Business suit, "old lady" clothes, homeless rags, street clothes
SOUND: Four cordless or standing microphones
LIGHTING: General stage
SETTING: Bare stage
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: Luke10:30–37

BUDDY enters, stops, recognizing the audience like an old pal.

BUDDY: Well hey there, Pal! Remember me? Sure you do! We used to work together. Oh, man, the times we had, talking about how much money I make and me telling you story after story about my life. (Obnoxious laugh) Like my story about going to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, when I got so drunk they found me six days later in western Utah with no memory of where I'd been. (Laughs) Oh, you should have been there, really. Or maybe not, right? I mean, let's not kid ourselves. I used to drive you nuts! Crazy! You loved your job until I came along. You'd see me coming, and you'd find any excuse to get away from me. Remember that one time…

BUDDY freezes. EDNA enters.

EDNA: You were late for an appointment. Something you can't even recall now, but it was critical that you get there in time. You were blazing down the road like a madman, when all of a sudden a car as big as a battleship pulled out in front of you, weaving all over the road at ten miles an hour. You blew your horn at the driver, who was so short you couldn't even see her head over the seat. Now, I understand your frustration at me, but did you really need to use that kind of language as you blew by me? But I guess I can't really expect…

EDNA freezes. REGGIE enters.

REGGIE: You try not to make eye contact with me. 'Cause you know, that's all the encouragement I need to approach and ask for a small favor. A dime. A quarter. Every little bit helps when you start with nothing. "But," you say to yourself, "how do I know you won't use it to buy alcohol? Or drugs?" (Shrugs) No way of knowing, is there? That would require talking, getting to know me better. And we both know that's not going to happen. Because you're just not comfortable…

REGGIE freezes. JUDY enters.

JUDY: Being friendly with me. After all, your family chose the house and subdivision based on the kind of people you saw out cutting their grass and walking their dogs. Happy moms and dads with their kids and pets. The all-American dream, right? Then that nice old couple who lived across the street, the ones who had you over for supper when you moved in, sold their house to me. And my girlfriend. Not what you had in mind for neighbors, right? Admit it, when you found out who we were, you didn't let the kids come outside and play as often. Right? I mean the last thing you want is your kids hanging around…

BUDDY: With someone as boisterous as me. Isn't that it? I'm not only a big windbag, but an embarrassment. I see you shy away when your friends come by. You don't want them to get a load of the likes of me. Well you'll be happy to know…

EDNA: The feeling is mutual. Does it bother you to hear a fragile little thing like me say that? "No," you say. "I don't need to spend time with an old lady?" Well, good. Because I don't need to spend time…

REGGIE: With a hypocrite. Now I have your attention, don't I? Who is that old drunk to call you a hypocrite? How can I judge you on your faith? I never go to your church. And I never will. Because I don't believe…

JUDY: I'd meet Jesus there. See, believe it or not, I do know a thing or two about Jesus. Enough to know that he was nothing like you. He wasn't afraid to reach out to someone other people saw as…

BUDDY: Undesirable.

EDNA: A nuisance.

REGGIE: An outcast.

JUDY: Sinful.

BUDDY: I know a thing or two about Jesus. I know what he said about people like you and me.

EDNA: "Love one another, as I have loved you."

REGGIE: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

JUDY: How can you profess to love Jesus, if you can't bring yourself to love me?

Lights out.

Performance and photocopying rights:
Your purchase of this script grants your church unlimited use of these sketches within your programs and worship services. You may photocopy the script for each cast member in your church. Scripts and performance rights are not transferable between churches and cannot be resold. You may not use the sketches for any commercial or fundraising purpose, and usage rights do not extend to video, radio, television or film.

Copyright © 2002 by John Cosper