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JESUS’ UNSHARED VIGIL
by Denise
Nations
GENRE: Drama
TIME: 4 minutes
CAST BREAKDOWN: 3M
THEME: Prayer; Jesus' Death and Resurrection
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 26:36–46
CHURCH YEAR SEASON: Easter, Good Friday
SUGGESTED USE: Good Friday Pageant, Sermon Introduction
CHARACTERS:
Peter, James and John
SYNOPSIS: While watching Jesus pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter, James and John almost let their emotions get the best of them.
PROPS: None
COSTUMES: Contemporary dress or stylized costumes
SOUND: 3 wireless mics
LIGHTING: Dimly lit stage
SETTING: The Garden of Gethsemane
PETER, JAMES and JOHN follow Jesus up to the garden at Gethsemane. Jesus has gone further to pray alone. The three stay behind to watch and pray.
PETER: Jesus!
JOHN: Let him go, Peter. He wants to be alone.
PETER: Then why did he tell us to come with him?
He doesn't want to be alone.
JOHN: Yes, he does. Just do as he asks; let's stay here
and keep watch.
JAMES: What are we supposed to pray about?
PETER: Well, gee James, why not pray for him? Wouldn't that be nice of us? Huh?
JOHN: He admitted outright that his soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. I think he means it; Jesus isn't careless with words.
JAMES: John, you don't think he's contemplating taking his life, do you?
JOHN: Surely not.
PETER: He'll have to take it over my dead body—PETER starts towards Jesus, JOHN stops him.
JOHN: Peter, stop. He's here to pray, remember, like we ought to be doing.
PETER: But you're right, he said "to the point of death!"
JAMES: Probably just meant it like a figure of speech. You know how he is. Stories, riddles.... sometimes we don't exactly know what he means.
JOHN: C'mon, let's pray.
JAMES: You know, I'm embarrassed to say this, but until now I never thought to pray for Jesus. I've let him pray for me, but never really thought he needed my prayers.
JOHN: He needs them now, James.
JAMES wanders in Jesus' direction.
PETER: What's he doing?
JAMES: Can't tell. His back is to us, but he's looking up
towards the sky.
PETER looks up for a moment. JOHN looks up pensively.
JAMES: For example, when he said, "pray that you don't fall into temptation," what temptation was he talking about? Temptation to do what?
JOHN: Doesn't the sky seem ominous, almost threatening? The way that big dark cloud hides the moon.
PETER: Considering the hour, no. It's after midnight; it's supposed to be dark.
JOHN: There's something about it. It depresses me.
PETER: It wearies me. Did anyone bring any bread with them?
JOHN: I've never seen him like this before. His face, full of anguish, and the way he speaks—just then, did you hear that quiver in his voice? Something's terribly wrong.
JAMES: Peter, John! He just threw himself to the ground.
PETER: What?
JAMES: He was standing with his arms out (Imitates the movement) with his head towards heaven. Then he sort of bent over-like this-and threw himself on the ground, face down.
JAMES turns back to see Jesus in the distance.
JAMES: He's ... he's crying.
With sheer helplessness, they stare at Jesus, then at one another. JAMES returns to where he was and sits, taking the posture of one engaged in prayer. JOHN moves away for the sight, finds a solitary spot and kneels. Eventually, he moves onto the ground with his face resting against his arms. PETER leans against a rock to pray. PETER turns out, shifting into a more comfortable position. After a long time of silence, one by one, the disciples have fallen asleep.
Suddenly startled by a noise, JAMES wakes to see Jesus leaving the garden. He wakes the other two.
JAMES: John, Peter. Wake up. He's done, he's leaving. Let's go.
JOHN and PETER rise.JOHN: Did he say anything?
JAMES: Here comes my betrayer?They exit hurriedly.
Lights out.
DIRECTING Jesus’ Unshared Vigil
This drama deals with one of the most powerful forces that can be brought to a stage—silence.
We live in a world terrified of silence. Commercials rush to fill the millisecond gap brought on by the pause in a television program, commuters are glued to their radios on their way to work, kids fuse with their video games. Modernity is loud and invasive and never wants us to take a moment to pause and be silent.
Why?
In our moments of silence we are often forced to be introspective. Without distractions, we see aspects of ourselves that are unsightly and need some attention. In other words, we're reminded that we are sinners in need of a Savior.
"Be still, and know that I am God." This Bible verse is not just a recommendation. It is a divine command. God requires our silence, our stillness, as we approach him and his throne. We seek to avoid it because we know that when we approach the holy of holies, we will be confronted with our sin. However, because of Christ's death on the cross we needn't be afraid of our heavenly father. We simply need to peacefully address God to reconnect with him in a personal and specific way.
Jesus' Unshared Vigil may be a difficult piece for your actors to deal with. Many newer actors are convinced that they have to be doing something on stage to be interesting; some bit of choreography or stage business to keep the audience amused. The opposite is true. Actors are the high priests for an audience, helping them to disengage from reality and get in touch with their emotions that are stirred by quality drama. When the disciples watch Jesus cry in this scene, the actors must be intent on picturing what that experience will feel like, and nothing more. They don't need to gasp, or cry out, or move around anxiously, unless this is their natural, organic reaction. However, most of us, when faced with pronounced tragedy, react with shock and stillness. There are some events that are too powerful for us to try and distract ourselves out of. Let your actors allow themselves to live that horrible moment of seeing Jesus cry, and members of the audience will feel as if they were standing next to the disciples in Gethsemane, listening to the Son of David weep as he cried out to his father to reverse a task too great for the son of God to bear.
STAGING NOTES: The long moment of silence in this scene is the most dramatic element of the entire piece. One essential bit of blocking is to make sure that when the actors look towards Jesus they are looking directly out at the audience. The audience needs to see the actors' faces, to experience what they were experiencing as they watch the disciples' agony. Consider having another actor at the back of the sanctuary (hidden from the audience's view) cry quietly after James says, "He's…he's crying." If performed subtly and with genuine emotion, this will be a devastating yet utterly poignant moment.
ACTING EXERCISE: Sensory Perception Constantin Stanislavsky, the famed Russian director and father of modern theatre, was the first proponent of an acting technique known as "emotional recall." He posed the question: "How can an actor play a character, if he has never experienced what that character experienced?" For instance, if you were called on to play a thief and had never stolen, how could you play that character truthfully? The answer lies in an actor using his imagination. Actors were instructed to remember a time in their lives that was similar to the experience they were portraying on stage to lend an emotional realism to their character. Whereas some people see this as a misdirected form of therapy, it's actually one of an actor's most powerful tools to mine the depths of his psyche in a healthy fashion. By remembering a powerful emotional experience to use as research for a character, an actor often experiences the same powerful catharsis in a personal way that his audience will in a public way.
With this in mind, have your actors participate in a sensory perception exercise by vividly imagining themselves as the disciples at Gethsemane.
Start with the five senses: What would they have seen in the garden? How dark was it? Was there a moon? What foliage was there in the garden? Were the plants aromatic? How did they smell-minty, earthy? How about when the disciples lay down and slept-were they sleeping on grass or hard ground? How would that feel on their skin? Odds are they were used to sleeping outdoors and were exhausted from their travels with Jesus. Actors should try to let the utter weariness brought on by prolonged exhaustion seep into their bones. What would they have heard? Are there birds chirping in the evening? Crickets? Perhaps Roman soldiers off in the
distance laughing around the campfire. And what would it sound like to hear Jesus cry? How would that make you feel?
The specifics will be different for every actor, and the exercise can be done before every rehearsal and performance if desired. The point is to steep your actors in the reality of the physical surroundings of the scene so that the audience will be able to vividly picture what Peter is looking at and where John kneels. They will experience the scene so vividly that they will feel as if they are a fellow disciple, desperate to help their beloved Savior and friend.
Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 NIV
thoughts from the PASTOR
The title of this sketch, Jesus' Unshared Vigil, encapsulates the theme of isolation versus community and the burden of mutual accountability and fellowship within the body of Christ. This sharing of each other's lives is counter-cultural.
We live within a societythat applauds individualism and our democracy arises out of the idea that each person is created for self-fulfillment and happiness is an outgrowth of autonomy. Are we indeed our brother's keeper?
In the garden Christ takes with him three of his closest disciples and his desire is for their friendship and prayer support. Represented in this sketch is a picture of our Lord as a person who needs and craves companionship. He does not want to be alone at the darkest moment of his life. In asking his friends to accompany him and pray for him, he is exposing his heart and allowing them to help bear his burden.The larger group of disciples betrays Jesus at his arrest but his inner circle abandons him in the garden by their seeming lack of concern, and certainly by falling asleep. They gave in to their own desires and did not support their friend. How often do we abandon our friends or our Christian brothers and sisters by seeking after our own desires? Do we follow through in our plans, promises and prayers? Do we hold one another accountable and honor our covenant relationships? Are we even aware of the need to "carry each other's burdens?" Let's think seriously about the importance of supporting one another versus running after our own dreams and desires and elevating autonomy as an idol. Don't fall asleep on your brother or sister, but be ever vigilant in your friendships.
Study/Discussion Questions: 1. Is there a disciple among Christ's inner circle with
whom you most identify? In what way?
2. Do you have an accountability relationship among
your peers? If not, why not? If so, how is it helpful?
3. How do you see prayer as an integral part of
covenanting with others? Why is it important to bear
one another's burdens?
4. Think about Christ's need for prayer in the garden
scene. How does his need reflect on our own needs?
MUSICAL LINKS
Performance Songs
"Hallelujah, Praise the Lamb"
(Praise)
As performed by The Talleys on Southern Gospel Treasury, Word Entertainment
Musical Style: Building ballad
"It Took a Lamb"
(Christ's Death)
Geron Davis, It Took a Lamb, Hosanna! Music
Musical Style: Worshipful
"Lamb of God, I Worship You"
(Worship)
Geron Davis, It Took a Lamb, Hosanna! Music
Musical Style: Worshipful
"The Lord's Prayer"
(Prayer)
www.worshiptoday.com
Musical Style: Prayerful
Choruses
"Above All"
As performed by Michael W. Smith on Live Worship
Musical Style: Ballad
Hymns
"At the Cross"
(Jesus our Savior)
Watts; R. Hudson
Musical Style: Slow
"Worthy Is the Lamb"
(His suffering and death)
D. Wyrtzen
Musical Style: Moderate
"What Wondrous Love Is This"
(Jesus our Savior)
Author Unknown
Musical Style: Moderate
"O Sacred Head, Now Wounded"
(His suffering and death)
P. Gerhardt; H. Hassler
Musical Style: Slow
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 © 2003 Denise Nations
