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Drama: Give Me Jesus by A Reading by Matt Tullos |
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This short reading could introduce the chorus by Fernando Ortega "Give Me Jesus."
Reader 1: Mark
Reader 2: chapter 9
Reader 1: verse 14.
Reader 2: Immediately after the revelation of Christ's glory on the Mount of Transfiguration.
Both: A crowd:
Reader 2: conflicted,
Reader 1: volatile,
Reader 2: analytical,
Reader 1: wondering,
Reader 2: perhaps even amused.
Both: The Pharisees:
Reader 2: blame-seeking,
Reader 1: proud,
Reader 2: poised to attack,
Reader 1: hissing words of condemnation.
Both: The disciples:
Reader 2: dumbfounded,
Reader 1: clueless,
Reader 2: accused.
Both: A young boy:
Reader 2: tormented,
Reader 1: ill,
Reader 2: hopeless.
Both: And a father:
Reader 1: desperate,
Reader 2: at wit's end.
Reader 1: Can you hear the hurled accusations?
Reader 2: Can you hear the plastic theological debate in the face of authentic crisis?
Reader 1: Here was a boy who had been tormented by demons,
Reader 2: in the arms of a father.
Reader 1: A father tired of the masks,
Reader 2: through with pretending that everything is fine,
Reader 1: that his son could be helped through human effort.
Reader 2: He was tired of the gurus, the sermons, the witch doctors, and self-help teachings.
Reader 2: He had been to the discussion groups, the interventionists, and even the authentic ministry of the disciples.
Reader 1: But now this daddy stood, feet firmly on the ground, holding his broken son.
Reader 2: A son who, at times, foamed at the mouth,
Reader 1: a son who would convulse.
Reader 2: Suicidal.
Reader 1: A son on the very edge of death,
Reader 2: fighting unseen demons.
Reader 1: As the religious world sought a scapegoat,
Reader 2: the boy's father had enough.
Reader 1: Enough of hiding,
Reader 2: enough of hoping,
Reader 1: enough of hating,
Reader 2: enough of law,
Reader 1: and pity.
Both: He saw Jesus.
Reader 1: Can you hear the voice of the father, which echoes down the halls of time through God's Word?
Reader 2: I don't care anymore.
Reader 1: I'm at the end of my rope.
Reader 2: I've tried it all, Jesus! I've prayed until my knees bled. These disciples did their best. My son is broken, and I can't take any more disappointment. I'm through hiding. I'm laying him at your feet. He is broken. He is shamed. He is hopeless. I'm incapable of carrying this burden any longer. I can't handle it anymore. My coping mechanisms are useless. And I couldn't care less about how this looks. I'm through with appearance management.
Reader 1: The noise of religiosity faded into the background.
Reader 2: The father was consumed by one relentless obsession: a pursuit of the Son of God.
Reader 1: The compassion of Jesus, the mender of broken things, poured over him.
Reader 2: Jesus, the ruler and master of broken things, fashioned hope and peace and unconditional love in the midst of unspeakable horror, once again transforming a broken soul and bringing peace,
Reader 1: redemption,
Reader 2: and scandalous grace.
Reader 1: So what about you?
Reader 2: Do you have it all together?
Reader 1: Do you think you can walk another day without his power?
Reader 2: Do you think you can conquer the villains of the unseen without his lordship?
Reader 1: Are you saying to him,
Reader 2: "I don't need your love that badly,
Reader 1: I don't need that kind of grace and intervention"?
Reader 2: Or are you standing with arms wide open, placing broken things at his feet?
Reader 1: Are you saying,
Reader 2: "Lord, I am clueless,
Reader 1: I've read the books, and I've been to the seminars,
Reader 2: but this morning I'm saying,
Both: 'Give me Jesus!'"?
Reader 1: I'm dropping the weapons, the masks, and the excuses.
Both: Give me Jesus.
Reader 2: I'm tired of the imitations.
Both: Give me Jesus.
Reader 1: I'm through with pretenses.
Both: Give me Jesus.
Reader 2: I've had enough of condemnation, soothsayers, and gurus.
Both: Just give me Jesus.
Reader 1: My world is broken,
Reader 2: my body is bruised,
Reader 1: my hope is gone,
Reader 2: I've lost the desire to pretend,
Reader 1: I'm working my way through the babbling, thoughtless mass of religious critics.
Reader 2: I'm crying,
Reader 1: "You can have everything else.
Both: Just give me Jesus."
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