A Week in the Life

A dramatic presentation of the final week in the life of the Christ.

Enter: Dancing, singing Hosana (tune from Superstar), carrying palms

He’s coming! Why are you sitting here? Come On! Jesus of Nazareth is coming! He’s entering the city anytime now. . . Oh - you need palms, here . . .

There’s another procession today of course. There always is at the beginning of Passover week. Pilate’s coming into the city today too. And the crowds will be lining the streets over there - but THEY won’t be happy. It’s such a formal procession - Pilate and the soldiers . I heard his wife was coming with him this time. Surprising, they don’t much like it here in Jerusalem. Of course, we don’t much like them either. All the power of Rome exemplified in that procession, and opposite that, Jesus, coming in humbly as the prophet said, with the power of God behind him

Things are going to change now, I tell you what. Jesus is coming! He’s the promised one, the messiah, the one who was prophesied to save us from oppression. I’ll betcha that by the end of Passover - by this time next week! - Pilate will be gone and Jesus will be sitting pretty in the governors palace!

“OK, you all stay there. He’ll be along soon. Blessed be the son of David, Blessed be the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosana! (dance out)

(Come back in singing “Were you there”)

He’s dead. I saw him die! How can that be? God, why did you let this happen? I guess we should have known. . . you just can’t defy the Temple and Rome the way he did without consequences. But we were so sure!

(tell story of the events of the week)
Monday - turning over the tables in the temple
Tuesday - beat the Scribes in debate, told us there are two great commandments that are most important to follow.
Wednesday, things started getting strange - dinner at the home of simon the leper. Woman with alabaster jar. Death prediction
Thursday - Passover meal, a betrayer! Arrest in the garden at Mount of Olives.
Friday - another procession, him on his way to be executed. Beaten and bloodied, so weak. Spikes nailed in his hands, people taunting and teasing him. Got so dark at noon time, Silent until the last moment. “My God, why have you forsaken me?” Centurian “This man is the son of god.” Joseph got permission to bury him. They put him in the tomb just as he came down from the cross, and that’s not right. We couldn’t do anything then, Sabbath was beginning. But after the Sabbath ends we’ll go clean and anoint him, prepare him properly.

We ran away last night, just as he said we would. He knows us so well. And we’ve all scattered, all his followers. We’re worried - the Romans might come after us. We’re going to meet later to talk about what to do next. But everything he taught me, everything he said tells me it’s not all over - not to give up. I don’t know what’s coming, but I know he devoted his life to me, to us, to all the people. So the best I can do now is devote myself to living the way he would want me to live - to follow the teachings he brought to us from God - to offer the gift of my life, my love, to God in honor of Jesus. Lord, Take my gifts and use them for your glory!