The story below is based on the prodigal son and is simply to give ideas as to how the story could be dramatised
Click here to go to the Bible reading: Luke 15
"Why do I always have to do all the work?" Mark
grumbled as
he hung his shirt in the closet. "Mark, clean your room. Mark, go
get the mail. Mark, fold the towels. That's all I ever hear
around here! I never get to have any fun. I never get to do the
things I want to do."
Mark picked up a few of his favorite little toys and
shoved
them in his pockets. While he was finishing up his chores, he had
come up with a plan, and he was ready for a great adventure.
He crept around the corner into the kitchen and
sneaked quietly out the back door, thinking no one
would ever know he was gone. He wandered along the well-worn dirt
trail through the woods and finally came to the little grassy
clearing near the creek, which was one of his favorite "secret"
spots.
"A-H-H-H, this is just GREAT!" he thought. "Now
I can do
anything I want to do and nobody can make me work. I'll just stay
here and have FUN, FUN, FUN."
He watched ants crawl over a rock and tried to block
their
path with a stick.
After
tiring of that game, he pulled his yo-yo out
of his pocket. How wonderful he felt being free!
Then he leaned back against a large boulder and watched
the
clouds drift lazily by. He usually enjoyed looking at the clouds
with his sister Jill. They liked to see the funny shapes the
clouds made. "Hey, that one looks like an elephant!" he exclaimed
out loud, for a moment forgetting that he was alone. One of the
clouds almost looked like a rabbit. Another looked like a big
fish. But it wasn't nearly as much fun without someone to share
the excitement.
Mark found himself getting tired, and it seemed to be
getting darker. He decided to lie down on the cool soft grass and
rest. It was nice for little while, but then it became
uncomfortable. No matter how he turned, the ground was hard...and
he didn't have a pillow...or a blanket.
Then he heard his stomach growling. "I'm getting
REALLY
HUNGRY," he said. But, of course, there was no one to hear his
complaint.
The woods were becoming darker and darker. He was
getting hungrier and hungrier. Then he heard a strange
screeching noise. "What was THAT?" he thought fearfully.
"THERE IT IS AGAIN."
"I know what I'll do. I'll just have to go back
home. I'll
sneak in the back door. Mom always has cookies in the cookie jar,
and I have a nice, soft, comfortable bed waiting for me. No one
will ever know I've been gone."
With fear gripping every step, he ran down the trail
toward
home. He had never realized how scary the woods could be at
night. His family had been down that trail often to go to the
clearing to look at the stars. It hadn't seemed scary at all
then. He knew he had only a few more steps to go.
"Will I be able to get in the house?
What if the doors are already locked?
I wonder if they missed me?"
All sorts of thoughts and questions were going
through his mind as he took the last few steps out of
the woods and into his backyard. To his relief, he saw that the
porch light had been left on. Then he heard voices: "THERE HE IS!
THERE HE IS!" Jill said with joy and excitement.
His
father ran down the steps and scooped Mark up into his
arms and gave him a big bear hug and a kiss. His mother met them
at the top of the steps and joined in the hug, and Jill was
squealing and jumping with joy to see her big brother come back
home.
* * *
"Umm.... Hey, Dad. I know that you have quite a
bit of money
put aside for our inheritance so that we will be well taken care
of after you die. I was just wondering if there was some way you
could divide it up and give me my portion now. You see, I'm tired
of living here. I have BIG plans for the future. I want to go
away from home and live a good life. I want to make a name for
myself. And I want to do it all while I'm still young enough to
enjoy it. I don't want to have to wait until I'm old and you die.
What do you think? Can you do that for me?"
With shock and disbelief, the father looked sorrowfully
at
his younger son. The question his son had just asked hurt him
terribly. Of course, he didn't want him to leave home. He loved
his son dearly and would miss him greatly. But because of that
great love, and because he didn't want to hurt and disappoint his
son, he made arrangements for the inheritance to be divided while
he was still living.
A few days later, the younger son gathered all his
belongings, took his money, and started on his journey to a
country far away. He made a lot of friends and was having a grand
time. Almost every night there was a party somewhere. Since he
had so much money from the inheritance, he treated his friends
with nice dinners and fancy clothes. It seemed that EVERYBODY
loved him. And it seemed like the money would never run out....
But it did!
One day he realized he was out of money. ALL the inheritance
was GONE. "Well, that's okay," he thought. "I still have lots
of
friends, and they will still let me go to their parties." He did
go to a few more parties, but when his friends found out that he
couldn't help pay for the expenses, they quit inviting him. Then
his friends deserted him altogether.
"We don't want to hang around with THAT loser," they
said to
one another. "Yeah, he has become a real bum."
Penniless, friendless, and homeless, he decided he had
to
get a job. He looked and looked but there were just no jobs
available for a young man who had grown up in a wealthy home and
had no skills. Finally he walked up to a farmer. "With all that
land and all those animals, there must be SOMETHING I can do for
you to earn some money," he begged.
The farmer felt sorry for the young man and finally
said,
"Well, if you will feed the pigs for me, I can let you sleep in
the barn." The younger son was desperate, and even though feeding
pigs was a dirty, despicable job, he decided to do it.
Now, all he was getting out of this deal was a place
to
sleep and very little money. He wasn't earning enough to even
feed himself well. He found himself getting hungrier and
hungrier. Even the PIGS were eating better than he was.
He began to think about his father and his home. The
servants at his father's house were well taken care of. They had
comfortable beds and ate good food.
Suddenly, he had a thought.
"I know what I'll do! I'll go back to my father's
house. I
can't go back and ask for my old room, and I can't ask to live as
part of the family, because I dishonored my father by taking the
inheritance. BUT...maybe he will feel sorry for me, and let me
have a job and live with the servants. Even THAT would be better
than living in a cold, drafty barn, feeding pigs!"
The son started on his journey home. "I wonder
if he will
take me back?" "I am so dirty and clothed in rags. I wonder if he
will even know who I am?"
It was a long hard journey as he was trudging along,
trying
to think of what to say when he finally arrived at his father's
house. He knew the road so well. He knew he was getting closer.
Just around the corner, he would be able to see the walls of the
city. With fearful anxious steps he continued on.
Then with surprise and amazement, he saw his father.
Not
only was his father there outside the city gate, he was running
toward him! He recognized him! His father grabbed him with
wide-open arms and hugged him. Then he kissed him. He was so
happy to see his son!
He tried to apologize to his father, saying he was
terribly sorry for dishonoring him and asking if he
could please just have a job like one of the servants. But his
father wasn't even listening. He was so thrilled to have his son
back home, he began shouting orders to his servants who had
gathered around.
"Bring the best robe, and put it on him!" He
said to one
servant.
Turning to another he said, "Put a ring on his
hand...and
get a pair of shoes to put on his feet!"
The servants were buzzing with excitement, trying to
obey
all the orders of their master. The crowd was getting bigger, as
more and more people heard that the son who ran away had finally
come home.
The father had to shout even louder above the roar of
the
crowd. "Go find the fattest calf we have, kill it, and prepare it
for roasting. My son who was lost is found! WE ARE GOING TO HAVE
A PARTY AND EVERYONE IS INVITED!" The roar of the crowd was
becoming noisier as more people heard the good news and joined in
the excitement on their way to the big celebration feast. There
was happy music, singing, and dancing. Everyone was having a
great time.
Everyone except...the older brother.
He heard the crowd and all the noise and called to one
of
the servants: "Hey, what's happening? What is all the commotion
about?"
"Why, haven't you heard?" he asked in surprise. "Your
brother who has been gone so long has returned, and your father
is having a big party!"
This news did NOT make the older brother happy at all!
He
was jealous and angry. After all, HE was the one that stayed
home. HE helped run the ranch. HE honored his father. HE did what
was good and right. If ANYBODY deserved a party, it would be HIM,
NOT his younger brother who wasted his inheritance and turned
into a dirty bum!
Immediately the older brother went to have a talk with
his
father. "This just isn't right!" he said. I've been here all
along helping you anytime you needed it, but you never gave ME a
party."
"OH, MY SON!" his father exclaimed. "YES,
you have been here
all along, and everything I have belongs to YOU. Anytime you
wanted a celebration, all you had to do was ask. I would have
gladly given you a party.
But now, please join in our happiness. Let's go celebrate
because your brother has finally come home.
REMEMBER
Our Heavenly Father's love follows us wherever we may go.
THINK!
1. Why did the father agree to let the younger son have
his inheritance?
2. Why did the father accept the son back into the family
after he had acted so badly?
3. What was the reaction of the older son concerning
his
brother returning home?
A VERSE TO LEARN
"...there is joy in the presence of the angels
of God over
one sinner that repenteth" (Luke 15:10).
LET'S PRAY
****************************************************
Dear God, thank you for loving me so much that
even when I do wrong and do not honor You,
Your love never runs out and You are willing to
forgive me.
In Jesus' name. Amen.
