Servers: Servers: The SkitThe Skitbased on based on Ephesians 2:8-10 and Mark 10:45

©2005 David Skarshaug (www.alcames.org). Conditions for use: (1) If you use all or parts of this script in any form, please consider sending a suggested $25 donation check made out to “The ROCK” to the following address: Ascension Lutheran Church, 615 Kellogg, Ames, IA 50010. Reference the script title in the memo on the check. (2) Do not sell any part of this script, even if you rewrite it. (3) You may reproduce this script for internal use, but all copies must contain this copyright statement.

Cindy: AlleeMrs. Server: NicolePatty: AlissaCecil: AustinSimon: MattSylvester: MattiasMr. Server: EricSimeon: Michael

Patty:Patty: (Arrives with 2 (Arrives with 2 papers in hand and a papers in hand and a tennis racket and tennis racket and jacket.)jacket.) Hmm. 515 5 Hmm. 515 5thth Street. Welcome to the Street. Welcome to the Server Home. This must Server Home. This must be the place. be the place. (Knocks (Knocks on door.)on door.)

Mrs. Server:Mrs. Server: Well, hello Well, hello Patty. So nice you could Patty. So nice you could come to our home come to our home tonight.tonight.

Patty:Patty: Hello, Mrs. Hello, Mrs. Server. I found these Server. I found these papers in your driveway. papers in your driveway. I’d have carried more, I’d have carried more, but my hands were full. but my hands were full. Are they yours?Are they yours?

Mrs. Server:Mrs. Server: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. You know the dog used You know the dog used to get our paper for us to get our paper for us and bring it in every day, and bring it in every day, but ever since he ran but ever since he ran away, we just don’t seem away, we just don’t seem to get the paper picked to get the paper picked up as often as we’d like. up as often as we’d like.

Patty:Patty: Your dog ran Your dog ran away? I’m so sorry to away? I’m so sorry to hear that.hear that.

Mrs. Server:Mrs. Server: It’s just as It’s just as well. He expected us to well. He expected us to feed him every day, and feed him every day, and that was getting a little that was getting a little old. Oh, but never you old. Oh, but never you mind that. Come on in. mind that. Come on in. I’ll let Cindy know you’re I’ll let Cindy know you’re here. here. (Turns & shouts.)(Turns & shouts.) Cindy…Patty’s here!Cindy…Patty’s here!

Cindy:Cindy: Coming mother.Coming mother.

Mrs. Server:Mrs. Server: So tell me, So tell me, Patty. How did you meet Patty. How did you meet Cindy?Cindy?

Patty:Patty: The tennis The tennis team. team.

Cindy:Cindy: (Cindy enters.) (Cindy enters.) Hi, Patty. Hi, Patty.

Patty:Patty: Hi, Cindy. Hi, Cindy. Thanks for having me Thanks for having me over tonight.over tonight.

Cindy:Cindy: Come on in. Oh Come on in. Oh great, you brought your great, you brought your tennis racket. Just drop it tennis racket. Just drop it on the floor anywhere. on the floor anywhere. Nice coat, Patty.Nice coat, Patty.

Patty:Patty: Oh, thank you. Oh, thank you. (Removes it to hand to (Removes it to hand to Cindy, who completely Cindy, who completely ignores it.)ignores it.) So what are So what are we doing tonight?we doing tonight?

Cindy:Cindy: Come on into Come on into the family room. We’ll the family room. We’ll play some ping-pong play some ping-pong until supper is ready. until supper is ready. Then maybe after supper Then maybe after supper we’ll go to the park and we’ll go to the park and play some tennis. play some tennis. (Girls (Girls get ready to play.)get ready to play.)

Patty:Patty: So, shall we ping So, shall we ping to see who serves first?to see who serves first?

Cindy:Cindy: Oh, you serve. I Oh, you serve. I don’t much care for don’t much care for serving.serving.

Patty:Patty: You never want You never want to serve? to serve?

Cindy:Cindy: Hey, it’s not my Hey, it’s not my thing, okay? It’s the thing, okay? It’s the same when I play same when I play volleyball and tennis. volleyball and tennis.

Patty:Patty: So that’s why So that’s why you never serve at you never serve at tennis practice.tennis practice.

Cindy:Cindy: That’s right. I That’s right. I never want to serve.never want to serve.

Patty:Patty: Doesn’t that Doesn’t that kind of limit your game?kind of limit your game?

Cindy:Cindy: Well, we all have Well, we all have our strengths. My gift our strengths. My gift just isn’t serving. just isn’t serving.

Patty:Patty: You should You should consider trying to serve, consider trying to serve, Cindy.Cindy.

Cindy:Cindy: It’s not my gift, It’s not my gift, but…I’ll pray about it.but…I’ll pray about it.

Mrs. Server:Mrs. Server: Girls, Girls, supper’s ready.supper’s ready.

Patty:Patty: Oh great. Oh great. Boy it sure smells good. I Boy it sure smells good. I can hardly wait.can hardly wait.

Cindy:Cindy: Come on in, I’ll Come on in, I’ll let you meet my family. let you meet my family. (Girls enter dining room. (Girls enter dining room. They gather to sit down.)They gather to sit down.)

Mr. Server:Mr. Server: Well, Cindy, Well, Cindy, please introduce us to please introduce us to your guest.your guest.

Cindy:Cindy: Oh, sure Daddy. Oh, sure Daddy. These are my brothers These are my brothers Cecil, Simon, Sylvester, Cecil, Simon, Sylvester, and Simeon Server. And and Simeon Server. And you’ve met my Parents, you’ve met my Parents, Sally and Cyrus Server.Sally and Cyrus Server.

Mr. Server:Mr. Server: Welcome to Welcome to the Server household, the Server household, Patty. Glad you could join Patty. Glad you could join us for dinner. us for dinner. (Everyone (Everyone sits at the table.)sits at the table.)

Mrs. Server:Mrs. Server: Let’s pray, Let’s pray, shall we?shall we?

Mr. Server:Mr. Server: Oh, Lord, Oh, Lord, thank you for the food thank you for the food you have provided for you have provided for our enjoyment and for our enjoyment and for the fellowship of our the fellowship of our guest, Patty. Amen.guest, Patty. Amen.

Cecil:Cecil: What did you fix for What did you fix for supper, Mom? Wait, let supper, Mom? Wait, let me guess me guess (takes a big (takes a big sniff.) sniff.) Hmm, smells like Hmm, smells like that delicious golden that delicious golden sautéed chicken breast. sautéed chicken breast.

Simon:Simon: (Takes a sniff.)(Takes a sniff.) With corn, peas, With corn, peas, smsmashed potatoes and ashed potatoes and gravy.gravy.

Sylvester:Sylvester: (Takes a big (Takes a big sniff.)sniff.) And homemade And homemade bread—don’t forget the bread—don’t forget the homemade bread. That’s homemade bread. That’s the best part.the best part.

Mr. Server:Mr. Server: Boy oh boy, Boy oh boy, you’ve outdone yourself you’ve outdone yourself this time, honey. Dinner this time, honey. Dinner smells just delicious. smells just delicious.

Simeon:Simeon: Sure wish we Sure wish we had someone to serve it had someone to serve it to us. to us. (Everyone laughs. (Everyone laughs. Long awkward pause.)Long awkward pause.)

Cecil:Cecil: My stomach’s My stomach’s growling. I sure wish growling. I sure wish someone had set the someone had set the table. table. (Long pause.)(Long pause.)

Patty:Patty: Mrs. Server, can Mrs. Server, can I help you in the kitchen I help you in the kitchen or get something for or get something for you?you?

Mrs. Server:Mrs. Server: Oh, that’s Oh, that’s okay. You’re our guest, okay. You’re our guest, and we don’t want to put and we don’t want to put you out. you out. (Long awkward (Long awkward pause.)pause.)

Patty:Patty: Well, I don’t Well, I don’t mean to be rude, but is mean to be rude, but is supper ready?supper ready?

Mrs. Server:Mrs. Server: Oh, it’s Oh, it’s ready all right. I took it ready all right. I took it out of the oven and out of the oven and turned off the stove turned off the stove nearly ten minutes ago. nearly ten minutes ago. (Long awkward pause.)(Long awkward pause.)

Patty:Patty: Pardon me for Pardon me for asking, but would you asking, but would you like me to set the table?like me to set the table?

Mr. Server:Mr. Server: Patty, we Patty, we wouldn’t think of asking wouldn’t think of asking you to set the table. you to set the table. You’re our guest.You’re our guest. (Long (Long awkward pause.)awkward pause.)

Patty:Patty: So, does your So, does your family have all your family have all your meals like this?meals like this?

Sylvester:Sylvester: Oh no, we Oh no, we used to have a used to have a housekeeper that would housekeeper that would stay around and serve us stay around and serve us our evening meal. our evening meal.

Cecil:Cecil: But ever since she But ever since she left, we usually have a left, we usually have a walk-through meal. walk-through meal.

Simon:Simon: But Mom said But Mom said we had to sit at the table we had to sit at the table for this meal, because we for this meal, because we were having a guest.were having a guest.

Patty:Patty: Oh, I’m sorry. I Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to change didn’t mean to change your routine.your routine.

Mr. Server:Mr. Server: That’s okay. That’s okay. No trouble…no trouble at No trouble…no trouble at all. all. (Long pause.)(Long pause.)

Patty:Patty: Well, pardon me Well, pardon me again, but I really again, but I really wouldn’t mind setting wouldn’t mind setting the table and serving the the table and serving the food. Really, I kind of food. Really, I kind of like helping out.like helping out.

Simeon:Simeon: Where do you Where do you get these ideas, Patty?get these ideas, Patty?

Patty:Patty: Well, I’m a Well, I’m a Christian.Christian.

Mr. Server:Mr. Server: So are we. So are we. We’re Lutherans. And us We’re Lutherans. And us Lutherans always have Lutherans always have Ephesians 2:8-9 in our Ephesians 2:8-9 in our heads: “For it is by grace heads: “For it is by grace you have been saved, you have been saved, through faith — and this through faith — and this not from yourselves, not from yourselves, (cont’d)…(cont’d)…

Mr. Server: Mr. Server: (cont’d)…(cont’d)…it is it is the gift of God — not by the gift of God — not by works, so that no one works, so that no one can boast.” That means can boast.” That means it doesn’t matter what it doesn’t matter what we do, it’s what we we do, it’s what we believe.believe.

Patty:Patty: Pardon me, Mr. Pardon me, Mr. Server. But verse 10 Server. But verse 10 goes on to complete goes on to complete Paul’s thought: “For we Paul’s thought: “For we are God’s workmanship, are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to created in Christ Jesus to do good works, do good works, (cont’d)(cont’d)……

Patty: Patty: (cont’d)…(cont’d)… which which God prepared in advance God prepared in advance for us to do.” So for us to do.” So although we’re saved by although we’re saved by faith, God still expects faith, God still expects us to do good works: to us to do good works: to serve.serve.

Cecil:Cecil: Hey, maybe that’s Hey, maybe that’s why they called Jesus the why they called Jesus the Servant King.Servant King.

Patty:Patty: You’re right Cecil. In You’re right Cecil. In fact, in Mark 10:45, Jesus fact, in Mark 10:45, Jesus identified himself as the identified himself as the Servant King when he said Servant King when he said “For even the Son of Man “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”life as a ransom for many.”

(Cindy & Sylvester leave (Cindy & Sylvester leave room to set table.)room to set table.)

Simon:Simon: So, it’s okay to So, it’s okay to serve?serve?

Patty:Patty: It’s more than It’s more than okay. It’s expected. If okay. It’s expected. If we call ourselves we call ourselves Christians, by definition Christians, by definition we’re to be servants. we’re to be servants. Serving is a way of life Serving is a way of life for us.for us.

Mrs. Server:Mrs. Server: So being a So being a Christian and not serving Christian and not serving is as crazy as having the is as crazy as having the last name Server and not last name Server and not serving? serving? (Kids all re-(Kids all re-enter room with plates enter room with plates and food.)and food.)

Mr. Server:Mr. Server: Hmm. Serving Hmm. Serving Servers? That sounds so Servers? That sounds so crazy it just might work. crazy it just might work.