Worship's Strongest Link

WORSHIP'S STRONGEST LINK
by Rev. Wayne C. Deloach

Cast:

NARRATOR

ANNOUNCER - speaks from off stage

IMA STAR - glamorous game show hostess

HENRY HOKUM - contestant, dressed in bib overalls and a straw hat

DORIS DITZ - contestant, scatter brained

SHELLY SHALLOW - contestant, she works on her fingernails throughout the skit

RYAN CARLSON - student contestant, a very polite young man

Props Needed: 5 music stands at center stage, one for each contestant and the hostess. Doris needs some papers on her music stand. Shelly needs a finger nail file and needs to be in a bright, multicolored dress.

General Directions: The skit is loosely based on the TV show, The Weakest Link.

NARRATOR: Sometimes people wonder about some of the worship practices of the church. Where, for example, do the words used in the liturgy of a worship service come from? Does the pastor make them up? Were they created by some committee of the church? Or do we use certain words and phrases in worship simply because it's always been that way? nd what about those cloth hangings that are always on the altar. What are they called and what do the various colors represent? And how does anybody know when one color is supposed to be changed for the next? These and other questions about the practices of worship certainly aren't the most important part of worship by any means but in tonight's skit we'll have an opportunity to get answers to some of them. Tonight we're going to be the audience for the taping of a new TV show, Worship's Strongest Link, and during the course of the program some of our questions will be answered. Oh, the show is about to begin. Let's listen.

ANNOUNCER: Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Worship's Strongest Link, the game show where ordinary people have the opportunity to answer a series of questions about worship and where one of them will eventually be crowned as Worship's Strongest Link! Tonight our contestants include Henry Hokum from Hoboken, (Henry waves to the audience), Doris Ditz from Duluth (Doris waves to the audience), Shelly Shallow from Shell Lake (Shelly waves to the audience), and Ryan Carlson from Osceola (Ryan waves to the audience). Each of our contestants has already passed through a rigorous pre-selection process and they are now ready to vie for the title of Worship's Strongest Link! And, now, here's the hostess of our show, Ima Star!

IMA: (enters waving to wild applause - speaks to the audience) Good evening and thank you. And welcome to our show. We have a fine line up of contestants here tonight to play Worship's Strongest Link so I hope you're ready for a very informative and entertaining evening. Tonight we're going to see what our contestants know about worship and, before our show is over, one of them will be crowned as Worship's Strongest Link. (turns and speaks to the contestants) All right then, contestants, I think all of you know how our game is played. I will ask a question about worship and each of you will have 10 seconds to give an answer. After 3 questions we'll stop and one of you will be crowned Worship's Strongest Link. So, are you ready to play?

HENRY: You bet, little lady!

DORIS: Ya, sure, you bet 'cha!

SHELLY: Oh, if we must, I guess I'll play.

RYAN: Yes, ma'am, I'm ready.

IMA: All right then, Henry, you won the coin toss before the show so the first question starts off with you. And the first question is: Who is it that is worshiped during Christian services of worship? You have 10 seconds.

HENRY: Uhhh, let's see. That should be pretty easy to figure out. Oh, I know, little lady. It must be the short guy up in the front there with the white dress on.

IMA: No, I'm sorry, Henry. That's incorrect. Doris?

DORIS: Oh, that's so obvious, Ima. (she looks at Henry with disgust) I made some notes on that just before we came on stage. Now, where did I put them? (shuffling through papers on her music stand) I know I had that written down here somewhere. Give me just a minute and I'll find it. I know it's here somewhere.

IMA: I'm sorry, Doris, but your time is up. Shelly?

SHELLY: Well, you know, Ima, I meant to look that up before the show but I just didn't have the time what with getting my hair done and finding just the right outfit to wear. By the way, what do you think of my outfit? I found it on sale at WalMart and I thought it was just the smartest thing.

IMA: Yes, it's very nice, Shelly, but I'm afraid your time is up.

HENRY: Say, Miss Shelly, I like your outfit. (obviously flirting with Shelly)

SHELLY: (lowers her head, bats her eyes, looks coy) Well, thank you, Henry.

HENRY: Maybe you'd like to get together after the show.

IMA: (interrupting) Ah, contestants, let's move along here. Ryan, can you answer the question? Who is it that is worshiped during Christian services of worship?

RYAN: The correct answer is God, ma'am. Christians worship God.

IMA: Absolutely right! Let's move on to our second question. Henry, what do the different colors placed on the altar during worship represent?

HENRY: Well, let's see now, little lady, I believe I know the answer to this one. They represent the colors of the rainbow but, I have to add, they don't hold a candle to the colors Miss Shelly is wearing tonight.

IMA: I'm sorry, Henry, but I'm afraid that's incorrect. Doris?

DORIS: Well, now I had some notes on that, too, Ima. (shuffling through her papers again) Oh, I can't seem to find it so I'll just take a wild guess. Do they match the color of the pastor's socks?

IMA: No, I'm sorry, Doris, that's incorrect, too. Shelly, can you answer that?

SHELLY: Let's see. (staring off into space but still filing her nails) I believe that the various colors placed on the altar during services of worship in a Christian Church on Sunday mornings are placed on the altar in order to represent something . . .uh, in order to represent. . .. Oh, look, I broke a nail.

IMA: I'm sorry, Shelly, but your time is up. Ryan?

RYAN: The colors of the paraments placed on the altar during worship services represent the various seasons of the church year.Green is for the Sundays after Pentecost; white for Christmas, Easter and other holy days; blue for Advent; purple for Lent; and red for high festival days like Pentecost Sunday and Reformation.

IMA: Excellent, Ryan. That's correct. Let's move on to our third and final question. Henry we're back to you now. Henry, we're back to you. (Henry and Shelly are still "making eyes" at each other) Ah, hum! Henry, we're back to you. Where do all the words that are spoken during the liturgy of worship come from?

HENRY: Well, little lady, that's a question I can answer for sure. (speaks proudly with his chest out trying to impress Shelly) They come from the green songbook!

IMA: Oh, I'm sorry, Henry, they are printed in the green hymnal.You're right about that. But the question was where do they come from in the first place. Doris?

DORIS: Oh, I use to know that. I know I use to know that I heard it sometime, somewhere. Let me just think for a second here. Maybe I have a note on that somewhere. Give me just a second. (shuffling her papers again) I can't seem to find it here but I think the pastor makes them up.

IMA: I'm sorry, Doris. Shelly?

SHELLY: I can't believe I broke a nail. I'm usually so careful about my nails because, you know, good nails are the first thing a man notices. (looks over at Henry) I always say it's important to have good nails. Without good nails nothing else you do matters.

HENRY: I like your nails, Miss Shelly.

SHELLY: Well, thank you, Henry.

IMA: (interrupting Shelly) Ah, Ryan, let's move on to you.

RYAN: The words of the liturgy are printed in the green hymnal. Henry was right about that but they originally come from the Bible itself. All the words spoken and sung during the liturgy of the worship service are direct quotations from the Bible.

IMA: Another excellent answer, Ryan! I'm impressed! ou answered all 3 questions correctly and, I might point out (looks with disgust at the other contestants), were the only one to do so. And that makes you Worship's Strongest Link! ongratulations! (leads the applause)

RYAN: Thank you, ma'am.

IMA: Now, Ryan, I just have to ask you, how is that you happen to know so much about worship?

RYAN: Well, ma'am, I go to confirmation class at Peace Lutheran Church and I owe it all to my wonderful teachers there. They just know everything there is to know about worship and everything else and they just make it so much fun for us to learn.

IMA: That's great, Ryan! Congratulations again. (looking at the other contestants) Maybe some more of us should be going to confirmation classes at Peace Lutheran Church. (looking back to the audience) And that's our show for tonight, folks. Thanks for joining us on Worship's Strongest Link! We'll see you again next week.

ANNOUNCER: Worship's Strongest Link is a production of the World Wide Worship Network All rights reserved. No portion of this program may be reproduced or rebroadcast without the express written consent of the producers and the World Wide Worship Network.

NARRATOR: All of us know that worship is central to the Christian life and faith. As God's people gather together for worship, Christ himself is present with them to encourage them, uplift them and help them grow in faith. Without worship and the strength that comes from it, each Christian would have to struggle alone to make sense of the world and all that happens in it. But with worship, Christians are both empowered and enabled to face the world knowing that they are never alone. The style and practices of worship may vary from one church to another but the strength of worship is always the same and is found in the simple promise of Jesus that "wherever two are three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them."