Act IV

The Tales of  BART & ANDY

Jailhouse Rock(s)

(get it... Peter... the rock... )

Or

I Shall Be Released!

By

Paul Dallgas-Frey

4.

The PLAYERS

BART & ANDY

Yes, it's Bart & Andy, the disciples Bartholomew and Andrew, again!

The TEACHER

She still knows everything!

The SETTING

Panjandrum X. an exotic planet on the other side of the galaxy.

Just kidding! Same old Upper Room again. Once again there is a large table, a couple of chairs. But this time, on the table is a large box with a very large padlock type lock (facing away from the kids so they can't see the lock... make it colorful and fun! Sort of like something you'd have seen on "Let's Make A Deal").

Around the room are various objects with clues somehow attached (you'll see as you go on! The objects can be actual things, or maybe better, fun, fanciful recreations out of cardboard and paper... Like, the lock on the box could be a large cardboard lock... (with, in the end, a large cardboard key)...or something like that!)

We see Bart sitting at the table, looking sad.

The PLAY Begins

Teacher    Welcome back to our little production! Yes, here we are again - in the Upper Room!

                   We've been learning a lot about the Holy Spirit - thanks to Bart and Andy! You all remember Bart and Andy, right? Bartholomew and Andrew, two of the 12 disciples. They were with Jesus from the beginning. And they were there when Jesus promised he would send the Holy Spirit when he went away.

And then we heard how on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came, just as Jesus promised he would. He came with the roar of a mighty wind and fire because, well, that's what the Holy Spirit is like. He is like the wind because you can't see where he comes from or where he goes – but he can do mighty things. And he is like a fire, like the fire in an engine that gives it life and gets it moving.

                   Remember, after Jesus left and went to heaven, the disciples were hiding here in the Upper Room. They were too afraid to do anything. But when the Spirit came, the disciples weren't afraid anymore!

They went out and started doing what the Holy Spirit wants us all to be doing – telling everyone about Jesus! And the Holy Spirit helped them do some amazing things – they made sick people well, crippled people walk, and blind people see. The Holy Spirit was the power that made it clear that what they were saying really was from God.

Then last week we saw how the Holy Spirit told Philip to bring the Good News to a powerful official in the court of the queen of Ethiopia. The Good News was spreading everywhere! Even to the ends of the earth!

                   And pretty soon their little group wasn't so little anymore! People from all over were believing in Jesus and coming to be baptized.

                   But some people weren't so happy about that.

                   And that's when the trouble started.

[There is a knock at the door. Not sure how you want to do this... you could have an actual door, or you could have Andy unseen off stage, and just a sound effect knock]

[knock, knock]

Bart                Who is it?

Andy              [whispering] It's me, Andy...

Bart                Who?

Andy              It's ME! Andy!

Bart                Andy??

Andy              Yes! ME! ANDY!

Bart                Andy??? Are you sure??

Andy              Of course I'm sure!!!

Bart                [turns to audience] Whew! I was afraid it was a bunch of Roman soldiers!

                           You've heard what's been happening, haven't you??? The Holy Spirit has been doing some wonderful, powerful things! And more and more and more people are coming to know the Good News about Jesus, and more and more and more people are believing and being baptized!

                           And that's good!

                           But it's starting to scare some of my people – and that's bad!

There are important and powerful Jews who don't want to believe that Jesus is the Messiah that our people had been waiting for... No...  they don't want to lose their wealth and power, that's what it is! They want people to follow them – and not follow Jesus!

                           They want to stop what the Holy Spirit is doing!

                           It's kind of funny to think they can stop the Holy Spirit... But they do... and they are doing terrible things trying.

                           They have started to arrest followers of Jesus – and throw us into prison – or worse.

                           They stoned Stephen to death. It was awful.

                           And a few days ago they talked Herod into arresting James, the brother of John. Herod wants to keep his wealth and power too, so he had James killed just to please the Jewish leaders.

                           [shaking his head] It was terrible, just terrible.

                           I loved James, he was a like a brother to me... I can't believe he's gone. But he gave his life for Jesus.

                           [sighs]

                           And then Herod even had Peter arrested too!

[knock, knock]

Andy              [still outside the door] Hey, Bart...

Bart                What, Andy?

Andy              Open the door!!!!

Bart                Oh! Sorry!!! [motions to hush the audience, let's Andy in]

Andy              Who were you talking to??

Bart                Who? Me? No one! Really!

[they sit at the table, weary, seemingly oblivious to the large box sitting on it]

[long pause]

Bart                [finally!] Hey, Andy...

Andy              What, Bart?

Bart                What's in the box?!

Andy              I don't know!

Bart                But what's in it???

Andy              [turns the box around so the kids can see a very large lock] Look! The box is locked – we can't get inside without a key!

Bart                Where's the key?

Andy              I don't know!

Bart                How are we going to open the box if we don't have the key?!

Andy              Hey, Bart...

Bart                What, Andy?

Andy             Good question!

[they begin to examine the box, pick it up turn it around... find a piece of paper beneath it.

Andy picks it up.]

Bart                Hey! What's that?

Andy              I don't know... it looks like a clue.

Bart                A clue? What kind of clue??? What does it say?

Andy              Peter.

Bart                Peter?

Andy              Peter.

Bart                Peter what???

Andy              Peter. That's all it says.

Bart                Peter?! What kind of clue is that?!

Andy              Beats me! But maybe if we figure it out we'll get to see what's in the box!

Bart                Like a game! I love games!

Bart                [thinking out loud] Peter... what can that mean...

Bart                Well... Jesus changed Simon's name to Peter... it means rock [looking around the room]... like that rock over there!

Andy              [incredulously] Huh?! How did that get here?!

Bart                Got me! [as he is going over to the rock, picks it up]  But, look, here's another clue!

Andy              What does it say?

Bart                Pray.

Andy              You have to pray first?

Bart                No! The clue! All it says is Pray.

Andy              I wonder what that means??

Bart                Hmmmm... Remember... Herod arrested Peter...

Andy              ...and we all started praying for him!

Bart                Yeah... Herod had Peter thrown into prison, and he tied him up with... [sees a coil of heavy chains on the floor... the bigger the better!]... chains!

Andy              [sorting through chain... finds another clue] Look! Another clue!

Bart                What does this one say?

Andy              Sleep.

Bart                Good idea! I'm kind of tired.

Andy              No, Bart! The clue is Ôsleep.'

Bart                Ohhh.... Hmm. Sleep???... well... Peter went to sleep that night... tied in chains...  he had one guard on one side of him...

Andy              And another guard on the other side of him...

Bart                And guards at the door... and guards at the gate. Peter wasn't going anywhere - there were guards everywhere!

Andy              Roman guards... big, mean, scary Roman guards...

Bart                ...with big, mean, scary...swords! [looking across the room] ... like that one over there!!! [runs over and picks up the sword, there is another clue attached to it. Andy scratches his head, wondering what a sword is doing there!] And look... another clue!

Andy              What does this one say???

Bart                Light.

Andy              Huh. Light... light.... I got it! [like the light went on! :O)  ] Peter fell asleep that night, right? He was in a cold, nasty, smelly cell; all tied up with chains, with two guards right there beside him... There was no way he was going anywhere! It was dark, the middle of the night... and all of a sudden his prison cell was filled with light!

Bart                It was an angel!

Andy              The angel shook Peter... [shakes Bart, enacting the angel shaking Peter.]

[As the angel, whispering] Peter... Peter... wake up!

Bart                [pretending to be Peter] Huh? Huh? What's happening???

Andy              [as the angel] Shhhhh... quick... put on your sandals, grab your coat and follow me!   [as himself] And just like that - the chains fell off Peter's hands and feet!

Bart                The angel didn't need any ol' key!

Andy              Hmmm... the angel told Peter to put on his... sandals... look! There's a pair of sandals over there! [crosses over to the sandals, finds a clue attached] And a clue!

Bart                What does it say?! What does it say?!

Andy              Iron Gate.

Bart                Okay, I'm getting it! [acting it out as he describes it] The angel and Peter stepped over the two sleeping guards...

Andy              [also acting it out... stepping very lightly, like on tippy toes, his finger to his lips as the angel might be indicating to Peter to be vewy, vewy quiet - we're hunting wabbits!)] And walked right past the guards at the cell door...

Bart                [doing the same routine!] Right past the guards at the jailhouse door...

Andy              And then, they got to the prison's iron gate...

Bart                ...and it just swung open all by itself!!! [making creaking noise and pantomiming a gate opening]

Andy              As easy as opening a... door!

[looks across the room to the door as he is saying it. The two go to the door and are oblivious to the big paper clue stuck to the door, with the big word "CLUE" in large letters written on it]

Bart                Hmmmm... There's got to be a clue here!

Andy              It must be here somewhere... [they look up ad down and all around, but can't find the clue – hopefully to the amusement of the audience!]

Bart                Do you see a clue?

Andy              I don't see a clue...

Bart                [Finally finding the clue] Hey, Andy...

Andy              What, Bart?

Bart                Do you think this is a clue?

Andy              [grabbing the paper] Do you think?!! [Bart grabs it back]

Andy              [as Bart reads the clue to himself, scratching his head] Well... what does it say?!!!

Bart                Door.

Andy              Well, DUH!!! We're AT the door!!!!

Bart                No... wait! Remember... the angel led Peter out into the streets.... The whole time Peter thought he was just dreaming!

Andy              And then... the angel was gone! Just like that!

Bart                [as Peter, looking around] Hey! Where'd he go?!

[as himself] And there's Peter, standing out in the street, all by himself, in the dark, in the middle of the night!

Andy              And then Peter is, like...

Bart                [as Peter] What happened?!!! [patting himself, realizing he wasn't dreaming] Am I dreaming???

Andy              And then he finally figured out he wasn't dreaming – and that God had sent an angel to set him free from Herod's power!

Bart                Not even kings stand a chance against the power of the Holy Spirit!

Andy              So then what does Peter do?

Bart                He goes to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark... and this part is kind of funny...

Andy              So there he is, standing outside in the dark, in the middle of the night... and he knocks on the door... [pantomimes knocking on a door] knock! knock!

Bart                [in a funny female voice impression] Who is it? [Now in his own voice] That was Rhoda, Mary's servant!

Andy              [as Peter, whispering] It's me, Peter!

Bart                [in Rhoda voice] Who?

Andy              It's me, Peter?!

Bart                Peter???

Andy              Yes, Peter! I was in prison, but the Holy Spirit set me free!

Bart                [in Rhoda voice] Peter! Is it really you???

Andy              YES!

Bart                [turning around, talking to the audience as if talking to the others in the room] Hey, everyone - it's Peter! Herod thought he could keep in prison but the Holy Spirit set him free!

                           [as himself] And everyone was all like, ÔIt can't be Peter! It must be his angel!'

                           And Rhoda goes, [in her voice] No really! I know it's him!

Andy              knock, knock!

Bart                [as Rhoda] Oh my! I left him outside!! [as himself] Pretty funny, huh!

Andy              Oh yeah, hilarious! [but laughs too].

Bart                Oh, yeah... sorry about that!

Andy              But then she let Peter in and Peter told them all to tell everyone how the Holy Spirit had set him free from Herod's power.

Bart                So let's see... it was Rhoda, Mary's servant, who answered the door... [looks around the room... sees a servant's tray on a small table. Goes over to it]

                           Hey, Andy!

Andy              What, Bart?

Bart                Look! A KEY!!! Hmmm... I wonder what it's for???

Andy              Gee... I wonder! [takes the key and unlocks the box]

Bart                What's in it?! What's in it?!!!

Andy              [pulls out two pair of running shoes. They both look at them totally puzzled] You got me!!!

Bart                But what are they??!!

[Teacher enters]

Teacher      Nikes!

Bart                You again!

Teacher      Hi Bart! Hi Andy! Did you like my little game?!

Andy              You did this?

Teacher      How else could I get you to tell us the story of Peter, and how the Holy Spirit set him free from prison!

Bart                I guess it worked!

Andy              But what are these??

Teacher      They're running shoes... I figure if the Holy Spirit is going to have you bringing the Good News to the ends of the earth, that's going to be a lot of walking...

Bart                I'll say!

Teacher      So you might as well have some comfortable shoes! Your sandals are nice – but they don't offer much arch support.

Andy              Arch... what?

Teacher      Well, let's just say you'll walk a whole lot easier wearing these!

Andy              [trying on his pair] Wow! These really are comfortable!

Bart                [with his on] I feel like I could slam dunk a basketball!

Andy              What???!!!

Bart                I don't know! All of a sudden I had this picture in my mind of a guy with a funny shirt with the number 23 on it flying through the air with a big orange ball in his hand!

Teacher      [laughing] Well, just don't tell anyone where you got them!

Andy              C'mon, Bart! We've got some Good News to deliver!

Bart                Right behind you, Michael... I mean, Bart!

[Bart and Andy run off]

(I am sure you have better thoughts than me... but here's what I have come up with!)

Teacher      And there they go!

                           And you know what? I don't think anyone will be able to stop them!

                           That's the power of the Holy Spirit! Not even Herod's chains... and his big scary Roman guards could stop it!

                           And you have the Holy Spirit with you too!

                           That's right! It was God's gift to you when you believed in Jesus.Who knows what the Holy Spirit will want to do with you!

                           But I know one thing – nothing on earth can stop the Holy Spirit from doing God's work! 

Well, no. There is one thing that can... if you don't want to!

                           When you believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to you – just like Jesus promised he would to everyone who believes in him. The Holy Spirit wants to help you and guide you. The Holy Spirit wants to help you do wonderful things for God!

                           But the Holy Spirit won't make you do anything... The Holy Spirit can only do what you let him do.

                           Bart and Andy let the Holy Spirit live and breathe in them, and the Holy Spirit did amazing things with them! They let the Holy Spirit take them wherever he wanted to – and they brought the Good News of Jesus to the ends of the earth!

                           They said 'yes!' to the Holy Spirit!

                           So say 'yes' to the Holy Spirit! Let the Holy Spirit live in you and breathe in you too! Let the Holy Spirit lead you... and who knows what wonderful things the Holy Spirit will do!