This blog is comprised of Saint of the Week stories I have been writing for my youth groups in Rocky Mountain House and Sylvan Lake. Each week we act out the life of another saint in what is called a "Spontaneous Melodrama." Choose volunteer actors for each role in the story, then read the story, pausing when necessary to let the actors say their lines. This is a dynamic and fun way to learn the stories of the saints, although sometimes historical precision is sacrificed for flow. Feel free to try this in your group!

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Jezebel

 Jezebel

This is a bible story- not a saint story!

Jezebel, Ahab, Prophets of Ba-al (3) , Elijah, Jehu, Horses (2), Dogs(2), servants(2), Naboth, scum bags (2), Phoenicians

(Enter Jezebel, Phoenicians)

There once was a woman named Jezebel. Jezebel was a Phoenician.  Phoenicians invented the alphabet!  So Jezebel and the Phoenicians spent their days, singing the alphabet. They also invented purple die. Jezebel and the Phoenicians would go to the sea, find a particular sea snail, and squeeze the mucus out of it to die their clothes.

(Enter Ahab)

One day, Ahab came to town. Ahab was the king of Israel, and Jezebel knew that if she impressed him she could get a lot of power. So she said to the Phoenicians "Quick, get me a snail!"

The Phoenicians brought her a snail. and she squeezed it's mucus out, and rubbed it on her eyes.  Then she approached Ahab, and batted her beautiful painted eyes, and said "Hey there big boy. Are you looking for a lover? Because I'm available!"

Ahab could not believe his luck!  Even though he was the king, he was a weak man. So he said "Yes, my love. You will be my queen."

Jezebel cackled like a witch.

(Exit Phoenicians.)

But Jezebel said "listen, Ahab, Phoenicians don't worship the LORD. We worship Ba-al. Let me bring my prophets of Ba-al."

Ahab said "Yes, my love."

(Enter prophets of Ba-al)

The prophets of Ba-al came, and they danced around in circles, singing pagan songs of praise to Ba'al.

(Enter Elijah)

Elijah said "Ba-al is a false god with no power!"

The prophets of Ba-al said "Oh no you didn't! Ba-al has way more power than your God!"

So they decided to have a show down.

The prophets of Ba-al danced with more and more enthusiasm, calling for fire to come, but nothing happened.

Elijah laughed and said "C'mon prophets! Dance harder! Maybe he can't hear you! Maybe he's sleeping! Maybe he's on the toilet!"

The prophets of Ba-al said "Fine Elijah, show us what your God can do."

Elijah grinned. He said "Lord! Reveal your power!"

Suddenly a fire ball came down from heaven! The audience provided the sound affects.

The prophets of Ba-al trembled with fear, and Ahab said "Kill those false prophets!" 

So audience threw rocks at them until they died.

(Exit prophets of Ba-al)

But Jezebel said "What have you done!" Pointing a finger at Elijah she said "I'll get you, my pretty- and your little dog too!" Then she cackled like a witch, while Elijah ran away.

(Exit Elijah, Enter Naboth)

Some time later, Ahab was talking to a man called Naboth.  Ahab said "you have a nice vineyard. Can I buy it from you?"

But Naboth said "Sorry, it's not for sale."

(Exit Naboth)

Ahab was pouting because he couldn't get the vineyard. 

Jezebel looked at him in disgust and said "Are you the king or not? I'll get you that vineyard."

So she called for the scumbags.

(Enter scumbags)

Jezebel said "Here's what I want you to do." Then she whispered something, and then cackled like a witch.

The Scumbags rubbed their hands together and cackled as well.

(Exit Jezebel, enter Naboth) 

So the scumbags brought Naboth before the audience, and said "This man committed treason against the king and cursed the LORD!"

Naboth looked bewildered and said "No I didn't!"

But the audience booed, and threw rocks at him until he was dead. 

(Exit scumbags, Naboth, enter Jezebel and Ahab.)

Jezebel said "See, now you can have your vineyard!"

Ahab was so excited, he did a dance, while Jezebel cackled like a witch.

Then Ahab died.

(Exit Ahab, enter Jehu)

Jehu said "I have come to bring justice on the house of Ahab!  I will kill everyone in his family!"

The audience cheered. Someone said "Wow, the Bible is so violent!"

Jezebel screamed, and ran to a castle to protect herself. She painted her eyes again, and looked out the window at Jehu and said in her most attractive voice "Hey there king slayer! Are you looking for me?"

But Jehu said "If anyone is on my side, throw her down!"

(Enter servants)

Two servants grabbed Jezebel, and threw her out the window. She screamed and fell to her death.

(Enter horses and dogs)

While her body was lying there, horses trampled on her, and Dogs came and ate her body.

Jehu became the next king of Israel.





Friday, February 7, 2025

Athaliah

 Athaliah (G), Jezebel (G) , Ahab (B), Joram (B), Ahaziah (B), Elijah (B), Elisha (B), new kings (2B), Jehu (B), rest of the family (3), servants (3), dogs (2), Joash (B), Jehosheba (G), priest

(Enter Athaliah)

Once upon a time, there was a princess, named Athaliah. Athaliah flitted about like a delicate princess and sang a song to the passing birds.

(Enter Ahab, Jezebel, and Ahaziah)

Her father, Ahab, was the king of Samaria. He was a weak and sniveling man, who said to everyone "Whatever you want, dear."

Jezebel was a very beautiful and powerful Phoenician woman. She traipsed around in her lovely, purple robes, and she wore jewels, and lots and lots of makeup.  But she was evil. She said "Everyone must worship Baal! Kill the prophets of God!"  Then she cackled like a witch.

Seeing her mother cackle, Athaliah imitated her, and cackled herself.

(Enter Elijah and Elisha) One day two prophets confronted the royal family.  Elijah said, "God will punish you for your evil ways!"

Elisha shook his fist and said "Yeah!  What he said!"

Suddenly Elijah was taken away in a whirlwind. (Exit Elijah)

Seeing that his friend was gone, Elisha looked sheepish and said "Um, excuse me." and snuck away.

(Exit Elisha, Enter Joram)

King Ahab said "Athaliah, I have a husband for you!  This is King Joram of Jerusalem!"

Joram flexed and tried to impress the princess, but when he looked at her, he was amazed and how beautiful she was. He stared at her, and said "you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen!  How my lips long to kiss yours!"

But Athaliah moved away from him, and looked at Jezebel and said "Mom, seriously?"

But Jezebel said "Marry him! Then I'll be queen of Samaria, and you'll be queen of Jerusalem!  We'll be unstoppable!"

The two women cackled together.

King Ahab said "Wonderful! It's all arranged then."

To celebrate their union, Athaliah and Joram danced a traditional wedding dance together.

But it was not all sunshine and rainbows. Elijah's curse started taking affect!

First Ahab went to war, doing his weak man battle cry.  He was shot in the back with an arrow and bled to death in his chariot.

(Exit Ahab)

Then, Athaliah's brother Ahaziah fell from a roof, and died of his injuries.

(Exit Ahaziah)

Then her husband, Joram, got some sort of bowel disease. He pooped and pooped and pooped until he was all pooped out. He pooped himself to death.

  (Exit Joram. Enter new kings, Jehu, rest of the family)

Samaria and Jerusalem both appointed new kings, and everyone started chanting 'Love live the kings!'

(Enter Elisha) But Elisha came back.  He went over to Jehu, whispered something, and gave him a blessing.  Jehu went on a rampage!  First, he killed one king, then another. The rest of the family ran off and hid.

(Exit everyone but Jezebel. Enter servants)

Jezebel made it to a city, and went up into a high tower, protected by her servants. 

(Enter Jehu) Jehu came ride in on his chariot, driving like a maniac. 

Jezebel put on her eye makeup, made herself look beautiful, and looked out the window. She said "Hey there big boy! Are you looking for me?"

But Jehu called to the servants and said "Hey!  Which of you are on my side?"

All three servants raised their hands. 

Jehu said, "Throw that woman out the window!"

So, the servants did. Jezebel fell to her death. 

The smartest kid in the audience said, "it's a classic example of defenestration".

(Enter dogs)

Dogs came in and ate Jezebels body, everything but the hands.

Jehu flexed and said, "Now I'm the king of Samaria!"

(Exit everyone, enter Athaliah, Rest of family, Joash and Jehosheba)

But the rest of the family all shrugged and said, "But who will be king of Jerusalem?"

Athaliah cackled and said "I will be Queen!  I'll kill you all!"

The rest of the family gasped and said, "But you're our grandma!"

Meanwhile, Jehosheba picked up baby Joash, and carried him away. 

(Exit Jehosheba and Joash)

Queen Athaliah killed the rest of the family, then said "I am Queen of Jerusalem!"

The audience gasped.

Athaliah cackled and was an evil queen.

(Exit Athaliah, enter priest and Joash.)

Six years later, a priest introduced Joash to the audience. The priest said, "This child is the true king of Jerusalem!"

The crowd cheered, and started chanting "Long live the king!"

(Enter Athaliah) But when Athaliah heard the commotion, she came into the temple and said "What is this! This is treason!"

(Enter servants)

But the priest pointed at Athaliah and said, "Arrest this usurper!"

The servants grabbed Athaliah, and dragged her out of the temple, and chopped her head off.

Joash became king and was an ancestor of Jesus.











 



Tuesday, October 22, 2024

St Tarcisius

 Tarcisius, friends (3), Pope Sixtus II, Lawrence, Christians, mob (3), Valerian

(Enter Tarcisius, friends)

In about 257 AD, a 12 year old kid named Tarcisius was playing a game with friends, that consisted in throwing a leather ball stuffed with feathers around.

The kids were all laughing and having a good time, when suddenly they were interrupted by the emperor Valerian. 

(Enter Valerian)

Valerian addressed the audience directly, and said "Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears!  Henceforth, I declare Christianity to be illegal!  Anyone who refuses to offer sacrifices to Jupiter or Mars will be banished.  No... executed!  Mwahahaha!"

(Exit Valerian)

Tarcisius looked frightened.  

His friends looked at him and said "Wait, aren't you a Christian? What will you do?"

Tarcisius said "I don't know."

(Exit friends, enter Pope Sixtus, Lawrence, and Christians.)

Later Tarcisius met with the other Christians in the Catacombs.  Pope Sixtus II led them in Mass. He had his back turned to them, and he held up unleavened bread and said "On the night he was betrayed, Jesus took the bread and said 'This is my Body'.

Tarcisius and the Christians knelt in worship.

After Mass, Pope Sixtus II turned to the Christians and said "My brothers and sisters, thank you for meeting with me in these tombs. As you know it is very dangerous to be a Christian these days, and even more dangerous to come to the Eucharist. But you risked your lives for this!"

Tarcisius and the others all nodded. 

Then Pope Sixtus II gave the cup to Lawrence and said "Lawrence, get this cup as far from Rome as possible. It is the Holy Grail, the one used by Jesus at the Last Supper.  It has been passed down from Peter to Linus and to all the Popes."

Lawrence said "Did you say Holy Grill?"

Pope Sixtus II said "Not Grill, Grail. It means cup."

Lawrence grinned. "Too bad, I thought we were going to have a barbecue!"

Everybody laughed, and Pope Sixtus said "Oh, Lawrence always the comedian."  Then he grew stern and said "Now, go!"

Lawrence nodded, took the cup, and rode away to Spain.

(Exit Lawrence)

Pope Sixtus sighed. "I wish I had another deacon, who could bring communion to all the Christians in prison..."

Tarcisius spoke up "I'll do it!"

Pope Sixtus smiled, but said "The risk is too great!  If you get caught.."

But Tarcisius said "The treasure of the Eucharist is far more valuable than the cup which held it. I'll protect it with my life!"

So Pope Sixtus gave the Eucharist to Tarcisius to bring to the prisons. Tarcisius took the vessel and wrapped in in his robes, holding it close to his heart.

(Exit Pope Sixtus and Christians, enter friends)

But when Tarcisius was walking, he saw his friends. His friends said "Hey Tarcisius, come play ball with us!"

But Tarcisius said "Not right now, I have to do something."

One of his friends said "What are you holding?"

Tarcisius didn't answer.

Another friend said "Is that one of your Christian treasures?"

(Enter Mob)

Soon a Mob gathered saying "Show us the treasure!"

But Tarcisius said "What I am carrying is sacred, and I will not show it to you!"

The Mob and friends surrounded Tarcisius, and yelled "Give it to us!"  Their yelling sounded like angry dogs.

Tarcisius said "No!  I must protect it from raging dogs!"

So the mob and friends started beating Tarcisius.  Tarcisius fell to the ground, but would not let go of the Eucharist.

(Enter Christians)

When Christians saw what was happening, they chased the friends and the mob away. 

(Exit friends and mob)

Tarcisius was still alive, and was still holding the Eucharist. The Christians picked up his body, and carried it back to the Catacombs, but along the way Tarcisius died.

Saint Tarcisius-  Pray for us!



St Mark

 Mark, Rhoda, Barnabas, disciples (2), Peter, Jesus, Soldiers (3), Holy Spirit

(Enter Mark, Rhoda)

Mark was a young man who lived with his mom in a large house in Jerusalem. One day his servant, Rhoda, came in and said "John-Mark, your cousin is here!"

Mark smiled and said "Thank you Rhoda, let him in.  And please just call me Mark!"

(Enter Barnabas)

Barnabas walked into the room and greeted Mark with a big bear hug.  After catching his breath, Mark said "What brings you to Jerusalem?"

Barnabas said  "Passover, of course!  And the master is coming!"

Mark was excited. "You mean Jesus?  I hope I get to meet him!"

(Exit Barnabas, enter Peter and the disciples and Jesus)

Sometime later Peter and the disciples came to Mark and said "Where is there a room where the master can celebrate Passover?"

Mark said "The master?" Then he looked past the disciples at Jesus who gave him a wave.  Mark turned excitedly to Rhoda. "Oh my gosh it's Jesus!"

And Rhoda and Mark each did excited little fan girl dances.

Mark said to Peter and the disciples "We have a place!  My servant will get it ready"

So Mark showed Jesus and Peter and the disciples into a big room, all set up for Passover.  While Jesus was at the table with his disciples, Mark and Rhoda watched from a corner, and whispered excitedly.

Jesus lifted up the bread, and said "This is my body. Take it and eat it!"

Rhoda made a face and said "That's weird."

Jesus lifted up the cup and said "This is the cup of my blood. Take it and drink it."

Rhoda looked confused. "Wasn't it wine just now?  I'm pretty sure when I set the table it was not a cup of human blood."

Jesus stood up and said "Let's go to the garden of olives!"

So Peter and the disciples stood up, and they all left, singing as they went.

Mark was surprised. "They're leaving?"

Rhoda said "Follow them!"

(Exit Rhoda)

When Mark got to the garden, he found Jesus praying and Peter and the disciples sleeping. 

Suddenly soldiers walked in and announced "Jesus of Nazareth, you're under arrest!"

Peter and the disciples ran away,  (exit Peter and Disciples) while Mark tried to figure out what to do. One of the soldiers saw Mark and said "Grab that guy!"

Another soldier got hold of Mark's tunic, but Mark squirmed out of his tunic, and ran away naked. 

(Clear the stage, enter Mark, Peter, Disciples)

Later, Mark, Peter and the Disciples were all in Mark's house.  

Peter shook his head. "They crucified him! He's dead!"

(Enter Jesus)

But Jesus walked in and said "I'm alive!"

Mark, Peter, and the Disciples all sang "Alleluia".

Then Jesus flew up to Heaven

(Exit Jesus, enter Holy Spirit)

Then the Holy Spirit came and rested on each of the disciples like a flame.

(Exit Holy Spirit)

Peter started speaking a weird language.  Then he yawned, stretched and said "Well, I'm gonna go preach in the temple."

But Mark said "I thought the priests forbade you from doing that?"

Peter shrugged and said "They did, but who should I obey, God or humans?"

So Peter and the Disciples left to preach in the temple.

(Exit Peter and disciples, enter Rhoda. Disciples return)

But when the disciples returned they said "Peter was arrested! They're going to put him to death in the morning!"

Rhoda wailed.

Mark said "Let's pray."

While they were praying, they heard a knock at the door. 

Rhoda stood up and said "Now who could that be at this time of night?"  She left to find out. Suddenly she screamed and came running back in. "It's a ghost! They must have killed Peter already, his ghost is here!"

(Enter Peter)

But Peter walked in and said "I'm not a ghost! An angel came to me in prison and broke me out of jail!"

Rhoda was still shuddering, but she said "Oh that's fine then!" and she gave Peter a big hug.

Peter looked at Mark and said "Mark, I think you should be a traveling missionary.  Maybe you'd like to go with Paul and Barnabas?"

But Mark shook his head. "I'd rather stay with you."

Peter nodded, and said "In that case, why don't you be my scribe, and I'll tell the whole story of Jesus from my perspective and you can write it down!"

So that's what Mark did, and his book became known all over the world as the Gospel of Mark.

St Mark-  Pray for us!






Monday, October 14, 2024

James the Just

Disclaimer

A lot of this is a speculative compilation based on what we know from Scripture and other sources. Chances are it is not 100% accurate 

 Jesus, James, cousins (3), Joseph, Cleopas, Mary, Other Mary, disciples (2), Paul, Annas, Priests (2)

When Jesus was a young man, he always hung out with James and his other cousins. Jesus would greet them with a secret family handshake, and say "What's up brother!"

James would laugh and say "You know, I'm not actually your brother right? I'm your cousin!"

Jesus laughed and said "In Greek it's the same thing! You're a brother to me!"  Then once again Jesus said "What's up, brother?"

James shook his head and said "Oh, brother."

(Enter Mary and Joseph) 

Jesus parents were Mary and Joseph. Mary and Joseph greeted Jesus saying "Hello, son."

(Enter Cleopas and other Mary)

James' parents were Cleopas and the other Mary. James' parents said "Hello son." 

Then to Joseph, Cleopas said "What's up brother?"

James shook his head and "See? They are actually brothers!"

Joseph said to Cleopas "Isn't it funny that we're brothers and we both married women named Mary? What are the chances?"

Cleopas said "It seems every second woman is named Mary. So chances are high!"

James said "I guess that makes you the Mary Men!"

And everyone had a good hearty chuckle.

(Exit Joseph, Mary, Cleopas, other Mary, enter Disciples)

One day Jesus came through his home town with his disciples. Jesus made introductions saying "Hey disciples!  This is my brother James, and my other brothers and sisters, who are not named in this skit!"

One of the disciples said "Brother? I thought Mary only had one kid!"

James nodded, and said "She did. We're actually cousins, but it's pretty much the same thing."

The other disciple said "So what's it like to be the brother of the Messiah?"

James was surprised. "You think Jesus is the messiah? C'mon, he's just a regular guy! He's a carpenter from Nazareth!"

Jesus sighed, and said "That's why I never do any miracles around here- my own family don't understand. C'mon disciples, let's go somewhere else."

(Exit Jesus, Disciples)

James was stunned. He looked at his siblings and said "Do you really think Jesus is the Messiah?"

They all shook their heads no and laughed at the idea.

(Enter disciples, Cleopas)

Some time later James and his siblings and Cleopas were all in Jerusalem for the Passover. They saw the disciples who looked sad.

James asked "What's wrong guys?" 

The disciples looked at each other, and said "Didn't you hear? They crucified Jesus!"

James was shocked. "What?"

One of the cousins said "Guess we know he wasn't the Messiah..."

But one of the disciples said "Yeah but now some people said he rose from the dead!"

James shook his head, and said "no way."

But Cleopas put a hand on his shoulder and said "Let's go for a walk."

(Exit all but Cleopas and James. Enter Jesus)

While walking, Jesus came up and joined them, but at first Cleopas and James did not recognize him. Suddenly Cleopas said "Wait, you're Jesus!"

Jesus looked at James and said "What's up, brother?"

Then he disappeared.

(Exit Jesus, Cleopas, enter disciples)

 After Jesus went to heaven, James became one of the leaders of the disciples. The other disciples said "James, as the brother of Jesus, you should be the Bishop of Jerusalem!"

James nodded and said "ok!"

(Enter Paul)

One day a guy called Paul came and said "Guys, help me out.  A bunch of Christians from Jerusalem are saying that everyone who becomes Christian first has to obey the Jewish law, even if they aren't Jewish!  You're saved by faith, not works!"

But James said "Yeah, but, faith without works is dead."

Paul said "I know, obviously. What I mean is that Christ saves us, not obeying the Jewish law. Obviously people still have to become holy!"

The disciples stroked their chins and thought. Finally James said "Sounds right to me, and to the Holy Spirit! Paul, let me write you a letter so everyone know you have the backing of the bishop of Jerusalem and the Apostles."

Paul and James shook hands, then Paul went off to Greece.

(Exit Paul, enter Annas, priests)  

James continued to teach about justice and caring for the poor and keeping our language pure. The disciples and even the Jewish priests nodded their heads and said "He's so wise!"

But a guy called Annas said "He's a Christian!  He's stirring up dissent against the priests!"

The priests were shocked, and yelled "Kill Him!"

So Annas and the priests took James to the highest place in the temple, and threw him off it. James yelled "Jesus is the Messiah!" as he fell to the ground.

The disciples wailed and said "He's dead!"

But James got off the ground and said "I'm not dead yet!"

So the priests took stones and threw them at James, then one of them grabbed a metal club and clubbed James in the head. James fell down and died.

St James the Just- Pray for us!

Thursday, October 3, 2024

Francis Assisi and the Sultan

 Francis, Franciscans (3) Illuminato, Crusaders (3), Muslims (3), Sultan

(This is not an account of the entire life of St Francis, only of a key moment in his life.)

(Enter Francis)

There once was a man named Francis of Assisi. Francis was rich, charming, and good looking. He struck a pose, and all the girls in the audience whistled at him.

Francis was also a warrior, and rode his horse into battle, making his unique battle cry.

But then Francis had a conversion!  He gave away all his money, and lived as a friar, kind of like a monk, chanting as he walked.

(Enter Franciscans and Illuminato)

Francis became so holy that soon other men and women, called Franciscans, gathered around him to live like him.

 One of the Franciscans was named Illuminato.  Illuminato made a triangle with his hands and put it around his eye, but most people didn't get it, so the narrator went on with the story.

(Exit Franciscans)

One day Francis was talking to Illuminato, and he said "Did you hear about the Crusade that's happening in Egypt right now?"

Illuminato shook his head and said "It's not going well for the Christians."

Francis nodded gravely. "It seems they are in denial." Francis paused for the audience to laugh, but none of them knew their history or their geography, so no one did. Suddenly some of the audience members got it, so they showed off by laughing loudly and obnoxiously.

Francis said "I have an idea. Let's go to Egypt, and cross the lines into Muslim territory, and preach to the Sultan! If he converts to Christianity, we will win the entire country of Egypt."

Illuminato nodded, and said "I see absolutely no flaws in this plan." So together they rode off to Egypt. 

(Enter Crusaders on one side of the stage, Muslims on the other side)

The Muslims and Crusaders were engaged in a silent, slow motion battle. Francis and Illuminato strolled right past the Crusaders. 

(Exit Crusaders)

When they got to the Muslim line, the Muslims drew swords on them and said "Where do you think you're going, Christians?" 

Illuminato peed his pants.

But Francis put up his hands and said "We come in peace. We want to speak to the Sultan!"

(Enter Sultan)

When Francis met the Sultan, he said "God loves you, and he wants you to love him back."

The Sultan said "We serve God too!"  Suddenly all of the Muslims faced east and bowed to the ground in prayer. The Sultan said "See, we do this 5 times a day!" The Muslims stood up again.

Francis nodded, impressed. "I thought you guys were really awful heathens!"

The Sultan laughed, and said "That's what we thought about you! But you Franciscans have impressed me. I promise that when we win this war, we will treat Christians well in Egypt."

So Francis and the Sultan shook hands, and then Francis and Illuminato went on their way.

(Exit Francis and Illuminato. Enter Franciscans)

Years later, Franciscans came to Jerusalem. They were confronted by the Muslims and the Sultan. The Sultan said "Hey, where are you going? No Christians allowed!"

But the Franciscans said "We are Franciscan friars..."

The Sultan said "Franciscans!  Oh, in that case, come on in!  In fact, you guys can be the official tour guides for any Christians who want to come here!"

And to this day Franciscans still have responsibility for many of the holy sites in Israel.

St Francis of Assisi, pray for us!


Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Civil War

 This is not a saint story, and is not even a hero story, but this is an important story to understand a key piece of biblical history.

Solomon, ladies (3), Rehoboam, Jeroboam, Ahijah, old men (3), the boyz (3)

There once was a great king named Solomon.  Solomon was wise, rich, and he loved the ladies.  In fact he had 700 wives!  Solomon tried to put his arms around all three ladies at once.

The audience was gob smacked. They declared "I thought you said he was wise!"

(Enter Rehoboam)

Solomon shared his wisdom with his son. Solomon spoke with an air of great wisdom and said "My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity."

Rehoboam said "Yes, oh wise father!"

One of Solomons wives whined and said "Why can't I worship my pagan god in your kingdom?  I want a temple to my God!"

The other ladies agreed, saying "Yeah, and we want temples to our gods!"

Solomon rubbed his head like he had a headache, and said to Rehoboam "Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife."  But then to his wives he said "Ok, ok, you can all have temples to your gods. Yeesh."

(Enter Jeroboam)

Jeroboam ran and said "Oh mighty king!  The people are complaining!  You work them too hard!  You tax them too much.  If you don't relax your rules, they are going to rebel!"

Solomon shook his head, and said to his son Rehoboam "Diligent hands bring wealth." But then he added, "Their diligent hands are going to bring wealth to me, know what I'm saying?" 

(exit Solomon, Rehoboam, ladies, enter Ahijah)

Jeroboam shook his head, grumbling about Solomon and his rule.  Suddenly Ahijah jumped out  in front of him, yelling his name like it was a karate cry.

Jeroboam was startled.  He asked "Who are you?"

Ahijah did more karate moves and said "Ahijah!"  Then he took off the cloak he was wearing, and ripped it into 12 pieces.  He gave 10 of the pieces to Jeroboam and said "God will rip this kingdom apart and give you 10 tribes to rule as king, leaving only 2 tribes for Solomon."

Then he did more karate kicks, and left like a ninja.

(Exit Ahijah)

The crowd gasped.  They said "Did you see that? The prophet just told Jeroboam that he's going to lead a rebellion against Solomon!"

Jeroboam said "Oh no! When Solomon hears about this he'll kill me!"  So Jeroboam ran away to Egypt.

(Enter Solomon, Rehoboam, and Ladies)

Solomon stared stoically into the middle distance and said dramatically "For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten."

The ladies said "Wow, so wise!"  

Solomon said "Right?"  But then he died.

(Exit Solomon) 

The crowd said "Now Rehoboam is king!"

(Enter Jeroboam)

Jeroboam said "Rehoboam!  Your dad taxed us too much, and worked us too hard. Will you relax things?"

Rehoboam said "Hmm, let me think..."

(Enter old men)

The old men said "He's right! If we push them too hard there'll be a rebellion!"

But Rehoboam didn't listen to the old men.

(Exit old men, enter the Boyz)

Instead he went to the Boyz. The Boyz said "Tell him, that if he thinks your father was harsh, your gonna be worse!  In fact. hears what you should say..." then they whispered something to Rehoboam.

Rehoboam thought that was a great idea, and gave the Boyz each a high five. Rehoboam said "Jeroboam, you think my dad was harsh? I'm gonna be worse. He whipped you with whips, I'm going to whip you with scorpions. I have my strength in my little finger than he has in his..."

But the audience bleeped out the end of the sentence.

Jeroboam turned to the audience and said "Waddya guys think?"

The audience all said "We don't need him!  Get him out of here!"

So Rehoboam and the Boyz slunk away scared.

(Exit Rehoboam, the Boyz)

Jeroboam addressed the audience and said "Good work everyone!  10 out of 12 tribes are with us!  We'll start out own country, and we won't worship God in the Temple anymore.  Instead, we'll worship golden calves."

And everyone said "Oy!"