SCRIPT TITLE

Message In a Bottle

AUTHORSHIP

CHARACTERS

Josh (or Jenny) and Mom (or Dad)

COSTUMES

Mom is dressed nicely for church; Josh is dressed for the beach.

PROPS

Purse, keys, backpack, sunglasses, water bottle

SETTING

At home on Sunday morning

SUMMARY

In his zeal to reach others for Jesus, Josh forgets the importance of Christian fellowship.

BIBLE BASIS

Acts 2:42-47; Hebrews 10:23-25

THEME

Spending time with other Christians (Fellowship)

KEY VERSE

“For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20

INTRODUCTION

Thanks for coming to church this morning! We’re really glad you’re here! Hey, speaking of church, did you ever wonder why we have church? You know, the Bible tells Christians not to give up meeting together. The Bible calls that “fellowship.” But, did you ever wonder why getting together with other Christians is so important? Well, one of the people in this morning’s drama is wondering that same thing!

DRAMA

As action begins, MOM is searching through her purse for her keys. JOSH is offstage.

MOM: (calling) Josh, I’m leaving for church in two minutes. Are you ready to go?

JOSH: (answering from offstage) Not going today, Mom.

MOM: Very funny. I’ll wait for you in the car.

MOM steps toward stage right as JOSH enters from stage left, definitely not dressed for church, but for the beach. He wears sunglasses and a backpack, and is carrying a water bottle.

JOSH: No, really, Mom. I’m not going to church today. I’ve got something more important to do.

MOM: What could be more important than spending time with God and with His people?

JOSH: Telling other people about God.

MOM: Okay. You’ve got my attention. Tell me more.

JOSH: Well, I got to thinking, why am I spending all this time in church, when the people who haven’t even heard about Jesus aren’t there?

MOM: Go on.

JOSH: And, the more I thought about it, the more it made perfect sense to me. Where are all the Christians on Sunday morning?

MOM: In church?

JOSH: Right! And where are all the non-Christians on Sunday morning?

MOM: Umm. Not in church?

JOSH: Exactly! So, I’ll be at the beach this morning! Thanks, Mom. I knew you’d understand!

MOM: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down! You lost me there.

JOSH: Well, it just makes sense. The best time and place to find people who need Jesus is Sunday morning on the beach!

MOM: You’ve got a point there, Josh, and I’m really glad you want to tell other people about Jesus, but it’s also important to spend time with other Christians.

JOSH: I spend plenty of time with other Christians, Mom.

MOM: Yes, you do. And the Bible says we should guard that time together carefully, not give it up too easily.

JOSH: Come on, Mom. It’s not like God’s going to kick me out of heaven because I missed a few church services!

MOM: Of course not. We both know that going to church doesn’t make us Christians, but it does make us better Christians.

JOSH: How?

MOM: Well, I don’t know any better place to learn more about God and the Bible.

JOSH: I can study the Bible on my own. I read a chapter every morning after breakfast!

MOM: That’s a great start, but sometimes the Bible can be hard to understand. Are you just going to skip over those parts?

JOSH: Well, no, but…

MOM: Sometimes we need help from other Christians with the gift of teaching to understand what the Bible is saying and how to live it out.

JOSH: Yeah, I guess you’re right.

MOM: And then there’s worship.

JOSH: Oh, I got that one covered, Mom. I’ve got my CD player and a bunch of worship CDs in my backpack, so I can sing along on the beach!

MOM: There’s nothing wrong with that, Josh, but you’ll be missing out on the power of worshiping God surrounded by His people. Jesus promises that whenever two or three believers get together in His name, He will be there, too. Besides, I’ll miss hearing your beautiful voice harmonizing with mine.

JOSH: Then come with me to the beach! We can harmonize together!

MOM: Maybe after church. I don’t want to miss the fellowship.

JOSH: Fellowship?

MOM: Yes, I really depend upon my brothers and sisters in Christ for support and encouragement. I know you do, too. Remember last week when your small group leader helped encourage you when you were down?

JOSH: Yeah, but now I’m feeling great!

MOM: Good, then you’re the perfect person to encourage someone else who’s struggling. If you’re not in church, you might miss an opportunity to help another Christian become more like Jesus.

JOSH: But, Mom, what about the people on the beach? They need to learn about Jesus, too!

JOSH takes a drink from his water bottle.

MOM: You’re absolutely right. (grabbing water bottle from Josh) When people don’t know Jesus, it’s almost like they are dying of thirst. They need the living water that only Jesus can give them.

JOSH: Exactly!

MOM: But, how would you feel if you were dying of thirst and someone gave you an empty water bottle and told you to drink.

JOSH: I’d be angry and frustrated, and even more thirsty! But what does that have to do with anything?

MOM: Well, let’s pretend that the water bottle represents your heart. Jesus promised that if we come to Him, our hearts will overflow with His living water.

JOSH: Okay….

MOM: The thing is, we need to spend time with God and with other Christians to keep our bottles filled.

JOSH: And when we stop spending time with God and with other Christians, our hearts get empty?

MOM: Right! It’s important that we make sure our hearts are filled with Jesus’ living water before we offer someone else a drink.

JOSH: If we’re not filled up with Jesus, then it’s like giving someone who’s dying of thirst an empty water bottle?

MOM: Yep. And one of the best ways I know to fill my bottle is to worship and fellowship with other believers!

JOSH: I never thought of it like that. (pause) Okay, Mom, I’ll go to church with you.

JOSH steps toward stage right, while MOM turns and begins walking toward stage left.

JOSH: Where are you going, Mom? The car’s out this way.

MOM: If we’re going to the beach after church, I’m gonna need some sunscreen.

JOSH: All right!

MOM: See you in the car!

JOSH exits stage right; MOM exits stage left.

CONCLUSION

Spending time with other Christians is really important. We can learn more about God and the Bible from other Christians. God gives us Christian friends so we can help each other grow and become more like Jesus. And, Jesus promises that whenever we gather with other Christians to worship Him, He will be there, too. So, the next time you’re thinking about skipping church on Sunday, think again! You’ll be glad you did.

PRAYER POINTS

· Thank God for giving us a church family, and the freedom to worship God together.

· Thank God for the way He works through the people in the church to teach and encourage us.

· Ask God to help us make fellowshipping with other Christians a priority.