Easter Unwrapped

The Season of Easter .... Easter Unwrapped .... John 20:1-10: The Resurrection .... Jesus is Alive.

Puppets: Barnabas, Olivia, and Fodder
People: Kids
Props: Bible, box, wrapped as birthday present, with removable lid

[Prompt everyone to yell “He is risen, indeed” at the end]

[Barnabas, Olivia, and Fodder are up front]

Barnabas: Buenos dias, boys and girls. How is everybody today?

Olivia: Hi kids. It’s good to see you all here this morning.

Fodder: Gooood morrrrrning Methodists! Whaaaat’s happpenin? Hey Barnabas, what have you got there?

Barnabas: It’s an Easter present for you guys. In all the excitement last week, I forgot to give it to you.

Olivia: Wow! Thanks, Barnabas. [Open it, revealing nothing inside]

Fodder: Gee, Barnabas. Everybody can always use more….nothing. It takes up so much less space than….something.

Barnabas: It’s the perfect Easter present. Get it? Because it’s empty. Like the tomb. The way things are supposed to be on Easter. It’s symbolical.

Fodder and Olivia: [Underwhelmed] Oh!

Barnabas: Isn’t it great? I’m hoping to start a whole new tradition here. One in stark contrast to all the commercialism and materialism that has been appurtenanced to Christmas. And one that is in stark contrast to all the commercial confectionarity of calories that has come to accompany Easter. Empty presents! The box is empty! I’ll make a fortune.

Olivia: You’re going to sell them?

Barnabas: Sure. You don’t think people will want to take the time to wrap up empty presents on their own, do you? Besides, it’s fun to buy stuff.

Fodder: Or in this case, it’s fun to buy stuff that’s not stuff.

Barnabas: Exactly. And come to think of it, I could branch out to beyond Easter to appeal to all the Earth Day advocates and critics of crass consumerism and commercialism in general. People could give each other empty presents for Christmas. And for birthdays. And for anniversaries. And to distinguish my empty present product line from those commercial hooligans who will inevitably try to copy my great idea, mine empty presents will come with special designer wrapping paper and a little fashion logo right in the middle of the box. So all your friends will know that you got yours from the original source. See my logo. Did you notice?

Olivia: It’s a little picture of you—holding fistfuls of money.

Barnabas: Do you think it’s too subtle?

Olivia: Barnabas! This has got to be the one of the dumbest ideas you’ve ever come up with. [Scoffing] Empty presents. They’re symbolical all right—of your empty brainpan.

Fodder: Now wait a minute. Let’s not be too quick to judge.

Barnabas: [Smugly] Judge not Olivia, lest you become an alliteratively named t.v. judge yourself--like Judge Judy.

Fodder: I think we should give this some thought. By doing a bit more research. Into the source. [Open Bible] Now, in John 20, it says, “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark [slam box over Barnabas’s head]

Barnabas: Hey, what is this?

Fodder: Is it dark in there?

Barnabas: What do you think?

Fodder: Good. Now, “Early on the first day of the week while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb…oops [slam box over Olivia, instead] and she saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran [Olivia comes out and runs to Barnabas] and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”

[Barnabas and Olivia still pantomiming this] Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together and when they arrived, Peter went in and saw the linen wrapping lying there and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, also went in…and he saw…and believed.” He believed—even though he didn’t yet understand.

Barnabas: Wow. Maybe instead of selling empty presents for Easter…maybe we should just give people Bibles so they can read that story, again and again…And maybe for kids who can’t read yet, well, why not, maybe for everyone, we should just keep telling that story, again and again.

Fodder: [Reading] Then the other disciple also went into the tomb…and he saw…and he believed.

Olivia: Believing because of what you don’t see, and don’t understand. But have experienced: the remains of the resurrection, right there before your eyes.

Barnabas: And not just the remains—the memories, and the stories—but Jesus too. Alive. HE IS RISEN! [Repeat three times]

All: HE IS RISEN INDEED!!!!

Barnabas: [Turn over box, get inside] Hey. It’s snowing outside! After church, how about if we all go and do some sledding—in my new designer decorated box sled?

All: Now, is this a great day or what?