Script 45 John the Baptist

Proper 10

Mark 6:17-29

THEME

Today we hear the story of Salome and the death of John the Baptist. At first glance it seems to be deeply unsuitable for children, and some people might like to take up the Roman Catholic alternative for this Sunday and run a session based on Mark 6:7-13 (Script 45). On the other hand, it is usually only adults who are nervous about John’s martyrdom; children are normally unfazed. (They all know about Nearly Headless Nick from Harry Potter.) Consequently, this session offers you a couple of dramas about John—a long and a short. Choose the one you want to concentrate on during the session, remembering the short one is the easiest for a presentation back in church.

SET UP

• The liturgical color is Green.• Holy water stoup and hyssop—or a bowl with holy water in it and a DIY hyssop

made with a bunch of leafy twigs (like rosemary).• Picture of John from the CD-ROM, or one from the Internet (keying in John the

Baptist plus “Memling”or “Bouts”will bring up some nice simple images). • Run through the script, check out the props, and make sure the Narrator has had

a read-through before the session starts. • Leader 2 should be ready to read Jesus’ line at the end of the play.

Props for Play

• A stool.• 7 scarves.• A plastic sword/scimitar or axe.• Crown.• Plate with bunch of grapes or anything you feel looks like a feast. • A wine bottle, and at least one wine cup for Herod to get drunk from.• Rope/handcuffs, anything that makes it obvious that John is a prisoner.

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• Large cardboard disc with a bite cut out for John the Baptist’s head.

Optional Extra

• Portable music player with music for Salome’s dance.

WELCOME the children and lead them in The Sign of the Cross X (p. xxxvi).

BEFORE THE KYRIE

Leader On this Sunday we remember John the Baptist. What did John do?

Accept all answers, establish he baptized people.

Has anyone ever seen a baptism? What happens? (Go with the flow.) Why does the priest pour water on the baby’s head?

Take any answer.

There are lots of reasons—one is that water washes things. The water in Baptism is a sign that God will wash away anything

that’s wrong when He makes a person a new Christian. This is such a good idea that the Church often uses water to wash

older Christians as well.

Pick up the stoup and hyssop.

So today we’re going to use water to remind ourselves of our baptism, and how God can wash away our sins.

We’ll say a short Kyrie first. THE KYRIE Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.

Christ have mercy. Christ have mercy.

Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.

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Leader We get sprinkled like this:To Leader 2: May God forgive us our sins.

Sprinkle the other person—who crosses him/herself and says:

X Amen.

Now sprinkle the children—and everyone else in the room.

At the end say: I need to be sprinkled too—will somebody sprinkle me?

Hand the stoup over to a reasonably sensible child, when it’s all over lead the children in...

OPENING God our Father,PRAYER Your servant John lived and died doing your will. Help us to hear his story today And honor him in our hearts and prayers For your Son’s sake. Amen.

BEFORE THE GOSPEL

Show the children a picture of John the Baptist, talk through the wild country, John’s clothes, the lamb (the saint holds a lamb because he hailed Jesus as “The Lamb of God”) and anything else shown in the painting.Establish that John lived rough, preached in the desert, baptized people and told everyone that Jesus was coming.

Leader Well, Jesus did come—but John didn’t just disappear. He went on preaching and he made some very dangerous enemies. We’re going to hear about John the Baptist Part Two right now.

THE GOSPEL PROCESSION

THE GOSPEL Mark 6:17-29

Mark tells the first part of the story backwards. The children will understand it better if you begin like this.

King Herod* had got rid of his real wife and married his brother’s wife, Herodias. When John the Baptist heard about this, he denounced the King and told him plainly that he had done wrong. Herodias was furious and told her husband to arrest John. So Herod had John chained up and thrown into prison.

Continue from verse 19.

* Actually this Herod, the son of Herod the Great, was not a king but a “tetrarch”(the governor of a fourth of a kingdom). Even so his people obviously called him a king and the story in Mark reads so like the rumours that were going round the local bazaars, that keeping in its colloquialisms seems appropri-ate. Herod had abandoned his first wife and married Herodias, his niece, and wife of his half-brother (another Herod).

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AFTER THE GOSPEL

Leader And that was how John died. It’s a very famous story. People have made films about it, and written plays and operas about it—and it’s very difficult to do.

You need a really good Salome, and you’ve got to work out how you’re going to pretend to chop off John’s head.

I wonder if we could try? Let’s try.

Production Meeting

• Choose an adult for the Narrator and cast John, Herod, Herodias, Salome, sol-diers, Israelites.

• Take a view on Salome: some kids already know about the Dance of the Seven Veils, and like to have scarves about their person which they fling into the air. However, if you feel this is very inappropriate indeed, you could take the line of most medieval illustrators and make Salome a gifted acrobat. Any girl who can do a cartwheel gets the part...

• Discuss how to do John’s beheading—and produce the cut-away “plate:” however you manage his execution, his head has to turn up on a plate.

• The story is narrated, the actions mimed.

John the Baptist—the long version

Narrator The story of John the Baptist.(CD44.1) John the Baptist was sent by God to prepare people for the

appearance of God’s Son, Jesus. So John went to the River Jordan, and loads of people turned up to

listen to him.

John gets up on to the stool, the other kids gather round.

John’s message was very simple. “Repent and be saved,”he said, “for the Kingdom of Heaven is at

hand.”

John can actually say this, if he’s up to it, otherwise he just waves his hands about.

Many people who heard him, believed him, and repented of their sins.

Most kids kneel down, keep a few back.

And they were baptized by John in the River Jordan. But some people didn’t like John...

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The other kids shake their heads and fists and heckle John—”what a load of rubbish”etc.

And they refused to listen to him, and stomped off back to town, very cross.

All the kids sit down.John stays on his stool, arms folded. Clear a space round him.

There was one person in Jerusalem who didn’t like him at all.

Enter Herod—with crown on.

Herod the King. Herod had married his brother’s wife and John told him how wrong

that was.

John points his finger very emphatically at Herod.

Herod was very annoyed

Indignation from Herod.

And so was his wife...

Enter Herodias—also with crown (if you happen to have two).

Queen Herodias. Eventually they became so angry they had John put in prison.

Herod orders the soldiers to tie John up and throw him into prison—the corner of the room.

One day Herod gave a party—he invited his wife and her daughter Salome...

Enter Salome. And lots of guests.

Enter the rest of the kids, keep a couple of soldiers back.

Everybody danced.

Cue party music if you’ve got it, otherwise just get the kids to stand up and show you how to dance. Faking bewilderment at how modern people dance usually does the trick. Cue “kill it”fairly quickly.

There was lots of wine and Herod drank far too much.

Herod keeps filling his cup from the (empty) wine bottle.

Either And, during the party, Salome danced the Dance of the Seven Veils. It was an amazing performance...

Salome dances: the other children do a count down on the veils: Seven! Six! Five!... and so on.

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Or And during the party Salome amazed everyone with her brilliant acrobatics.

Salome cartwheels across the front.

Herod thought she was wonderful, and promised to give her anything she asked for.

Quick as lightning, Herodias whispered to Salome...

She does.

And Salome answered, “I want the head of John the Baptist on a plate!”

Herod was horrified, but he had promised in front of all his guests, so he told the soldiers to execute John, and off they went...

The soldiers march off to John’s prison (with the sword and cut-away plate).

They cut off John’s head

They surround him—swipe from sword.

And brought it back on a plate...

Re-enter soldiers and John with his neck neatly fitting into the slice cut away from the rim.

The guests were horrified.

All the boys, except Herod, sit down.

Herodias was delighted, but Herod thought it was the stupidest thing he’d ever done.

Herod buries his head in his hands.

John’s friends took his body and buried it, and Jesus, when He heard the news, said:

Leader 2 “There has never been a greater prophet than John the Baptist!”

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Encourage parents and spare grown-ups to applaud the children.

Leader That was brilliant. Now we need to do a cut-down version for the grown-ups back in

church.

Practice the script below.

John the Baptist—the short version

Line up the kids—John one end of the line, Herod, Herodias and Salome in the middle, and a grown-up who says Jesus’ final line at the other end.Cast a few soldiers and give them the sword and the plate.The other kids fill up the gaps, and watch the action, turning their heads together—like the spectators at a tennis match.

Leader Today we heard about John the Baptist.

Usher John forward.

He annoyed King Herod...

Herod (with crown) steps forward.

And his wife, Herodias.

She steps forward.

So Herod got his soldiers to arrest John...

The soldiers march over to John.

And throw him in jail.

John sits down abruptly.

Meanwhile Herod gave a party, and Herodias’ daughter, Salome, did such a brilliant dance...

Salome does one cartwheel.

That Herod said she could have anything she wanted. Her mother whispered in Salome’s ear...

Herodias does so.

And Salome asked for the head of John on a plate. So Herod ordered the soldiers to cut off his head, and bring it to him.

One soldier makes a fake swipe at John and they march him over to Herod, with his head in the plate.

Leader 1 When Jesus heard the news, He said,

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Leader 2 “There has never been a greater prophet than John the Baptist!”

Cue in a bow from all the children.

FINAL John was a great prophet. He told people that Jesus was coming; he PRAYER baptized Him, and called Jesus, the Lamb of God. We remember John every time we pray to the Lamb of God in

church. We’ll finish with that prayer.

The Agnus Dei Ask the children to repeat this prayer after you:

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Have mercy upon us

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Have mercy upon us

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Grant us peace

BACK IN CHURCH

Run the short version of the play (see above).

(CD44.1)

(CD45.1)

(CD

45.2

)

(CD

45.3

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(CD

45.4

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(CD45.5)