ACT ONE (AN ALTAR CALL)
ACT 1 SCENE1
light falls on stage to reveal the gigantic congregation of Ignite Youth Ministry, all dressed in their church attires with an attitude of supplication. The Church atmosphere buzzed with anticipation as Pastor Jude mounts the altar.
Pastor Jude: (A vigorous young man in his forties,light skin, tall and huge. He is neatly dressed in his Royal blue coloured suit) Praise the Lord.
Congregation: Hallelujah!
Pastor Jude: (Clear his throat). I'm not sure that this your Hallelujah is for God.If you know you are happy to be in the presence of God this morning and you want to thank God that you are in His Sanctuary and not in the mortuary, Stand up! Wave your hands, shake your body and shout a big big
Hallelujah.
Congregation: Hallelujah!
Pastor Jude: (Clear his throat). I'm not sure that this your Hallelujah is for God.If you know you are happy to be in the presence of God this morning and you want to thank God that you are in His Sanctuary and not in the mortuary, Stand up! Wave your hands, shake your body and shout a big big
Hallelujah.
Congregation: (they shout in unison) Hallelujah
Pastor Jude: Power! Power! (Speaking in tongues) .
Zumale, brakatasabatatu, zulubale kusatri Holyghost! The angels of God are on guard already.
Congregation: (Cheers from the congregation accompanied with musical sound of instrument.) Thank you Lord.
Pastor Jude: This morning, I heard the Lord Loud and clear. The Lord said to me, tell my people to burn for me.Tell your neighbour, keep burning for Christ.
Congregation:( Each turns to their neighbours) Neighbour keep burning for Christ .
Pastor Jude:Today you must make that decision to live solely for Christ, the Bible says, if you are neither hot or cold, I will spit you out .(He uses an handkerchief to clean the sweat on his forehead and continues) Brethren! Christianity is a responsibility.
Congregation: Hmm!I hear you sir!
Pastor Jude:Repentance from sins can rekindle that burning Altars in us. This word is for somebody right here. God will distinguish you from the crowd.
Congregation: Amen
Pastor Jude: The Lord just spoke to me now. There are three friends here in our midst,Victor, yes! I heard Victor, Kenneth, and Moses.Please kindly come to the altar now. (Moses stood up first and slowly walks to the altar.) What's your name please?
Moses: I'm Moses
Pastor Jude: (standing firm and determine.) Good.God does not lie.
Congregation: (cheers from the congregation) Glory! God is great! Hmm!
Pastor Jude: I was born to do this.Where are the other two? Please come to the altar .Jesus loves you so much. (Kenneth and Victor strolls down to the altar.) Now listen to me brothers. God says I should pray for you. Repeat after me. Lord Jesus
Moses, Kenneth, & Victor: Lord Jesus
Pastor Jude: Please come in to my life.
Moses, Kenneth & Victor : Please come into my life
Pastor Jude: I accept you as my Lord and Personal saviour
Moses, Kenneth, & Victor : I accept you as my Lord and Personal saviour
Pastor Jude: (After the three friends have finished saying the repentance prayer.) Thank you Jesus. Now, listen to me brothers. While saying this prayers, bear it in mind, that an altar has been established. It is your duty to keep it burning. Do you understand me?
Moses, Kenneth & Victor: Yes Pastor.
Pastor Jude:The more it burns, the more you are connected to God. Read your Bible, shun sins, and live for Christ, He will pave way for you okay?
Moses, Kenneth, &Victor: Okay Pastor
Pastor Jude: You can go back to your seats ( The three friends go back to their seats. The joyous cheers from the congregation could be heard from a distance. )
Lights fade to darkness
Pastor Jude: Power! Power! (Speaking in tongues) .
Zumale, brakatasabatatu, zulubale kusatri Holyghost! The angels of God are on guard already.
Congregation: (Cheers from the congregation accompanied with musical sound of instrument.) Thank you Lord.
Pastor Jude: This morning, I heard the Lord Loud and clear. The Lord said to me, tell my people to burn for me.Tell your neighbour, keep burning for Christ.
Congregation:( Each turns to their neighbours) Neighbour keep burning for Christ .
Pastor Jude:Today you must make that decision to live solely for Christ, the Bible says, if you are neither hot or cold, I will spit you out .(He uses an handkerchief to clean the sweat on his forehead and continues) Brethren! Christianity is a responsibility.
Congregation: Hmm!I hear you sir!
Pastor Jude:Repentance from sins can rekindle that burning Altars in us. This word is for somebody right here. God will distinguish you from the crowd.
Congregation: Amen
Pastor Jude: The Lord just spoke to me now. There are three friends here in our midst,Victor, yes! I heard Victor, Kenneth, and Moses.Please kindly come to the altar now. (Moses stood up first and slowly walks to the altar.) What's your name please?
Moses: I'm Moses
Pastor Jude: (standing firm and determine.) Good.God does not lie.
Congregation: (cheers from the congregation) Glory! God is great! Hmm!
Pastor Jude: I was born to do this.Where are the other two? Please come to the altar .Jesus loves you so much. (Kenneth and Victor strolls down to the altar.) Now listen to me brothers. God says I should pray for you. Repeat after me. Lord Jesus
Moses, Kenneth, & Victor: Lord Jesus
Pastor Jude: Please come in to my life.
Moses, Kenneth & Victor : Please come into my life
Pastor Jude: I accept you as my Lord and Personal saviour
Moses, Kenneth, & Victor : I accept you as my Lord and Personal saviour
Pastor Jude: (After the three friends have finished saying the repentance prayer.) Thank you Jesus. Now, listen to me brothers. While saying this prayers, bear it in mind, that an altar has been established. It is your duty to keep it burning. Do you understand me?
Moses, Kenneth & Victor: Yes Pastor.
Pastor Jude:The more it burns, the more you are connected to God. Read your Bible, shun sins, and live for Christ, He will pave way for you okay?
Moses, Kenneth, &Victor: Okay Pastor
Pastor Jude: You can go back to your seats ( The three friends go back to their seats. The joyous cheers from the congregation could be heard from a distance. )
Lights fade to darkness
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ACT ONE (SCENE TWO)
The curtains open and Moses is seen sitting on the couch in the parlour of the three bedroom apartment he is living in with his friends; Kenneth and Victor. Moses is studying his Bible.On the other side of the sitting room is Victor, surfing the internet with his laptop on the dinning table.Moses: Victor I haven't seen Kenneth this morning, did he come back last night?
Victor: (Engrossed with his laptop) Sure! He is inside his room, he came back from the club with one babe like that.
Moses: (shocked as he turned aside to Victor.) I thought we all agreed to stop this lifestyle?
Victor: (still engrossed with his laptop.) I don' t understand.
Moses: What is there not to understand? It's barely a month since we have our life to Christ, and you both are back to sin?
Victor: My guy, this Christian race no easy o.You sef reason am na.(He said in Pidgin) Even God sef go understand.We are all sinners. (Kenneth came out from his room kissing and frolicking with the lady he came back home with last night. His eyes gazed upon her perfect body. The lady is beautiful in a classical way. Her long eyelashes flutters like the wings of a butterfly. He walks her towards of their apartment, and reenters a minute later.)
Moses: (to Kenneth) You still womanise, after joining the choir?
Kenneth: What has my joining the choir has to do with this? (He questions with visible anger)
Moses: Everything! Doesn't the altar call mean something to you guys?
Victor: (stood up and walk towards Moses) Moses, this is not the first time wehav e come out for an altar call in different churches. Why are you making a great deal out of thi s?
Moses: This time was different. (Tears flowed from his eyes. ) This time Hecal l edus.
Kenneth :The pastor you mean.This is normal things they do in churches.
Moses: No! I mean God. God called us not Pastor Jude.We are altars, He lives in us.He wants us to burn for Him alone.
Victor: (burst into intense laughter) hahahahahahahahahah. You just sounded like Past or Jude.
Kenneth: (Anger and shame infiltrate his bones as he grunted like a wild animal in distress.) Are you God? How do you know I am not burning for Christ? Yes, I sing in the choir just like you, just like Victor (pointing to Victor's direction.) And yes, I don't remember reading my Bible, I don't remember to pray,I still womanize.But God knows I am not perfect and can never be. Who are you to Judge me?( He pushed Moses angrily as he reached for the door ) . Moses who the hell are you to Judge me?
Moses : I'm not judging you.You are getting it all wrong. (Kenneth gets infuriated, walks inside his room and bang the door.)
Victor: Look, Moses if you want to burn, burn on your own. If not for this Yahoo that I am doing, how do you think I will have the money to contribute for the rent of this apartment?
Moses : Let's write our own songs then.We have the voice. I want to sing like Moses bliss, Min. Theophilus, Frank Edward in holiness and truth. Money will come later .
Victor: (Also got infuriated by Moses talks) You know what, I have to get back to business. (He moves towards t he dinning table and continue
surfing the net which renders Moses speechless.)
Lights Fade to Darkness
Victor: (Engrossed with his laptop) Sure! He is inside his room, he came back from the club with one babe like that.
Moses: (shocked as he turned aside to Victor.) I thought we all agreed to stop this lifestyle?
Victor: (still engrossed with his laptop.) I don' t understand.
Moses: What is there not to understand? It's barely a month since we have our life to Christ, and you both are back to sin?
Victor: My guy, this Christian race no easy o.You sef reason am na.(He said in Pidgin) Even God sef go understand.We are all sinners. (Kenneth came out from his room kissing and frolicking with the lady he came back home with last night. His eyes gazed upon her perfect body. The lady is beautiful in a classical way. Her long eyelashes flutters like the wings of a butterfly. He walks her towards of their apartment, and reenters a minute later.)
Moses: (to Kenneth) You still womanise, after joining the choir?
Kenneth: What has my joining the choir has to do with this? (He questions with visible anger)
Moses: Everything! Doesn't the altar call mean something to you guys?
Victor: (stood up and walk towards Moses) Moses, this is not the first time wehav e come out for an altar call in different churches. Why are you making a great deal out of thi s?
Moses: This time was different. (Tears flowed from his eyes. ) This time Hecal l edus.
Kenneth :The pastor you mean.This is normal things they do in churches.
Moses: No! I mean God. God called us not Pastor Jude.We are altars, He lives in us.He wants us to burn for Him alone.
Victor: (burst into intense laughter) hahahahahahahahahah. You just sounded like Past or Jude.
Kenneth: (Anger and shame infiltrate his bones as he grunted like a wild animal in distress.) Are you God? How do you know I am not burning for Christ? Yes, I sing in the choir just like you, just like Victor (pointing to Victor's direction.) And yes, I don't remember reading my Bible, I don't remember to pray,I still womanize.But God knows I am not perfect and can never be. Who are you to Judge me?( He pushed Moses angrily as he reached for the door ) . Moses who the hell are you to Judge me?
Moses : I'm not judging you.You are getting it all wrong. (Kenneth gets infuriated, walks inside his room and bang the door.)
Victor: Look, Moses if you want to burn, burn on your own. If not for this Yahoo that I am doing, how do you think I will have the money to contribute for the rent of this apartment?
Moses : Let's write our own songs then.We have the voice. I want to sing like Moses bliss, Min. Theophilus, Frank Edward in holiness and truth. Money will come later .
Victor: (Also got infuriated by Moses talks) You know what, I have to get back to business. (He moves towards t he dinning table and continue
surfing the net which renders Moses speechless.)
Lights Fade to Darkness
ACT TWO
THE DREAM
ACT TWO
Scene One
THE DREAM
ACT TWO
Scene One
Light falls on stage to reveal thousands of people in a stadium. It is a musical concert. Since the last six months Moses has been building his musical Career as a gospel artiste. There was a thunderous applause as he mounts on st age.
Min. Moses: (Start singing passionately) What a beautiful name is this, nothing compares to this,what a beautiful name is this..
Crowd: (They responded to the song) The name of Jesus.
Min. Moses: Please I want you all to sing from your inner most beings.
Let's connect to Jesus tonight and whatever problems you came here with is leaving you tonight .
Min. Moses: (Start singing passionately) What a beautiful name is this, nothing compares to this,what a beautiful name is this..
Crowd: (They responded to the song) The name of Jesus.
Min. Moses: Please I want you all to sing from your inner most beings.
Let's connect to Jesus tonight and whatever problems you came here with is leaving you tonight .
(The crowd continue singing alongside with him, so people begins to fall under the anointing as the lights fade to darkness)
ACT TWO Scene Two
The scene opens as gunshots cracked into the air as loud as thunder. Bang! A sound that heralded dead and destruction. It was a Friday night. It was two months after Moses musical concert. Silence and tension fall upon Moses, Kenneth and Victor as they hit the ground of their three bedroom flat.Masked gang: (They are four in number, they hit the door and match like soldiers into the house of the three friends.
Kenneth: Please don't kill us (Shaking)
Masked gang 1: Shut up! You fool. Now close your eyes idiots or I shoot all of you. (they close their eyes and lay low amidst chaos.)
Kenneth: Please don't kill us (Shaking)
Masked gang 1: Shut up! You fool. Now close your eyes idiots or I shoot all of you. (they close their eyes and lay low amidst chaos.)
Masked Gang 2: (he moves to the three friends one after the other and blindfolds them, tying their mouth and hands backward.) Now stand up! Move
(the masked gang move the three friends out of the stage as lights fade to darkness.)
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IGNITE
ACT THREE Scene 1
The curtain falls a part and a Dibia (native doctor )is seen on stage dressed in red pieces tied around his waist.The three friends were lying unconsciously on the bare ground inside the bush.The shrine is surrounded by the masked gang.Dibia: (incantation as he removed the blinds from their faces, he examines them for a while.) They look healthy, they will be good for the sacrifice.
Maskedgang3: But this guys are Christians. Are you sure they will go for the sacrifice?
Dibia: (he laughed aggressively.) Hahahaha. Nowadays does Christian still have fire in their bones?
Maskedgang4: (laughed) hahahaha
Dibia: These three Altars lying unconsciously on the ground might not have any fire burning inside of them.Now watch me (he took a knife and stabbed Kenneth, blood pumps out of his chest as he stay lifeless. He took the second knife and stabbed Victor on his chest and laughed out loud) I told you. Please give me the third knife (he uses a white handkerchief to clean the dust from the knife and as he was about to stab Moses, a burning Altar appears on the mirror of the shrine.The altar was burning brightly. Full of flames with an orange and red colour.Thunder strikes the dibia and the mask gang and Moses woke up and found everyone lying lifeless.)
Moses: Jesus! Oh my God (He ran out of the stage.)
Maskedgang3: But this guys are Christians. Are you sure they will go for the sacrifice?
Dibia: (he laughed aggressively.) Hahahaha. Nowadays does Christian still have fire in their bones?
Maskedgang4: (laughed) hahahaha
Dibia: These three Altars lying unconsciously on the ground might not have any fire burning inside of them.Now watch me (he took a knife and stabbed Kenneth, blood pumps out of his chest as he stay lifeless. He took the second knife and stabbed Victor on his chest and laughed out loud) I told you. Please give me the third knife (he uses a white handkerchief to clean the dust from the knife and as he was about to stab Moses, a burning Altar appears on the mirror of the shrine.The altar was burning brightly. Full of flames with an orange and red colour.Thunder strikes the dibia and the mask gang and Moses woke up and found everyone lying lifeless.)
Moses: Jesus! Oh my God (He ran out of the stage.)
Epilogue
Burning Altars is our connection with God in the spirit.It goes beyond physical Altars, made of tiles or decorated with rugs and flower
There are church Altars
There are family Altars
And there are Altars as our entire beings
The fire is the Holyspirit, the presence of God
Don t be an Altar that is not burning
Our lifestyles can either lighten up or quench our fire
The fire on the altar must be kept burning and must never go out .
Let your fire be burning brightly with flames.
THE END
Excellent piece. The title and story line are just on point. God may our Altar not go cold in Jesus name. Amen
ReplyDeleteAwesome write up. May God make us more useful in his hand.
ReplyDeleteThe Dibia asked "do Christians of nowadays still have fire in their bones?" Nice piece. God please help us to keep burning for you and never to compromise our faith.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting play with morals.
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