Here’s a readers’ theatre setting of Matthew 25:31-46, set by Carolyn Brown and suitable for use in intergenerational congregations.
She writes: “Because this is a rather long passage that can lose children in all the words, invite worshipers to join in reading it as a play. The worship leader sets it up and serves as Narrator. A second reader stands front and center as the King. The right half and the left half of the congregation read the appropriate parts.”
Matthew 25: 31-46
Narrator: When the Son of Man comes as King and all the angels with him, he will sit on his royal throne, and the people of all the nations will be gathered before him. Then he will divide them into two groups, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the righteous people on his right and the others on his left. Then the King will say to the people on his right,
King: Come, you that are blessed by my Father! Come and possess the kingdom which has been prepared for you ever since the creation of the world. I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes, naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me.
Narrator: The righteous will then answer him,
Right Side: When, Lord, did we ever see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we ever see you a stranger and welcome you in our homes, or naked and clothe you? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?
King: I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these members of my family, you did it for me!’
Narrator: Then he will say to those on his left,
King: Away from me, you that are under God’s curse! Away to the eternal fire which has been prepared for the Devil and his angels! I was hungry but you would not feed me, thirsty but you would not give me a drink; I was a stranger but you would not welcome me in your homes, naked but you would not clothe me; I was sick and in prison but you would not take care of me.
Narrator: Then they will answer him,
Left Side: When, Lord, did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison,and would not help you?
King: I tell you, whenever you refused to help one of these least important ones, you refused to help me.
Narrator: These, then, will be sent off to eternal punishment, but the righteous will go to eternal life.
—based on The Good News Bible by Carolyn Brown. Posted on the Worship for Kids page of the Ministry Matters website. Visit there for other great suggestions for intergenerational worship on November 20, 2011.
For more worship resources related to this text, or other texts for November 20, 2011 (Reign of Christ or Christ the King Sunday), click on Proper 29A in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.
For other readers’ theatre settings of scripture, click on Readers’ theatre in the list of “Labels” at the right.
