Act 4 - Ten Thousand Angels
Revival Ensemble of 5, 1-Act Plays & Music
By Dan Zigler and Elton Smith
Staging: This scene takes place in Juanitta’s apartment several years later. Late at night, Juanitta’s daughter, Isabel, wakes up cold and afraid as a thunderstorm rolls through. A cot can be used for Isabel’s bed. A chair is next to the cot for Juanitta to sit on. Play the thunderstorm track from the accompaniment CD all the way through. Slowly lower the volume during the last minute of the thunderstorm track. After about 30 seconds of the thunderstorm, Isabel starts screaming. Allow a few more seconds to pass before Juanitta enters the room.
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Isabel: "Mommy! Mommy!" (sobbing, sitting up in the bed) "Mommy, where are you?"
Juanitta: (Entering the room and turning on the light) "Isabel! Are you ok?" (Walks over to the bed) "It’s just a storm…Don’t be afraid."
Isabel: (sits up in bed as Juanitta sits in the chair). "Oh, Mommy! (Isabel is breathing fast and is unable to talk for a moment). "I’m scared!".
Juanitta: (Pats Isabel gently on the head and kisses her) "I know, baby… Mommy’s here. I think the thunderstorm is just about over...."
Isabel: "It’s not just the thunderstorm. I keep dreaming about the kids at school. They're calling me names. I dream they are chasing me through the halls calling me names."
Juanitta: "In the dream, are they being mean to you? Why don't you tell me about your dream."
Isabel: "I dream they are chasing me through the halls, chasing me, calling me names. They're pulling at my hair, tearing my clothes… and they say awful things about me...... and about you too."
Juanitta: "Is this just a dream, or has this really happened, Isabel?"
Isabel: "Yes"
Juanitta: "Yes, its really happened?"
Isabel: "Yes" (starts to cry) "Mommy, is it true .... what they say?"
Juanitta: "What do they say?"
Isabel: "They call me a "prostitute baby". Mommy, is it true?"
Juanitta: (pulling Isabel close to her, starting to cry) "Some people are cruel, Isabel ..... some people won't let you forget your past." (looking Isabel in the face) "Oh, baby… I’m so sorry. I'm so sorry..." (crying)
Isabel: "Is it true, Mommy?"
Juanitta: (Trying to regain her composure) "Isabel, I've never lied to you and I won't start now. Maybe you won't understand all of what I'm going to tell you, but I'm going to try my best to help you understand." (slightly sobbing)
Isabel: "Don't cry, Mommy. I'll love you no matter what they say" (stopping to listen, slighting turning her head, then pointing to the ceiling) "Listen… the thunder has stopped."
Juanitta: "Yes, the storm is over. Isabel, and I'll always love you too! No matter what they say!" (kissing Isabel on the forehead) "You know these kids at school -- their teasing and name calling is like tonight's thunderstorm -- it won’t last forever -- and eventually we won't even hear them any more either. It's at times like this that I pray to Jesus."
Isabel: "When you pray to Jesus, what do you ask for?"
Juanitta: "Oh, Isabel -- I don't ask for anything! I praise Him!" (getting excited) "I praise Jesus that I have a wonderful daughter named Isabel." (standing up, and starting to swagger like a southern gospel singer) "I praise Jesus that He saved my soul! I praise Jesus that Wilma Weatherly taught me how to read! (motioning for Isabel to get up too)
Isabel: (joining Juanitta in the "praises" and mimicking her mother) "I praise Jesus for my Mommy!"
Juanitta: "I praise Jesus for my job!"
Isabel: "I praise Jesus for Grandma Wilma, for Uncle Rolland, for Pastor Thomas, and for my church!"
Juanitta: "I praise Jesus for Him protecting me from the thunder!"
Isabel: "I praise Jesus for making the thunder stop!"
Both: (they look at each other, and burst into laughter)
Juanitta: "Amen, sister!"
Isabel: "Amen, sister!"
Both: (they collapse on the bed laughing and giggling, Juanitta grabs Isabel and hugs her tight)
Juanitta: "And I praise Jesus that He taught me what real love is!" (tickling Isabel) "And that He gave me you to give that love to....." (then both get quiet again)
Isabel: (very serious) "Mommy, I know what a prostitute is ....the boys told me...."
Juanitta: "Isabel, I made a lot of mistakes in my life when I was young. I ran away from home. I walked the streets, stole money -- I did a lot of really bad things. And yes, it is true -- I was a prostitute. And I'm sorry that you are so young and know something as terrible as that!" (looking Isabel in the face) "It was a terrible life. If I wasn’t being beat up by a man, I was being hauled into the police station." (pauses) "And then a miracle ......"
Isabel: "A miracle, like from angels?"
Juanitta: "One day I heard a very special message that gave me hope. Reverend Rolland was there…"
Isabel: "Uncle Rolland! Oh, I just love him! - he’s so kind!"
Juanitta: "In fact, Wilma Weatherly was there too"
Isabel: "Grandma Weatherly! She’s my favorite!"
Juanitta: ".... and Pastor Thomas was there! A real young, Pastor Thomas..... and even Mrs. Hancock, too!"
Isabel: "They all saw this miracle, too?"
Juanitta: (laughing with understanding) "No Isabel, they had no idea the miracle was happening....that miracle was happening right in front of them and they didn't even know it!"
Isabel: "Tell me! Tell me, what was the miracle?"
Juanitta: "I was introduced to the best friend a person can have… that's the day I met, Jesus!"
Isabel: "You met Jesus -- face to face!?"
Juanitta: "It was more like, heart to heart..... or soul to soul ..... but yes, I met Jesus! He changed my life completely. He showed me hope ....mercy .... compassion ... and He taught me about love..... and best of all .... " (stroking Isabel's cheek) "..... Jesus taught me how to become a real mother for you."
Isabel: (drifting into thought) "Imagine that! A real miracle right there.... you meet Jesus and they don't even know it!"
Juanitta: "Don't you see they were part of the miracle too. Wilma, Rev. Rolland and Pastor Thomas ... they all worked together to pull me out of that terrible life. I remember like it was yesterday… the day I gave my life to Jesus. Uncle Rolland said the first thing I had to do was get out of that terrible neighborhood. He got me an apartment over here on the other side of town… and paid my rent for almost a year. And Wilma… she enrolled me in vocational school, she taught me to read. Why... she even paid all my tuition so I could go to school. It was so hard at first that I didn’t know if I could make it, but I prayed to Jesus every day and He gave me strength to keep going. Slowly, the thunderstorm that was my life, got silent and peaceful."
Isabel: "Oh, Mommy… what a wonderful thing that happened! I'm glad you were a prostitute!"
Juanitta: "Oh, no Isabel!"
Isabel: "No, I mean -- if you hadn't been there -- we might not know Wilma or Rev. Rolland -- you might not have met Jesus either!"
Juanitta: "People have all kinds of sins -- you don't have to be a prostitute to be a sinner and find Jesus. It was only through God’s grace that I escaped that life and my sin… and it is because of God's love that He sent people to rescue me. I could never have done it on my own. (pauses) Maybe God will send an angel to help you someday. Have they told you stories in Sunday School about how God sometimes sends angels to help people in need? Here let me read you one of those stories. (takes a Bible from the table beside the bed and opens it to Acts 12:6-10) Its in Acts chapter 12."
"The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance."
Isabel: "Wow, it sounds like Peter was havin' a thunderstorm moment too!"
Juanitta: "Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. ‘Quick, get up!’ he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. Then the angel said to him, ‘Put on your clothes and sandals.’ And Peter did so. ‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,’ the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him."
Isabel: "So God can send me an angel too? That would be wonderful! Will he have wings?"
Juanitta: "Oh, probably not. The Bible says we may entertain angels unaware. So your angel will probably look like a normal person, but they can help you just the same because they are sent by God. Are you ready to go back to sleep now?"
Isabel: (yawns) "Yes"
Juanitta: "Maybe you can dream about angels instead. Here, let me sing you a song I know and we’ll turn out the light." (The music starts for "Ten Thousand Angels")
Ten Thousand Angels
Copyright © 1997 Lynn Cooper (ASCAP)
I know you're hurting, I can see it in your eyes.
There's nothing I can say or do to ease your heart or mind,
But there's someone you can talk to,
He'll come and ease your pain.
He knows your every thought and prayer,
Just call upon His name.
May He send ten thousand angels strong
To comfort you and guide you through this storm.
May He send ten thousand angels strong
To strengthen you, and guide you through this storm.
He understands the broken heart,
The suffering of the soul,
And in this crazy stormy night, yes, God is in control.
So let Him take this cross for you.
Your burdens He'll make light,
And to the top of Calvary's hill
Your fears be released tonight.
May He send ten thousand angels strong
To comfort you and guide you through this storm.
May He send ten thousand angels strong
To strengthen you, and guide you through this storm.
(Guitar solo)
May He send ten thousand angels strong
To comfort you and guide you through this storm.
To strengthen you, and guide you through this storm.
Rock-a-bye dear child of God
With a blanket of stars above.
Sleep sound in Jesus, in the arms of His love.
Juanitta: (Stands and walks over to the light switch) "Goodnight, baby."
Isabel: (Lays down and pulls the covers over her) "Goodnight, Mommy. (pauses) Mommy…"
Juanitta: "Yes, dear."
Isabel: "I love you."
Juanitta: "I love you, too, baby." (Turns out the light)
"Jesus Can Calm Your Storm"
Sermon by: Daniel Zigler
Based on: Matthew 8:24-26
"Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm."
Mothers and Fathers are like guardian angels, that Jesus has given charge over their families to help them, to protect them. Entrusted with a great responsibility to see that their family is protected from the world, from Satan and from those who are evil. Every church congregation is filled with many mothers and fathers, and their children are not just their own, but every child within the church. Believers are like parents, entrusted with that same responsibility towards the unbelievers or children within their own congregations. You must ensure that your church body is protected from the world, surrounded by truth and distanced from Satan and his evil.
"Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat." Every family, every church body is sometimes caught off-guard, when without warning, a furious calamity will arise, fighting, arguing -- a storm that would seem to place the family in danger. We are caught off-guard, we don't seem to understand why it is happening, we seem helpless, unable to know how to handle it, we begin to let fear rise within ourselves. We stumble and we falter, wavering under the onslaught of some catastrophe that seems insurmountable.
Often we watch others who are fighting the storm, yet we do nothing. We stand back, at a distance, as if to protect ourselves from their problems. We cannot as believers do this! Like a child calling out during a thunderstorm, we need to rush to those who are calling out. We need to help calm their fears. We need to help them to protect them, but not with our own power or will, but that of Jesus Christ our Lord.
In the song you just heard there is a line, "I know you're hurting, I can see it in your eyes. There's nothing I can say or do to ease your heart or mind, But there's someone you can talk to, He'll come and ease your pain. He knows your every thought and prayer, Just call upon His name." This is how we should respond to the storms in our life and in the lives of those we love. Call upon His name! Call on the name of Jesus. Use the power that He has given to you as a gift!
Does it seem as though Jesus is the last resort in most storms. That He is the last to know about our struggles and our fears. That Jesus is the last name you utter, and use only when you are desperate? Do you think you are so capable of handling life yourself, that you have forgotten to include Jesus. The truth is that almost all storms in our lives result from not including Jesus first. We try to lead and expect Jesus to follow us, and then when we falter into the storm of our own making, then we cry out His name.
But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Don't you think it is interesting that Jesus rebukes the disciples for calling out to Him? This seems contrary to what I've just said doesn't it. But it's not .... for here is the difference.
All storms that surround us, that engulf our lives do not endanger us. We are God's children! If you were the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present Creator, would you permit harm to your children? We must have an abiding faith in Christ Jesus that He is in control. The storms and calamities that surround our families, our churches are not necessarily sent to harm us or even endanger us. We need to know and accept that Jesus is in control. But what did the disciples do.... they feared for themselves -- they didn't trust that Jesus was in control. What was his rebuke? "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Instead of waking Jesus, if they had said, "Jesus we know you are in control, give us more faith." If the disciples had let the storm rage around them, sitting in the boat, peace in their heart because they had faith that Jesus was in control, I'm sure that Jesus would have been pleased.
Even though Jesus was disappointed that His disciples wanted his to stop the storm, He did it because they asked. "Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm." Jesus will protect you as well. If your faith is weak, He will encourage you to learn to trust Him in the storms around you, but Jesus can calm the physical threat around you, but it is the Holy Spirit within you, your faith in Him that He desires you to gain.
The disciples also did not exercise the power of Jesus' name. Each believer, each child of God has an unbelievably powerful gift -- the name of Jesus. Just His name alone will make mountains bow down! Just His name alone gives authority to the believer. Just the mention of His name alone will make demons and Satan tremble with fear. But you have more than just His name, for He lives within the believer.
Jesus can calm your storm. No matter what its cause, thunder or lightning -- tragedy or fear. There is Jesus who lives within you, just have faith that He is in control. For the storm that frightens us, is not what is happening around you, but rather what is happening inside you. Jesus can calm the storm of your soul. From our song, "And in this crazy stormy night, yes, God is in control. So let Him take this cross for you. Your burdens He'll make light, And to the top of Calvary's hill Your fears be released tonight."
So mothers and fathers, ask for faith to calm the storms in your life, in your family. So mothers and fathers of this church body, ask for faith to calm the storms that encircle your ministries and unbelievers. Believers, use the power that Jesus has entrusted to you. Mothers and fathers teach your children at home about Jesus and faith in Him. Mothers and fathers of this church, teach your unbelieving children about Jesus and faith in Him. Run to those who flounder and struggle in the storm. Watch over those entrusted to you with peace and assurance that Jesus is in control. Have faith that Jesus can calm your storm.
Altar Call - Music softly in background |