Mary Magdalene (MM) – More Cheerful Than She Has Any Right to Be Mary, Mother of James (MJ) – Practical, Deals with Things As They Come

! Rolled Away Mark 16:1-8

A script by Pamela Abbey

Cast: Mary Magdalene (MM) – more cheerful than she has any right to be Mary, Mother of James (MJ) – practical, deals with things as they come. She’s little older than the other two. Salome (S) – consumed with her grief

Time: 6 minutes

Set: 3 music stands in the chancel area.

Props and Costumes: A basket for each woman that is laden with spices. They are heavy, as the amount of spices used for burial often exceeded 75 pounds. The women should have at least a suggestion of biblical dress.

Music: The tune from the old gospel chorus “Rolled Away” is used throughout. If you grew up in a Protestant church in the Bible Belt, you probably know it. If not, the melody line can be found at the end of this script.

Themes: Resurrection, Truth

(Notes: The play begins realistically, with the women entering down the center aisle of the sanctuary. At the appropriate time, they arrive at the front of the sanctuary and take their places behind the music stands. At that point, the script becomes readers’ theater, performed in presentational style.)

(The women enter from the rear, preferably in the center aisle. Mary Magdalene is a little behind the other two. Throughout, she hums the tune to the gospel chorus “Rolled Away”.)

MJ: It looks like we’ve timed it well. The sun should be rising when we get there.

S: I hope it isn’t much farther. These spices and oils are heavy! !2

(They stop, setting down their baskets.)

MJ: Mine, too. I think the only thing heavier than this basket is my heart.

MM: (Bringing up the rear.) La la la, La la la, La la la, La la la la la la la, La la la.

MJ: Mary, will you stop that?

S: This is the saddest day of my life, probably the hardest day of my life, and I really don’t feel like listening to some cheery little tune!

MM: I’m sorry. I’m as sad as you are. It’s just one of those melodies that gets stuck in your head, you know?

MJ: I know what you mean, but couldn’t something more suitable get stuck in your head? For heaven’s sake, we’re on our way to anoint Jesus’ body.

S: Right. And what is that tune? I’ve never heard it before.

MM: I don’t know. I’ve never heard it before, either. It just popped into my head while we were getting ready.

MJ: Well, tell it to pop out again.

S: I hate to be pessimistic, but I still don’t see the point of doing this.

MJ: The point is that Jesus’ body wasn’t properly prepared before burial. I know Joseph had to finish by sundown and he did the best he could, but it’s an important ritual.

MM: It’s the right thing to do.

S: I know it’s the right thing to do, but how? You saw that stone they rolled in front of the entrance to the tomb. It’s huge.

MM: La la la, La la la,….(MJ and S glare at her.)….Sorry.

MJ: I brought a little money. Maybe we can bribe the guards to help.

S: Romans! Ha!

MJ: You never know. They’re just kids away from home. We could be their mothers….or sisters.

MM: La la la, La la la,.. !3

S: Mary!

MJ: Please!

MM: Sorry. It just comes out. Maybe the three of us together can roll it away.

S: Mary, be sensible. It took four strong men to move that stone. And I’m completely done in by carrying this powdered aloe.

MM: Maybe we could go find Peter and James and they could help.

S: Too dangerous. If the Romans see them, they’ll arrest them, too.

MJ: We’ll figure out something when we get there….. I hope.

MM: La, la, la…..

S & MJ: Mary!!

(They arrive at the front and, putting down their baskets, take their places behind the music stands.)

MJ: And so our journey went.

S: We were sorrowful…..

MM: burdened by our tears.

S: Our grief was even heavier than the spices we carried.

MJ: We’d scarcely slept all night.

S: We were tired and exhausted.

MM: And that little tune just kept playing in my head.

S: And coming out your mouth!

MJ: It was dismal. We’d seen our best friend tortured and killed.

MM: And all our hopes seemed to die with him.

MJ: There was one last way to show our love, !4

S: to cover his bruised and broken body with spices and oils,

MM: an act our faith required of us.

S: But the stone loomed ahead, a stone that would halt our last expression of love.

MJ: Our way was blocked.

MM: La, la, la…..

S: And yet she kept humming that silly tune.

MJ: The tune didn’t fit the reality.

MM: Even I agreed with that.

MJ: The reality was that death had beaten our plans,

S: Evil had the upper hand

MM: Sin had had the final say.

MJ: Talk about an immoveable object –

S: That rock at the tomb was a pebble compared to our despair.

MM: All our dreams…..

MJ: all our hopes….

S: had been stopped dead in their tracks.

MM: La la la, La la la,….

S: So her cheerful little melody was woefully out of place.

MM: My melody was full of life…

MJ: while we walked toward a place of death.

MM: My melody was full of joy….

S: while we struggled with our despair.

MJ: Yet in spite of all our pleadings…. !5

S: Mary, will you please stop!

MJ: the melody persisted.

MM: La la la, La la la,….

S: Winding its way around our sorrow…

MJ: ignoring our tears…

MM: drowning out our sighs…

S: and wafting down the road ahead of us toward the tomb….

MM: the melody persisted. La la la, La la la, La la la,…

MJ: For you see, the Truth persists.

S: The Truth will not be hindered.

MM: The Truth will never die.

MJ: The Truth will always burst forth and run free.

MM: And when we got to the tomb…

S: the Truth of Mary’s melody was clear.

MJ: The stone had been moved…

S: our way was clear.

MJ: We could do what we came to do…

S: to anoint the dead.

MM: But there was no death to anoint!

S: There was no reason for our sorrow!

MJ: Jesus was alive!

MM: Death had not been able to hold him.

S: The stone that threatened to block our love was gone…. !6

MM: rolled away and of no consequence.

MJ: The stone of death that had blocked Jesus’ love was gone….

MM: rolled away and of no consequence.

S: Despair, sin, sorrow and evil had not won the day.

MJ: The Truth of Jesus’ love had prevailed.

MM: He is alive…

S: in the world….

MJ: and in our hearts.

MM: The stone…..

All: rolled away!

S: Our sorrow….

All: rolled away!

MJ: Our sin….

All: rolled away!

MM: Our despair….

All: rolled away!

S: In the final Truth of that resurrection morning….

(All three step out from behind their music stands, singing…)

Rolled away, rolled away, rolled away, Every burden of my heart rolled away. Rolled away, rolled away, rolled away, Every burden of my heart rolled away. Our Lord still lives, all our sin forgives. Rolled away, rolled away, rolled away, every burden of my heart rolled away. *** !7

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