Lynne Thigpen credited as playing...
Lynne
- Lynne: Master...
- [Lynne climbs down from a stage and rushes to Jesus. Gilmer, Robin, Joanne, Jeffrey, Merrell, Jerry and Katie follow]
- Lynne: Master! Blessed are the poor in Spirit...
- Jesus: For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
- Gilmer: Blessed are they who mourn...
- Jesus: For they shall be comforted.
- Robin: Blessed are the meek...
- Jesus: For they shall inherit the Earth.
- Joanne: Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice...
- Jesus: For they shall be filled.
- Jeffrey: Blessed are the merciful...
- Jesus: For they shall have mercy.
- Merrell: Blessed are the pure in heart...
- Jesus: For they shall see God.
- Jerry: Blessed are the peace-makers...
- Jesus: For they shall be called the children of God.
- Katie: Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake...
- Jesus: For theirs is the Kingdom of *heaven*!
- [the others applaud]
- Judas: [shouting from the distant stage] Blessed are ye... When men shall persecute you and revile you... and say all manner of evil against you...
- [pauses then calms down]
- Judas: falsely.
- Merrell: There once was a king...
- Everyone: Yeah, yeah.
- Merrell: ...who decided to settle accounts with the men who served him.
- Everyone: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Merrell: Well, at the outset, there appeared before the master a man whose debt ran into the millions!
- Everyone: What?
- Merrell: I said the millions!
- Everyone: Whoa!
- Merrell: Since the man had no means of paying the money, the master ordered him to be sold to meet the debt with his wife.
- Everyone: Whoa!
- Merrell: And his child.
- Everyone: Whoa!
- Merrell: And everything he had. Well, the man threw himself down at the master's feet and went...
- Everyone: Doo bop a loom boom!
- Jeffrey: Oh, be patient with me.
- Merrell: He said.
- Jeffrey: And I shall pay you full.
- Merrell: And so moved with pity was the master, that he decided to free the man and remit the debt! And let's hear it for the master!
- Everyone: [imitating cheerleaders] Give me an M, give me an A-S-T-E-R. Yay, master!
- Judas: Wait a minute. But no sooner had the man been released, then he met a fellow servant who owed him a few dollars. Well, he gripped him by the throat and said...
- Jeffrey: Pay me! I says pay me what you owes me!
- Judas: Whoa, the man fell at his fellow servant's feet and begged him, saying...
- Jerry: Please, please. Be patient with me. I shall pay you.
- Lynne: But he refused, saying...
- Jeffrey: Look!
- Jerry: What?
- Lynne: And had him jailed until he should pay the debt.
- Gilmer: [in a southern accent] Well, the other servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened. Are you sitting down? They ran and told their master the whole story, mm-hmm.
- Robin: DAAAAH!
- Gilmer: Accordingly he sent for the man.
- Robin: You scoundrel!
- Gilmer: He said to him!
- Robin: I remitted the whole of your debt when you appealed unto me. Were you not bound to show your fellow servant the same pity I showed to you?
- Jerry: And so angry was the master that he condemned the man to torture, until he could pay the debt in full.
- [everyone pretends to torture Jefferey]
- Jesus: And that is how my Heavenly Father will deal with you, unless you forgive your brothers from you hearts.
- Lynne: Gather 'round. Brothers, sisters, gather 'round. Because two men-- I said two!-- went off to the temple to pray. One, a Pharisee...
- [everybody cheers]
- Lynne: ... and the other, a tax-gatherer.
- [everyone boos]
- Lynne: While the Pharisee, he just stood right on up and prayed thus...
- Katie: I thank Thee, O God, that I'm not like other men.
- Everyone: Yeah.
- Katie: Greedy!
- Everyone: Yeah!
- Katie: Dishonest!
- Everyone: Yeah!
- Katie: Adulterous!
- Everyone: Yeah!
- Katie: Or for that matter, like that tax-gatherer. I pray twice a week. Get that? Twice a week! And pay taxes on all that I get!
- Lynne: But the other kept his distance, and would not even raise his eyes to the good Lord in Heaven. I said the good Lord in Heaven, child!
- Everyone: Amen!
- Lynne: But beat upon his breast, saying...
- Jeffrey: Oh, God, have mercy on me, sinner that I am.
- Jesus: And it was this man I tell you...
- Everyone: What?
- Katie: You gotta be kidding.
- Jesus: And not the other who went off and quitted of his sins. For every man who exalts himself... shall be humble. But every man who humbles himself...
- Everyone: Shall... be... exalted!
- Jesus: Always treat others as you would have them treat you!
- Jeffrey, Judas, Joanne, Robin, Jerry, Gilmer, Katie, Lynne, Merrell: Yeah, yeah, yeah!
- Jesus: Well, that is the law and the prophets.
- Jeffrey, Judas, Joanne, Robin, Jerry, Gilmer, Katie, Lynne, Merrell: The law and the prophets. The law and the prophets. The law and the prophets...