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The Waiting Room and The Christmas Present

Waiting on God is an essential Christian value. Sometimes doubt creeps into our hearts and we become discouraged. Discouragement opens the door to anxiety, grief and uncertainty—these together bring about suffocation. The Waiting Room is a play that reveals a man’s effort to find a greener pasture that eventually leads him to an unhealthy relationship, thereby putting his home at risk of collapse. The play also pursues a cultural theme that encourages the exploration of other cultures. The Christmas Present reminds us of how easy it is to get so wrapped up in daily duties and so-called obligations that we forget about relationships and people who need us and what we can give. All the frantic impersonal activity will someday pass away, but what we do for people in Christ’s name will last forever and yield eternal results.

Scene 1 (Two people are walking, having a conversation. They stop walking as they approach the middle of the stage) NARRATOR 1: My sister, I was meditating the other day about families in the Bible and I concluded that there is no perfect family in the Bible. NARRATOR 2: Really? NARRATOR 1: I can give you many examples, (counting his fingers) Adam and Eve, Noah’s family, Abraham’s family, Lot’s family, Isaac’s family, Jacob’s family, King Saul’s family, David’s family, Solomon’s family, Jesus’ family… NARRATOR 2: Stop right there! Blasphemer! What do you mean counting all those families, including Jesus’ family? NARRATOR 1: I will explain to you… NARRATOR 2: You should. NARRATOR 1: Adam and Eve…. NARRATOR 2: I know about Adam and Eve, tell me about Jesus’ family. NARRATOR 1: Oh, very simple, Jesus’ parents did not realize that he was still in Jerusalem after they had left. They traveled a whole day’s journey before they realized he was not with them. They also had to look for him for three days before they found him. NARRATOR 2: Parental negligence. NARRATOR 1: I know you’re right. NARRATOR 2: But he chose to stay behind to do “His Father’s work.” NARRATOR 1: Parents need to be vigilant, that is still negligence. NARRATOR 2: You’re right. Tell me about Abraham—the father of all nations; the righteous one before God--what do you have against him? NARRATOR 1: Abraham was not only righteous before God, he was a man of faith. Because of him, God blessed him and the generations after him, including our generation. God promised to give him and his wife a child even in their old age, but he was not ready to wait on God, he tried to help God out by getting his maid pregnant… NARRATOR 2: I knew you would say that, if you read your Bible more carefully you would know that it was Sarah, his wife, who asked him to do it. NARRATOR 1: Hmm…his wife… we are talking about a family here, decision making is very important. They both agreed to do it and it was done. They didn’t pray over it, they didn’t think about it, out of their desperation to have a child they agreed. I believe Hagar was a very beautiful maid. (Hagar walks in beautifully dressed, smiling and holding a pitcher like she is about to go and fetch some water. She stops in front of the narrators and curtsies in greeting, they wave at her and she walks away) NARRTOR 2: Dutiful too. NARRATOR 1: As you can see…, father Abraham was unable to resist her, the temptation was too much, the beauty, the hard work, and the recommendation from his wife. I am sure she knew her husband’s taste in women too. NARRATOR 2: She would not have chosen the worst of their maids; she would have chosen the best for her husband. NARRATOR1: Now you are thinking like I’m thinking. Everything was there physically to entice Abraham to Hagar. (looking narrator 2 straight in the eye) Never blame your spouse for a joint decision. If you agreed to it then it’s your fault too. NARRATOR 2: Hmm… two are better than one. We should weigh all the sides of a decision before concluding. NARRATOR 1: Most importantly, pray over it and wait for an answer before you go ahead with your decision. NARRATOR2: Yes, (nodding) but you need to finish the story. NARRATOR1: Yes, Hagar had the baby and became proud. (Hagar walks in again carrying her baby. Sarah calls Hagar in the background, but she refuses to answer, turning to the audience she says…) HAGAR: Why is the barren woman calling me? Do you think I am still your maid? We share the same man and I have a child. You do not. You will probably die barren anyway. (she walks away) NARRATOR 2: What insolence! NARRATOR 1: That was why she was sent away with her son; she couldn’t live with the happy family. NARRATOR 2: Hmm…interesting. Introducing Hagar into their family wasn’t a pleasant situation. NARRATOR 1: No, it wasn’t. You may want to find out about Hagar’s son, Ishmael, in your private time. Then you can draw your conclusions about the story. NARRATOR 2: I will, it is an interesting, historical story. NARRATOR 1: Now that you’re thinking like I’m thinking; can you relate this story to a modern-day story? NARRATOR 2: (Touching her forehead, thinking) Yes! Yes! Yes! This story happened in the western part of Nigeria. It is very much like the story of Abraham and Sarah. (audience hear the sound of drums and they both dance off stage) (BLACKOUT)