Ministry through Theater
Ministry through Theater
This delightfully humorous performance begins with the local pastor standing in front of the congregation and reading from the first chapter in the Book of Mark, which describes John the Baptist as a "voice in the wilderness." Suddenly, a homeless person bursts in from the back of the church. He runs up the aisle, yelling, "That's me! That man is reading about me!"
John the Baptist has been hitchhiking across the country for two months talking about Jesus, his cousin. He says of Jesus, "We wanted something else. What we GOT was the Son of God." Jesus was not a warrior preparing his people for a battle to restore the Throne of David. Instead, he was a common man who ate with sinners and owned only the clothes on his back. John tells the congregation that they all keep waiting for the Kingdom of God to come, but they should be actively preparing for it by doing what Jesus did: serving those in need.
Maxwell wrings the drama from the Biblical text about John the Baptist and reveals John's perspective to the audience in new and thought-provoking ways. Maxwell says of John the Baptist: "He was essential to Jesus' early acceptance. Peter, Andrew... all of them listened to John...and some were even disciples of John before Jesus was baptized. Also, he's so much fun. John the Baptist is 'out there.' He holds no punches and will go anywhere and do anything if he thinks it's what God wants him to do. He's the paradigm of Sainthood."