A Pentecost Choral Reading

Reader: The Bible reading for today is from Matthew’s gospel, chapter 25, beginning at the 31st verse: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory…”

A: “In His glory?” What’s that?

B: Sounds like a foreign car. Probably made in Greece.

C: I think it’s one of those new airplanes–the Glory 657 or something like that.

D: No, it’s a new kind of suit. I saw Justin Bieber in a glory suit the other night.

Reader: When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him…

2: Wow! He’ll come with angels.

5: With all of His angels.

4: The event is so important that none of the angels will have to stay behind to tend the store.

3: And none of the angels will be on duty guarding our ways to keep us from striking our feet against a stone.

1: But we’ll never get to see that kind of glory.

Reader: When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory.

E: Now He has a throne in heavenly glory.

A: I didn’t think His glory was a car or an airplane.

D: Well, He can’t travel around in a throne. Maybe His throne of heavenly glory came out of His glory car.

C: Maybe it came out of the Glory 657. I hear they’re fancy.

B: Let’s face it. We don’t know what His glory is.

D: But we should find out. We might like some of His glory, too.

E: And He might share it with us. He’s nice that way.

Reader: When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory.

5: Imagine! A throne of heavenly glory!

3: I bet it’s made of ivory and gold with diamonds all over.

2: No, I think it will be made of light and energy–so bright that we won’t be able to look at it.

4: But we’ll hear the music.

3: No, we’ll never get that close to His glory.

1: Won’t they have a microphones so everyone can hear?

5: I don’t care if we get to see or hear it. I just want to know when it happens.

Reader: All the nations will be gathered before Him.

C: All the nations?

A: I wonder if that means just the nations that exist today or all that have ever existed.

E: Well, I hope they don’t put us next to the Arabs.

B: I don’t want to be next to one of those tribes that goes naked.

C: We vacationed in Central America last summer. You should see some of the beautiful figurines I bought. But, frankly, those people don’t smell good. I don’t want to be near them.

D: Don’t worry about it. I’m sure our nation will have a good spot. After all, He always takes good care of us.

Reader: All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

4: How does a shepherd separate sheep from goats?

2: Maybe by their smell. I’ve heard that goats stink.

1: Anyone can tell a sheep from a goat. How He does it is not the problem.

4: Then the question is: Why? Why does the shepherd separate the goats from the sheep?

3: Because the goats serve one purpose and the sheep another.

5: If they were all the same, He wouldn’t have to separate them.

1: Then will He separate us according to our purpose?

2: Or according to the way we have followed His purpose?

4: I’m afraid we don’t know enough about shepherds.

3: Or maybe we don’t know how to be sheep.

Reader: Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”

2: Us? Do you mean us?

4: Come, with you? Forever?

5: A kingdom prepared for us!

1: Blessed by your Father?

Reader: Then He will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

C: Who do you think you’re talking to?

D: There must be some mistake.

A: Eternal fire?

E: I appeal to a higher court.

B: But we’ve always called you our Lord.

Reader: (to the right) For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat.

3: Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you?

Reader: (to the left) For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat.

D: Lord, when did we see you hungry?

Reader: (to the right) I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.

2: When did I see you thirsty and give you something to drink?

Reader: (to the left) I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink.

C: When did I see you thirsty and give you nothing to drink?

Reader: (to the right) I was a stranger and you invited me in.

4: When did we see you a stranger and invite you in?

Reader: (to the left) I was a stranger and you did not invite me in.

A: I never saw you as a stranger. I’ve always known you.

Reader: (to the right) I needed clothes and you clothed me.

5: Lord, when did I clothe you?

Reader: (to the left) I needed clothes and you did not clothe me.

B: I never saw you without clothes. I don’t go around looking at naked people.

Reader: (to the right) I was sick and you looked after me.

1: When did I see you sick, Lord?

Reader: (to the left) I was sick and you did not look after me.

E: I’m sure you’ve never been seriously ill, Lord. I mean, with your miracles and everything. But if you were, I’m sorry. If I had known about it, I’d have sent you a card.

Reader: (to the right) I was in prison and you came to visit me.

4: I have visited prisons, Lord, but I didn’t know you were there.

Reader: (to the left) I was in prison and you did not look after me.

D: Well, you can hardly expect everyone to visit a prison. And you were jailed such a short time. Only overnight, if I remember correctly. Besides, I wasn’t living then.

E: There must be some mistake. You’ve known us for a long time.

C: We’ve always gone to church.

A: And served on committees.

B: And attended conventions.

C: We’ve done the things we thought were important.

D: Remember the beautiful banners we made to praise you?

E: Remember how often we sang our praise to you?

B: One of the songs is about your glory. We do know about your glory. Come on. Let’s sing it.

Reader: (to the left) I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.

A, B, C, D, E: Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?

Reader: (to the left) I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.

B: The least?

C: The least of all of these?

D: Of all nations?

C: The people we don’t even know?

A: We would have helped you, Lord, but these…

E: Not just anyone who comes along.

D: Some people just don’t want help. How are we to know whom we are to help?

Reader: Then they will go away to eternal punishment. (A, B, C, D, E leave)

Reader: (to the right) Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

2: Why us, Lord?

5: We did not recognize your glory.

4: We do not deserve your reward.

1: We don’t want hell, but we don’t deserve heaven.

Reader: I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5: Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?

Reader: I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.

1: You mean you were there when we visited the nursing home?

5: You were there when we sent clothing to India?

3: We prayed in your name when we visited in prison, but I never realized…

4: You were with me when I read to Mrs. Ellis.

2: You know about the food for the Dunman family.

Reader: I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.

1: That is His glory.

5: Not gold and ivory, but food for the hungry, water for the thirsty.

3: Not diamonds, but clothing for the poor.

4: Not light and energy, but company for the lonely.

2: Not special effects, but special services.

Reader: And all the angels with Him and He will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.

4: He shares in our lives.

5: And we share His glory with others.

1: We have lived in His glory and didn’t know it.

3: We have loved because He first loved us.

Reader: Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

Originally published in Youth Ministry Quarterly 90.4.

Updated and revised for thESource in April 2012.