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BURNING  6'1m*f RT: Moses and the burning bush

(RT == Readers' Theater: requires little or no memorization,
little or no rehearsal. An indefinite number of reporters are
salted throughout the audience.)

MOSES -- (enters wearing tunic, headdress and sandals, crosses
to podium, unrolls scroll, reads) My name is Moses. As most of
you know, I am a Hebrew and I have lived among you Midianites
for forty years. I thought my stay here in Midian would be
permanent. That's why I married the daughter of a Midianite
priest. But the Lord God of the Hebrews apparently has other
plans for me. The reason I called this press conference is to
announce that I will be leaving Midian tomorrow and traveling
back to Egypt where I was born. I'd like to thank the people of
Midian for your hospitality and kindness during my stay here.
Thank you very much. (rolls up scroll) That's all I have to say.

REPORTER -- Moses, can you tell us why you're going back to
Egypt?

MOSES -- Yes. The plan is to free the slaves.

REPORTER -- I will remind you that the economy of Egypt depends
on cheap slave labor. Without them, the Egyptian economy will
suffer. Won't you get considerable resistance from Pharaoh King
of Egypt?

MOSES -- Yes. I suppose I will. But it's something I must do.

REPORTER -- Moses, did you say that your decision to leave
Midian came from your God, the God of the Hebrews?

MOSES -- Yes.

REPORTER -- The decision to free the slaves in Egypt... that
came from your God also?

MOSES -- Yes. That's why I'm so confident that the Egyptians
will cooperate.

REPORTER -- Can you tell us HOW the God of the Hebrews contacted
you?

REPORTER -- Your father-in-law Jethro is a priest of Midian and
a prophet. Did this prophecy from your God come through Jethro?

MOSES -- No.

REPORTER -- Can you be more specific than NO?

MOSES -- Well, it was quite unusual. I'm not sure you'd
understand.

REPORTER -- Don't you think we have a right to know why you're
giving up your home of forty years to return to the land of
slavery?

MOSES -- Alright. But I'll warn you in advance. My God, the God
of the Hebrews is not like the Gods of Midian. Our God is
spirit. He has no body. No substance at all. So, in order to
communicate with men, he sometimes uses unusual methods to
communicate with his people. In my case He appeared to me in the
form of a fire.

REPORTER -- Where did this God of yours appear to you and speak
to you?

MOSES -- I was tending my sheep on Mount Horeb, when a bush
nearby caught on fire.

REPORTER -- How do you know this burning bush was not caused by
a lightning strike?

MOSES --  He spoke in an audible human voice.

REPORTER -- Are you saying that the burning bush spoke to you?

MOSES -- Yes. And that's not the only proof that this burning
bush was a manifestation of God. The bush was on fire, but the
bush was not being consumed by the fire. It was truly
supernatural.

REPORTER -- What did the bush say to you?

MOSES -- He told me to take off my sandals because the ground on
which I was standing was holy ground.

REPORTER -- And this same voice told you to return to Egypt?

MOSES -- Yes.

REPORTER -- And this same voice told you to free the slaves?

MOSES -- Yes.

REPORTER -- How do you intend to proceed?

MOSES -- Well, first of all, I will approach the slaves in Egypt
and get their cooperation, then I'll approach the king and ask
him to let my people go.

REPORTER -- How will you get the cooperation of your people?
They haven't seen you for forty years. They don't know you from
Adam!

MOSES -- The God of the Hebrews gave me a demonstration to prove
that it's God himself who wants my people to cooperate with me.

REPORTER -- And what's this demonstration?

MOSES -- God has given me the power to turn my walking stick
into a snake.

REPORTER -- A living snake?!

MOSES -- A living snake. And then God gave me the power to turn
the snake back into a walking stick again.

REPORTER -- Alright, suppose you get the cooperation of your
people. What if Pharaoh says no, he won't let you ruin the
economy of Egypt by freeing his slaves?

MOSES -- I'll give him the same demonstration as I give my
people. I'll turn my walking stick into a snake.

REPORTER -- What if that doesn't impress him?

MOSES -- My God is not like other Gods. He's really powerful. He
created the Heavens and the Earth out of nothing. He caused my
ancestor Abraham to have a baby when his wife was well beyond
child-bearing years. It was Our God who saved the Egyptians from
starvation during the big famine four hundred years ago.
Millions around the world died, but the Egyptians thrived
because of our God. I'm sure that if I remind Pharaoh of God's
power, he'll let my people Go.

REPORTER -- But what if he doesn't?

MOSES -- The creator of the world will not take no for an
answer. He will probably escalate the demonstrations of his
power until Pharaoh lets my people go or until Egypt ceases to
exist.

REPORTER -- What will you do with your people after you freed
them from slavery?

MOSES -- Well, ultimately, God has promised our ancestor Abraham
that our people will inherit the land of Canaan. But before we
take our inheritance, I will lead my people back here to Mount
Horeb so we can thank and worship the God who saved us from
slavery. It's the least we can do.

Well, I have to pack and get ready for the trip, Thanks again to
all the citizens of Midian for your kind hospitality.

(turns, exits)

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