Liturgical Drama, Revised Songbird Version

Even the wind and the sea

Martha Spong

(Mark 4:35-41 — Participatory reading, based on NRSV)

Voice 1: On that day, when evening had come, Jesus said to them,
Voice 2: “Let us go across to the other side.”
Voice 3: And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat,
All voices: just as he was.

Voice 4: Other boats were with them.
Voice 1: A great windstorm arose!
Congregation: Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Voice 3: And the waves beat into the boat!
Voices 1, 3 and 4: We’re swamped! We’re swamped!
Congregation: We’ll drown! We’ll drown!

Voice 2: But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion.
Voice 1: They woke him up and said to him, “Teacher!”
Voice 3: Teacher!
Voice 4: Teacher!

Benedictine Sisters of Turvey Abbey

Congregation: “Do you not care that we are perishing?”
Voice 2: He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!”

Voice 4: Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm.
Voice 2: He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?”
Voice 1: And they were filled with great awe.
Voice 3: They said to one another, “Who is this?”
Congregation: WHO IS THIS?!?!!
Voice 4: “Even the wind and the sea obey him.”
All 4 voices: Even the wind and the sea.

Published by Martha Spong

Martha Spong is a United Church of Christ pastor, a clergy coach, editor of The Words of Her Mouth: Psalms for the Struggle, and coauthor of Denial is My Spiritual Practice (and Other Failures of Faith) with Rachel Hackenberg.

13 thoughts on “Even the wind and the sea”

  4. Martha – I am writing a high school curriculum based on Mark 4:35-41. I would like to include this as a dramatic reading. I’m not sure about the protocols about securing permission for this work to be included in another publication, so I may need some help with this. You can contact me at anglibyerian@me.com

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  5. Martha,
    Please clarify how this material can be as a intergenerational children’s sermon? We are a congregations with about 70-80 folks at a Sunday service. Your material is wonderful!

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    1. Hi, Bev~
      I didn’t use it as a children’s sermon but as the scripture reading for the day. We used sound effects for thunder and waves (a thunder sheet and a sloshy bucket of water with a microphone held over it – somewhat less effective, admittedly, than the thunder sheet).

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  6. Pingback: WHO IS THIS?!?!! – a participatory reading of Mark 4:35-41 – Reflectionary

  7. Pastor Martha, I would love to be able to use this in this upcoming Sunday’s service. Would you give me permission to do so know ing I would give you credit for your work.
    Peace and Blessings,
    Pastor Trent Zeitler
    Hainesville Lutheran Church
    Sturgeon Bay, WI

    Liked by 1 person

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