BACK LEAP 6'?m2f The term "leap of faith" is not in the Bible LIZ -- (enters, remains near exit, steps to front lip of stage, looks carefully over edge, waves to crowd below shouts) Hello down there. (stands tall, deep breath, smooths hair, straightens clothes, deep breath, to self) Well, here goes. (moves arms and legs preparing to jump) AMY -- (enters opposite running, crosses to Liz, stops short) Please don't do this! Think about what you're doing! LIZ -- (turns) Oh, hi! (loses balance temporarily) Wo! AMY -- (offers hand) Please, let's talk about this. Please, step away from the edge. LIZ -- What's to talk about? I already know pretty much what I'm going to do. There really isn't much to it. AMY -- But, you're so young. You have so much to live for. LIZ -- Live for. (laughs) Oh, you think I came up here to kill myself. (laugh) That's funny! (fans hand toward Amy, loses balance temporarily) Wo! AMY -- (offers hand) Please, step away from the edge. LIZ -- Well, if it will make you feel better. AMY -- It will make me feel better. (clasps hands, pulls) LIZ -- Listen, I hope you didn't call the cops or suicide prevention or anything. I never thought.... AMY -- ...Are you saying you're not up here on the roof to commit suicide? LIZ -- (laughs) No! But I probably should have told somebody down on the street what I was planning to do. They're going to think I've lost my marbles. AMY -- The thought did cross my mind. LIZ -- Well, I can assure you, I'm not suicidal. AMY -- You're not. LIZ -- (laughs) No! AMY -- You're sure. LIZ -- (laughs) Yes! Why would I kill myself? I just became a Christian. AMY -- Then, what are you doing on the roof of a ten-story building? LIZ -- I was about to take a leap of faith. AMY -- A what? LIZ -- A leap of faith. My pastor told me that the next step after becoming a Christian was to take a leap of faith. AMY -- So, you took him literally. LIZ -- Well, sure! AMY -- So, you were going to jump. LIZ -- Sure. AMY -- From the roof of a ten story building. LIZ -- Sure. Why not? It's as good a leap of faith as any other. AMY -- Tell me something. LIZ -- Sure. AMY -- What good will you be to God if you end up as a grease spot on the sidewalk? LIZ -- Oh, that won't happen. AMY -- How do you know? LIZ -- I prayed about it. I prayed about every aspect of it. I prayed that I would get good height on my take-off. I prayed that I would have good form in the air. I prayed that my somersaults would be nice and tight... AMY -- Somersaults? You're going to do somersaults?! LIZ -- Well, sure. I'm doing this for the Lord. I want this leap of faith to be pleasing to Him. And then, of course, I prayed that I would STICK the landing. AMY -- STICK the landing. LIZ -- Yes. AMY -- You mean splat. LIZ -- I can tell that you're not a Christian. AMY -- As a matter of fact, I AM a Christian. LIZ -- Well, I can tell that you don't have much faith. I'll bet YOU've never taken a leap of faith. AMY -- As a matter of fact, I haven't. LIZ -- I knew it. AMY -- Listen, the Lord created the universe with some unbreakable laws, like the law of gravity. What makes you think that the Lord will break his unbreakable laws just for you? LIZ -- I told you, I prayed about it. AMY -- And did someone with the gift of prophecy confirm that God has answered your prayer? LIZ -- Well, no. AMY -- I think I would want some assurance before I hurled myself off a ten story building. LIZ -- Well, if I had assurance, it wouldn't be a leap of faith, would it?! AMY -- Did you know that the Bible doesn't even mention a "LEAP OF FAITH". LIZ -- It doesn't? AMY -- Nowhere. LIZ -- But my pastor said.... AMY -- ...I don't know your pastor. But I suspect that if (points to front lip of stage) this is his idea of faith in God, his congregation is very small. LIZ -- As a matter of fact, I'm the only one. AMY -- And he's about to lose you. LIZ -- You don't know that. AMY -- I'm as sure as I can be. LIZ -- How can you be so sure? Just because the Bible doesn't mention a "LEAP OF FAITH"... AMY -- ...did you know that not even Jesus himself took a leap of faith? LIZ -- He didn't? AMY -- No. As a matter of fact, he spoke against it. LIZ -- He did? AMY -- Yes. Right after he was baptized, Jesus went out to the desert to be tempted. The devil took him up to the roof of the temple and told him to jump off, assuring him that the angels would catch him. LIZ -- Did he jump? AMY -- No. LIZ -- Oh. AMY -- Jesus quoted the Old Testament, which says that testing the Lord like that is prohibited. LIZ -- Prohibited?! You mean if I had jumped off here, I could have... (points to front lip of stage) AMY -- ...Splat. LIZ -- (swallows hard) Well, how come my pastor told me to take a leap of faith? AMY -- "LEAP OF FAITH" is sometimes used to refer to doing the Lord's work. LIZ -- That doesn't sound like it takes much faith. AMY -- I think you have a misunderstanding of what FAITH is. LIZ -- What do you mean? AMY -- FAITH is not just empty-headed acceptance. Jesus didn't ask you to believe in him merely because he said so. He asked you to trust him after he proved through his miracles and his predictions that he was trust-WORTHY. LIZ -- Oh, yeah. I guess he did. AMY -- If you do his work trusting that he will help you, you are exercising your faith exactly as Jesus intended. LIZ -- That's it? I just do his work? AMY -- Trusting in the Lord to do what he promised. Can you recall any promises he made about ten-story buildings? LIZ -- No. I guess not. So, a triple somersault with two and a half twists is pretty presumptuous, huh? AMY -- Even if you stick the landing. LIZ -- (exiting) You know, I could have hurt myself on that landing. AMY -- (follows) No kidding. ©2013 Bob Snook. Conditions for use: Do not sell any part of this script, even if you rewrite it. Pay no royalties, even if you make money from performances. You may reproduce and distribute this script freely, but all copies must contain this copyright statement. http://www.bobsnook.org email: [email protected] BACK |