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SIN      5'?m2f Discipleship, ministry: sins of omission

AMY -- (enters wearing quiver and full archery equipment, 
crossing to C) It's right over here.

LIZ -- (follows) What's right over here? I thought you were 
going to talk to me about my ministry.

AMY -- I am going to talk to you about your ministry. 

LIZ -- Then, what's with all the bows and arrows?

AMY -- (aiming at wall above audience rear) You'll see in a 
minute. (shoots an imaginary arrow)

LIZ -- Hey, nice shot! Right in the middle of the target.

AMY -- That's called a bull's eye.

LIZ -- I knew that.

AMY -- (aims) Then, you probably know what this is. (shoots)

LIZ -- That's known as a really bad shot. You didn't get any 
points at all.

AMY -- In archery, that's known as a SIN.

LIZ -- No kidding?

AMY -- No kidding. In high levels of competition, a single sin 
will put you right out of the competition. The same is true for 
ministry.

LIZ -- I think I see where you're going with this. And you can 
save your breath. I'm a born again believer.

AMY -- (aims) Did you know that even believers can miss the 
mark? (shoots)

LIZ -- Well, I suppose so. (points) Hey, you shot a little low 
there.

AMY -- What kind of a sin is that?

LIZ -- You mean missing low?

AMY -- I mean AIMING low.

LIZ -- Oh, I see what you're doing. Let's see... aiming too 
low... That would be like resisting God.... Backsliding, 
maybe... Hey, I hope you didn't bring me out here to accuse me 
of backsliding.

AMY -- (aims) No, I just wanted to see why the Bible uses an 
archery term to talk about going against God's will. (shoots)

LIZ -- Let's see. That one is off to the left. That means 
you're.... a leftist pinko communist.

AMY -- (laughs) Try again.

LIZ -- Liberalism?

AMY -- Getting warmer.

LIZ -- Not taking God's word literally.

AMY -- Bull's eye! What trouble can you get into on the left?

LIZ -- Well, I guess, you tend to write off a lot of the Bible 
stories as legends, and the promises as symbolism. You say, "he 
didn't really mean that." Then, after while you say, "why open 
the Bible at all? You can't believe a word of it." Christianity 
becomes a concept instead of a relationship.

AMY -- (aims) Good, how about this sin. (shoots)

LIZ -- Well, if the left is liberalism, then missing the mark on 
the right is probably.... legalism.

AMY -- Bull's eye again! What trouble can you get into on the 
right?

LIZ -- Well, I guess you can get so tied up with following each 
and every knit-picky rule, like the Pharisees, that Christianity 
becomes all about following rules, rather than who I am in 
Christ.

AMY -- Do you see any common thread in all of these sins?

LIZ -- Yeah, I guess they all put the emphasis on me and what I 
do rather than on God and what he has done.

AMY -- (aims) Good. What about this sin? (shoots)

LIZ -- (pause) You've got me. Your sin was above the target. But 
I have no idea what that means to me.

AMY -- It's often difficult to see the forest with those pesky 
trees in the way.

LIZ -- You mean, you think I'm guilty of aiming too high? In MY 
ministry?

AMY -- (aims at ceiling over audience) Let me make it a little 
more obvious. (shoots)

LIZ -- (looking up, following arrow's trajectory) I still 
don't... Say, you're never going to find that one. That's way 
off into the weeds.

AMY -- It's worth it, if it will make the point.

LIZ -- What point?

AMY -- When you aim too high, whose area are you shooting into?

LIZ -- (looks up, sigh, drops head) Oh, I'm so ashamed.

AMY -- Then, you see the sin?

LIZ -- I have been doing God's work without God. I have been 
charging head-long at my ministry so hard and so fast that I 
haven't let God help me. 

AMY -- Bull's eye again!

LIZ -- Do you think anybody else knows?

AMY -- I know one other person who knows. (points up)

LIZ -- No, I mean, you know, the others. (points to exit)

AMY -- Well, if you won't stop long enough to let God help you, 
it's a good bet that others around you feel left out and 
offended too.

LIZ -- (sigh) Oh, man! What have I done?! I haven't had a quiet 
time in three weeks! I kept thinking, as soon as everything 
starts to run smoothly, then I'll get back to my quiet time. Oh, 
man! What have I done?!

AMY -- You're still doing it.

LIZ -- Doing what?

AMY -- (points up) You're still shooting high.

LIZ -- (sigh) Oh, you're right! This is just like all the other 
sins. The result of missing the mark is always about me, what 
I'm doing wrong, what I'm doing right, not about God at all. 
(exiting quickly) I'll see you.

AMY -- (laughs, follows) Where are you going?

LIZ -- (turns at exit) I'm going to sit down with my Bible right 
now and get right with the Lord. (turns, turns back) Oh, thanks 
for the archery lesson. (exits)

AMY -- (follows) You're welcome.

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