MARTIN LUTHER COMES TO HOPE LUTHERAN

A Skit for 8 persons
Time: 20:00 minutes

By Joan W. Peery

CAST OF CHARACTERS:	STAGE SETTING:
	
Luther	Backdrop (monastery interior)	
4 students	Table with tapestry cover	
Tetzel	5 chairs	
Emperor	(On table: books, candle, quill pen)	
Kate Luther	Optional: Luther Rose	
Townspeople dressed in costume for Tetzel parade, etc.	Optional: "Wittenberg" town sign	
Trumpeter		
Drummer		
Banner carrier		

Written for presentation at
REFORMATION FEST
October 29, 1995
Hope Lutheran Church
Fresno, California

SKIT PREPARATION for Reformation Sunday.

When meeting with Junior highs, ask them what questions they would like to ask Dr. Martin Luther if they had that opportunity.

Prior to asking the above question, you might want to give a brief history rundown of the Reformation, by asking questions like:

•	What do you know about the Reformation movement in the 16th Century?
•	What were the names of some of the reformers?
•	What do you know about Martin Luther?

I have discovered that students know or remember very little about this period of history, and often confuse Martin Luther with Dr. Martin Luther King.  Be prepared to offer an informal sketch of Luther, prodding them with questions as you do so, to help students feel that they are helping you "write" the skit.

After that introduction, let them think of questions they might ask Luther today.  Be sure to write ALL questions down (some of them you may not use, but all students' questions should be taken seriously).  If the well runs dry, you might prod them by asking, "what do you think the people of Martin Luther's day thought about him and his reforms?"  "How did you encourage others to read the Bible so they could understand its message in the way you did?"  Etc., etc.  The junior highs I worked with were very responsive, although they did not always know correct answers, we were able to talk it through.  Here are the questions they asked that I wrote into the skit:

1.	Aren’t you about the same vintage as that other dude, Christopher Columbus?
2.	Why did you become a monk?
3.	What did you discover in the Bible that was different from what the church was teaching?
4.	Didn't others read the Bible?  Why didn't the people know this?
5.	Why did you write the small catechism?
6.	What did YOU teach about the way to salvation?
7.	Why did the church need to be reformed?
8.	How did the Pope react (when you said he was not infallible)?
9.	They say you had to go on a diet.  What was that for?  Did you really have to eat WORMS?
10.	You were condemned as an outlaw to be hunted down.  How come you weren't burned at the stake like other martyrs?
11.	What did your contemporaries say about you?
12.	What did you say about yourself?
13.	Dr. Luther, did you really marry a nun?

MARTIN LUTHER COMES TO HOPE LUTHERAN

(At 9:55 a.m., TETZEL enters the courtyard along with entourage of trumpets, drums, banner carrier, and surrounded by several costumed townspeople.  As soon as Tetzel enters courtyard, TRUMPET fanfare announces his presence; drummer follows along, beating drum, stopping when Tetzel speaks.)

TETZEL	(walking around courtyard, calls out:)

	HURRY, HURRY!  Step right up…
	Come and hear about these special merits that can be yours!
	Indulgences for sale here, signed by the Pope himself!
	Save yourself and your loved ones from purgatory!

(May stop to negotiate a sale or two, but continues on to the entrance to Community Center by 10:00.)  Trumpet fanfare should be played as he enters Community Center.

As he mounts the stage, TETZEL addresses the crowd:

TETZEL:	Listen now!  God and St. Peter call you!  Consider the salvation of your souls and those of your loved ones departed.  You!  Noble!   You!  Merchant!  You!  Youth!  You!  Old man!  Listen to the voices of your dead relatives and friends, beseeching you and saying, "Pity us, pity us.  We are in dire torment from which you can redeem us for a mere pittance!"  Remember that you are able to save them, because 
		"as soon as the coin in the coffer rings
		 the soul from purgatory springs!"
	I have indulgences here for two years, five years, and for a price, for ETERNITY!

TOWNSPERSON:	Did you bring some relics with you?

TETZEL:	Ach, ja!  Here is a piece of the very cross on which our Savior died; for a small price you can touch it.  And if you buy an indulgence, I'll show you one of the actual coins given to that traitor Judas, who betrayed our Lord…

LUTHER:	(interrupting…strides angrily toward the stage carrying a Bible to confront Tetzel):
		Fraud!  You are cheating these poor people into thinking they can buy their way into the Kingdom of God!  Relics indeed!  I suppose you even have a piece of the burning bush that Moses saw!…or maybe even a feather from the angel, Gabriel!

	(TETZEL cowers and begins to back off stage, while LUTHER continues):

	Be gone, monk!  You are not welcome in Saxony!  (As TETZEL retreats into crowd off stage)…I tell you that "he who gives to the poor or tends to the needy does better than if he buys indulgences!"  Lieber Gott!  To think if you prayed before every ancient relic you could get time off from purgatory!  (Glaring at the retreating TETZEL):  I'll know a hole in his drum!  "If the Pope can free suffering souls from purgatory, why not, for the sake of love, empty out purgatory altogether?

(Luther addresses crowd):

	Let me introduce myself.  They call me BROTHER MARTIN.  I don't suppose any of you would remember my last name?

(STUDENTS shout out "LUTHER" and two voices call out "KING")

LUTHER: King?  No, no…that was one of your modern day heroes in America (his mother must have named him after me).  My roots go back 500 years ago, to Germany.  (Hold up Bible)  As a priest and student of the Bible, I became aware of how much the church had departed from God's Word.  What angered me most was this selling of indulgences, and using the money from these poor peasants pay for the building of St. Peter's in Rome.  In fact, it was exactly on October 31 in 1517 that I drew up a list of 95 theses, points for debate about the church, and nailed it on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.

(Addresses students near stage)

	But here are some students.  You read your Bible, Ja?

STUDENTS:	Ja!

LUTHER:	And your catechism?  Ja?  Tell me, how many parts does the Apostle's Creed have?

STUDENT:	Three!

LUTHER:	And what do these parts deal with?

STUDENT 1:	With the Father as creator,

STUDENT 2:	the Son as Redeemer

STUDENT 3:	and the Holy Spirit as Sanctifier.

LUTHER:	Very good!  You four, come up and join me at my table.  You probably have some questions to ask me!

(Students come up on stage; lead student (male) greets Dr. Luther with a high five, and says

STUDENT 4: Yo!  Martin!

LUTHER:	(to audience)  Hmmm…your 20th century students have an odd way of showing respect.

STUDENT 5: Dr. Luther, aren't you about the same vintage as that other dude, Christopher Columbus?

LUTHER:	Columbus?  I didn't know much about him or his adventures.  News didn't travel very fast in my day.  But much later I learned that he set sail for America when I was nine years old.  Back then, I was far more interested in man's relationship with God than with our relationships in the New World.

STUDENT 4: Is that wny you became a monk?

LUTHER: (chuckles to himself)
	Well, I was certainly interested in MY relationship to God.  You know, I started out to be a lawyer, because that's what my father wanted.  But one day when I was returning to the University from home, I got caught in terrible storm.  The lightning terrified me, and I made a vow to St. Anne, that if my life was spared, I would become a monk!  Well, here I am!  But it wasn't without much struggle!  I was as terrified of God and what I thought was his "righteous anger" as I was of the lightning storm!  Hard as I tried, I did not feel I could please a God so perfect!

STUDENT 6: What did you do?

LUTHER: 	Not what I did, but what God did for me as I studied the Scriptures!  One night I was reading Psalm 71, and the words leaped right out at me:	
		"IN THY RIGHTEOUSNESS, O LORD…DELIVER ME!"
	There it was!  The righteousness of God DELIVERS not DESTROYS!
	And then Isaiah 45 says:
"LET THE SKIES RAIN DOWN RIGHTEOUSNESS; LET THE EARTH OPEN, THAT SALVATION MAY SPROUT FORTH."
	Righteousness saves!

STUDENT 7:	What else did you discover in the Bible that was different from what the Church was teaching?

LUTHER:	It was the words of Romans 1:17:
		"THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL LIVE BY FAITH!"
	We can't earn God's forgiveness.  We simply have to ACCEPT it!  By our faith we receive that wonderful gift FREE!

	And from my beloved Galatians, chapter 5: (reads from Bible)
"Now it is evident that no main is justified before God by the LAW; for 'He who through FAITH is righteous shall live.'"
	These verses were the turning point in my life!  We are "justified" by our faith in 		Christ!

STUDENT 5: Didn't others read the Bible?  Why didn't the people know this?

LUTHER:	No one but priests had access to the Bible in my day.  And, if they did it was only written in Latin, which was a language the common people could not read or understand.  Perhaps my greatest contribution to the church was to translate the Bible from Latin into the German language so that all could read it.  Of course, not everyone could READ in those days, and I insisted that children, both boys AND girls, be educated and learn to read.

STUDENT 6: Why did you write the Small Catechism?

LUTHER:	To help fathers teach their children.  Parents had forgotten that they were supposed to teach their children what Christians believe.  I wanted to students to say, "What does this mean?" when they read their Bibles.  So I wrote the Small Catechism for fathers to use with their children.  And I wrote the LARGE CATECHISM as a "refresher course" for pastors to use in their teaching.  Too many pastors were spending their time going on pilgrimages and engaging in worldly pursuits.  They became very lazy in their preaching and teaching duties.

STUDENT 4: What did you teach about the say to salvation?

LUTHER:	(with confidence):  "Sola scriptura!  Sola gratia!  Sola fide!"  We are saved by Scripture alone, by grace alone, and by faith alone!

STUDENT 7: Why did the church need to be reformed?

LUTHER:	The church was corrupt, particularly in the practices of "simony", the selling of church positions, and "nepotism", giving jobs to family members.
		And the church was too wealthy.  Many bishops also held the title of Prince, and church owned 1/3 to 1/2 of all the land in the Empire.  I'm sorry to say that the church was growing more worldly.  There were constant demands for money to support papal wars or for building new churches in Rome.
		Also, priests had far too much power.  The priesthood was considered more worthy than the monarchy!  The church had set itself up as the custodian of GRACE which it administered through the seven sacraments.  Grace isn't bestowed by the church: it comes as a FREE GIFT from GOD.

STUDENT 5: What other reforms were needed for the church?

LUTHER: 	The sacraments!  The church practiced seven, but only TWO have a scriptural base: baptism and the eucharist, or Holy Communion.  And I insisted that the wine should not be reserved for priests but offered to the laity as well.

	And priests.  Let them marry if they choose!  Nothing in the Bible says they need to remain in an unmarried state.

	Also the teaching that the pope was infallible was wrong; the pope is not above, but under the Word of God.

STUDENT 6: How did the pope react?

LUTHER: 	He was furious!  He issued a Papal Bull (that's an order) of excommunication; called me "a wild boar that had invaded his vineyard!"  (chuckle)  He gave me 60 days to recant or suffer excommunication.

STUDENT 4: They say you had to go on a diet.  What was that for?  Did you really have to eat WORMS?

LUTHER: (Chuckling again)  Actually, I had to go TO a Diet.  That's what they called a "congress" or an official meeting with the Emperor, which was held in the German city of Worms.

STUDENT 7: What happened?

LUTHER: 	I remember it well…

STUDENT 2: (Student offstage, walks across stage quickl,y carrying sign that reads "FLASHBACK" as Luther walks to center stage in front of table.)

EMPEROR CHARLES V: (in loud, commanding voice):	
	Dr. Luther, we ask you two questions:
	Did you indeed write these books before us today?  And secondly, do you deny everything that you have written in these books?

LUTHER:	Your imperial Majesty and members of the Diet: When I was ordained I was commissioned to use the Scriptures as the norm and faith of life.  And I was called upon to give a faithful witness to the Grace of God in the world.  For some time now, the faithful witness to the grace of God has been buried under manmade traditions and laws.  When the Word of God and the traditions and teachings of men stand opposed to each other, we must always come down on the side of the Word of God.

	It appears to me that not only have the bishops and princes of the empire forgotten this, but also the Emperor and the Pope.  You have asked me to recant on the basis of an imperial command and the traditions of the papacy.  Until I am convinced by Scripture alone that I am wrong, I cannot and will not recant.  HERE I STAND!  God help me!  Amen.

(EMPEROR CHARLES shakes his head sadly and walks off stage; LUTHER returns to table)

STUDENT 5: You were condemned as an outlaw, to be hunted down.  How come you weren't burned at the stake like other martyrs?

LUTHER: Duke Frederick, the elector of Saxony, was my good friend and protector.  He arranged to have me kidnapped after the Diet of Worms, and gave me safe passage to the Wartburg Castle where I lived in hiding for a year.  My life was truly in danger.  I disguised myself as "Junker Georg" and let my hair grow long.  But I had to keep busy, so while I was there, I began to translate the New Testament into German.

	Eventually, I was able to return to Wittenberg to lead the Reformation movement.

STUDENT 6: What did your contemporaries say about you?

LUTHER:	(laughing)

	Well some said I was a "maniac", "vulgar", a "windbag"' I've been called "Dr. Easychair" by a few.

	But others said, "No, he is the Saxon Hus who had the courage to defy the church's tyranny, a dear man of God who brought the Gospel to light when it had been utterly lost."

STUDENT 4: What did you say about yourself?

LUTHER:	It troubled me when people talked about forming a "Luther-an" church.  I did not want to start a new church, but to reform the old!  I ask men to call themselves CHRISTIANS, not LUTHERANS.  And don't give me the credit for reforming the church.  "God reformed the church while I drank Wittenberg beer!"

STUDENT 7: Dr. Luther, did you really marry a nun?

(KATE walks quickly on stage during this question…)
	I'd like to answer that question!

LUTHER: 	(rising from chair to greet Kate…from this point on both Kate and Luther use the stand-up mike in front of stage)
	Ah, Kate, m'Lord, come join us.

KATE:		I see you brought students to our dinner table again.
	(addressing the audience):
	But to answer your question…let me tell you how that happened.

	I was sent to convent as a teenager because my parents couldn't afford to keep my at home.  When we heard about Dr. Luther's teachings about the "Priesthood of ALL believers", and "that the Son of God sets free those who have cloistered themselves under false vows," we wrote to him to ask him to help us escape the convent.

LUTHER:	Yes, I arranged for the herring merchant to make a night-time delivery to your convent on Easter Eve…

KATE:		…and 12 of us used the cover of darkness to hide among the stinking fish barrels in the covered wagon which brought us to Wittenberg.  Dr. Luther arranged to find husbands or positions for everyone except me.  Oh, he tried, but I finally enlisted the help of another man to offer a proposal to Dr. Luther.

LUTHER:	(to audience)  Gott in himmel, she was persistent!  I thought I best to stay unmarried.  After all, my life was in jeopardy, and there was so much work to do!  But my friends convinced me I needed a wife, so "the angels laughed and the devils wept" when we married.

KATE:		We took our vows before the magistrate in June, and two weeks later had a religious ceremony and a wedding dinner which even your parents attended!  We were married for 21 years and had six children.

LUTHER:	In addition to the 11 orphaned nieces and nephews that you raised…

KATE:		And we could always count on at least 12 students lodgers plus an endless stream of visitors!

LUTHER:	Ahh, Katie, my rib, you proved such a blessing to me, and you had your hands full trying to make this drab, cheerless monastery into a hospitable home.
	(Addressing audience):
	There was never much money, and Katie planted gardens, and even converted a space into a brewery which produced an excellent beer.  She raised livestock, especially pigs, because I love pork, and I often called her my "Lord Kate, Mistress of the Pigsty."  In spite of all that, she found time to read her Bible.  I promised 50 gulden if she completed the Bible in its entirety before Easter!

KATE: 	We've had our joys as well as our share of trials, especially when our 13 year old daughter, Magdelena, died.  Your health, Dr. Luther, was always my biggest concern.  These people would probably laugh at some of the home remedies I concocted for your headaches, digestive system and other ailments (aside to audience) to say nothing about his moodiness!

	But among the happiest moments in our life together was when you would pick up your lute after dinner and lead us all in song.

LUTHER:	Ah, yes…next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise!  There wasn't much singing in church in my day, so I wrote songs, sometimes stealing the music from drinking songs and writing in words from the Gospel through Music, too!  He is our mighty fortress, our ever-present help in trouble!  I wonder if anyone still sings that song I wrote so long ago?

KATE:		They didn’t' call you the "Nightingale of Wittenberg" for nothing, dear doctor!  One of your hymns, "God's Word is Our Great Heritage" reminds us that the reformation you started 500 years ago continues even today as the light of God's Word falls on each generation.  Let's leave these good people with this song in their hearts.

ALL CAST (including Tetzel & Emperor) STAND TOGETHER AND LEAD AUDIENCE IN SINGING:

	God's Word is our great heritage
	And shall be ours forever;
	To spread its light from age to age
	Shall be our chief endeavor.
	Through life it guides our way; In death it is our stay.
	Lord, grant while time shall last
	Your Church may hold it fast
	Throughout all generations.

(At conclusion of song, the cast may bow from the waist toward audience and file off stage).

Submitted by Sierra Pacific Synod, ELCA, Fresno, California