002. An Angel Rescues Peter from Prison and Death

An Angel Rescues Peter from Prison and Death
About 5 minutes, from Acts 12:1-19.

Participants (No need to memorize lines; the aim is to relive sacred events, not to perform)
Â Â Sarah
Â Â John
Â Â Angel
Â Â Rhoda
Â Â PrompterÂ Â Â Â Shout a brief line and Echoes repeat it.
Â Â EchoesÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Children and all adults who want to take part. Echoes need no script.

Sarah	John! Listen! I’ve come from the temple with terrible news. King Herod has had your brother James slain; they ran him through with a sword.
John	Oh, no! Sarah! How could they? My brother James! Oh! Why did they murder him?
Sarah	Herod did it to please the Jewish leaders that oppose us believers.
Prompter & Echoes	Wicked king!
Sarah	That is not all, John. Herod arrested Peter; he is in jail. Herod will let a mob do the same to Peter as they did to James.
John	Oh, no! Rhoda, run and tell the disciples to gather and pray.
Prompter & Echoes	Quickly!
Rhoda	I hurry and bring the disciples. We pray fervently for Peter’s release from jail.
Prompter & Echoes	Free him, Lord!
Rhoda	Sarah, now you’ve been to the temple again. Did you hear anything new?
Sarah	Yes, and it is very, very bad; tonight Herod will bring Peter to trial. It will be a farce.
Prompter & Echoes	A mock trial!
Peter	I am Peter. They have chained me between two soldiers, and guards are watching the door; Herod is taking no chances of my escape. The night is long, and I am weary.
Prompter & Echoes	He falls asleep!
Peter	Hey! Who hit me on the side? A light is blinding me! It must be an angel!
Angel	Get up quickly, Peter.
Peter	What is happening? The chains fall off my hands!
Angel	Quick! Get dressed. Put on your sandals. Now follow me.
Peter	Is it a dream? We pass by the guards; they are blind to our passing. Oh! This heavy iron gate is opening all by itself! We are in the street now, and the angel leaves me. I come to my senses; I’m not dreaming! I really am out of jail!
Prompter & Echoes	Free!
Peter	I hurry to Mark’s mother’s house where the disciples are gathered. I hear them praying for me. I knock at the high gate but no one comes. Hey! It is I! Peter!
Prompter & Echoes	Let me in!
Rhoda	My brothers, someone is pounding on the gate.
Sarah	It may be Herod’s soldiers, Rhoda. What shall we do?
Rhoda	Keep praying, Sarah. Listen. They keep knocking. Someone had better go, or whoever it is might break the gate down. I will go.
Prompter & Echoes	Let me in!
Rhoda	It is Peter! I’m so surprised by joy that I forget to open the gate; I run back in to announce that Peter is standing out in front!
Sarah	You are out of your mind, girl!
Rhoda	No, no, Sarah! It’s true. It is Peter.
Sarah	It’s his spirit. A ghost! They have killed him.
Rhoda	No. It’s Peter. Listen. He is still pounding!
Peter	Well, they finally let me in, and they rejoice.
Prompter & Echoes	God heard our prayers!
Rhoda	Sarah, you went to the temple again this morning. What is happening now?
Sarah	There is a huge stir among the soldiers due to Peter’s escape. Herod had his soldiers execute Peter’s guards. Now they are searching for Peter everywhere.
Prompter & Echoes	Guard him, Lord!
Peter	By God’s grace, several days pass and they have not found me. Sarah brings the latest news from the temple.
Sarah	Herod was wearing his royal robes to address the people and they kept crying out, â€œThe voice of a god and not of a man!â€
Prompter & Echoes	Voice of a god!
Sarah	An angel of the Lord struck Herod because he did not give God the glory. It was gruesome! Worms grew in him, and he died a ghastly death.
Rhoda	We believers keep multiplying, in spite of every effort by the authorities to stop us.
Prompter & Echoes	We still multiply today!