Renewal
By John Cosper

THEME: September 11

CHARACTERS
	Christian- Male or female
	Survivor- A female
	Terrorist- A male

(This should be done reader's theater style, with three actors on stage reading.)

CHRISTIAN- It seems so far away. Far enough that if I wanted to, I could convince 
myself it isn't real. Just another Hollywood camera trick, another building blown up like any summer action movie. I've never seen the New York skyline. If I were to go there today, I wouldn't know that anything significant is missing. Yet so many people are--
CHRISTIAN/SURVIVOR- missing more than a few buildings. 
SURVIVOR- For the last year, I've missed someone very dear to me. The love of my life. 
I'll never forget that last frantic phone call we shared. The voice trembling on the other end. "Sweetie, something terrible has happened. If I don't make it out alive, I love you. I always will." I've never been a religious person, but in that moment-- 
SURVIVOR/TERRORIST- I prayed. 
TERRORIST- I prayed and thanked God for what he had wrought. At last, God's 
judgment fell on the sinful nation that had persecuted so many of his people. For too long, they went on in their debauchery and their prejudice. Until that day I and my brothers were the faceless enemy, distinct only by my complexion. That day, I became--
TERRORIST/CHRISTIAN- The hand of God. 
CHRISTIAN- In spite of the overwhelming death toll, miracle after miracle was pulled 
from the rubble. I could see God working through this gruesome tragedy. Churches were filled that next Sunday and the next, as people prayed for miracles. They became fewer and fewer. 
CHRISTIAN/SURVIVOR- As time went on...
SURVIVOR- I had to face the inevitable. My love, my partner, my friend, was gone. And 
the only thing left to hope for was that death's cold hand had come swiftly, and without suffering. I had no body to mourn, no graveside to visit. The emptiness lingered--
CHRISTIAN/SURVIVOR- As time went on...
CHRISTIAN- The dust settled. The rubble was cleared away. Again, sitting and watching 
from the comfort of my own living room, it was still nothing more than a TV show. Could it be possible that this really happened? Here? Even the crowds in churches died away. It was almost as if--
CHRISTIAN/TERRORIST- Nothing has changed. 
TERRORIST- The arrogance of the American mind remains, some how believing more 
strongly in their country and their sinful way of life. And while that September morning was a powerful statement--
SURVIVOR/TERRORIST- Much work remains...
SURVIVOR- The cards and letters from well wishers have slowed, but the loss lingers in 
my heart. I'm amazed how many people go through a day without even thinking about what happened last fall. It will always haunt me. I can't grieve, forever, I think, but the pain is not appeased. Which begs the question:
CHRISTIAN/SURVIVOR/TERRORIST- Where do we go from here? 
TERRORIST- This was only the beginning. There will be more attacks, more violence. 
God is angry, and his wrath has just begun to pour from heaven. 
CHRISTIAN- It's terrifying to dwell on it, and yet I manage not. It's still just a dream, an 
illusion on TV. 
SURVIVOR- Perhaps to you. But I have an empty place in my home that will never be 
filled again. You can hide all you like from the reality of it, but the world has changed forever. 
TERRORIST- And the change begun must continue. We cannot go back to the way it 
was before. 
SURVIVOR- Perhaps there is truth in that statement. But what kind of change should we 
seek? Not everything that followed September 11 can be considered positive change. People living in fear. Americans turning on other Americans in hatred because of their race. 
CHRISTIAN- No, this is not how it should be. The good will, the helping hands we saw 
on TV, that is what we need. It's love.
SURVIVOR/TERRORIST- Love?
CHRISTIAN- Yes, love. As Jesus commanded us, we should love our enemies. Love and 
pray for them, in the hopes that God might change their hearts. That they might see that God is not a God of violence and war, but grace and mercy. And we must continue to love our neighbors. Our fellow Americans, no matter what their race or color. 
SURVIVOR- Or lifestyle? I hear your profession of love, Christian, but noble as it 
sounds, it's not the words I am used to hearing from you. You see, my lover and I were not living what you would consider to be a holy union. And until the day we were parted, we were faced with the same sort of hate speech we now hear from the terrorists. I never knew about a merciful God. All I heard was judgment, condemnation, and the promise of Hell for my transgressions. 
TERRORIST- Such sinful actions as yours are at the very heart of God's judgment on 
America! It is you who have violated his law. You who defy him to his face with your wretchedness. That is why God has condemned America. 
CHRISTIAN- No! No, it is not America that is under judgment. God's judgment is on the 
whole world. We are condemned by the sins of all people, all races, all creeds. 
SURVIVOR- Even you, Christian?
CHRISTIAN- Especially me. My sin is just as black as yours. More so, because in my sin 
I failed to love my brothers and sisters. 
TERRORIST- And who are your brothers and sisters? 
CHRISTIAN- You are my brother. And you are my sister. My family is not limited to the 
people I share a pew with on Sundays. Forgive me for never seeing it before now. Dear God, lay we repent of our indifference and apathy, and as we do, may our repentance be as real as the tragedy of September 11th, and as far reaching in how it changes the world. 

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Copyright 2002 by Righteous Insanity, all rights reserved. This script may be performed free of charge, provided no entrance fee is charged. In return, the author asks that you tell him of any performance. He may be contacted at www.righteousinsanity.com