ABUNDANT HARVEST & THE MOTHER

FADE IN:

SCENE 1

Scene opens with a celebration of harvest, as a crowd of dancing subjects enter stage (downstage) in high spirits, led by their master, BOAZ. He just reaped a plentiful harvest as evident in the baskets of diverse fruits, vegetables, herbs, and all manner of crops...all carried by his subjects as they dance to stage alongside him. On getting to stage, they spend a little more time dancing energetically (praising God for the plentiful harvest). It’s a praise session. It soon ends and BOAZ addresses his subjects (and the audience). He has a large cardboard hung on him with his name boldly and visibly written on it: BOAZ.

BOAZ

Without much ado, I quickly want to celebrate you, great people of God most high. Again, God has blessed the land with plentiful harvest...a more plentiful harvest than we’ve reaped in the past 10 years. The God of harvest keeps adding harvest upon harvest to us each year, as we reap our annual harvest. He is a good God!

The people chant a shout of praise in concurrence to his words.

BOAZ

However, one thing bothers me. For the past years, I’ve been expecting to also reap a harvest of a bride, just as our God had promised me in the presence of you all.

THE PEOPLE

Hmmmmm.

BOAZ

You all have partners with whom to enjoy this harvest. But all year long, I am like Adam in the garden of Eden before God sent Eve his way. I fear that I might become like the blind man at the pool who couldn’t get into the water whenever the angel of the Lord came yearly to stir the waters. For I only have this period of harvest to find my bride...otherwise, must wait till the next harvest.

SUBJECT

My master, God is not unfaithful that He would break his promise...especially to a righteous man like you; for it is written, “the path of the just shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day.” Expect the Lord, my master. Expect the Lord.

BOAZ

Our celebration of harvest lasts seven days. Today is the fifth day and we have two more days to go. Do you mean that I should expect the Lord within these two days? Or perhaps look forward to next year’s harvest celebration since this year’s celebration is almost over?

SUBJECT

No, my master. While I cannot tell you when to expect the Lord, it is, however, not true that this year’s harvest celebration is over. A lot can happen in two days. Abraham had Isaac at 100 years of age. Joseph became the second in command in a strange land where he once served as a slave and prisoner. Nothing is impossible with God. The just shall live by faith, my master. Expect the Lord.

BOAZ

Hmmm. As always, you have tamed my troubled soul with your cheery words. It will be foolish of me to nag on any longer. Just as you have said, I will expect the Lord...whether in these two days, or next year’s harvest, or the next. I will expect the Lord. Meanwhile, let the celebration continue! We have a lot to be thankful for.

The subjects resume songs of praise and intense dancing, as they exit the stage with their baskets of bountiful harvest.

FADE OUT.

SCENE 2

It’s a gloomy scene, as two women (an older and a younger one) enter stage in absolute confusion. They seem to have lost their memories. They don’t know who they are. They are puzzled about their present condition and environment. They are trying to figure things out...to no avail. Just like Boaz, they have massive cardboards hung around their necks, their names boldly and visibly written on them: NAOMI and RUTH.

NAOMI

(To Ruth, in confusion)

Who are you?

RUTH

(Equally confused)

I was about to ask you the same question. I don’t even know who I am. Who are you please? Do you know who I am?

NAOMI

No, I don’t. I don’t know who I am either. I don’t know where I am. I can’t remember anything about myself.

RUTH

Me too. What’s happening to us?

As they take a survey of the stage area in an effort to search out possible answers, another woman enters stage (upstage), anxious and troubled. She has a cardboard with the name, EVE. She has the answers that Naomi and Ruth seek, and she tells them. The only problem is that they can neither hear her nor see her. She is a spirit, and has come to guide the lost women. But she can’t do that because she is unseen and unheard by them. However, she tries.

EVE

(With an anxious and desperate tone)

My beloved daughters, your names are Naomi and Ruth. You are in-laws. You both lost your husbands in the land of MOAB. The both of you were on your way to Jerusalem to fulfil the scriptures when you were overtaken by dark forces that don’t want the scriptures fulfilled. You have been overwhelmed by darkness to a point where you have lost focus, lost consciousness of who you are, and are close to becoming pitiable wanderers in the earth. But I won’t let that happen!

Neither hearing nor seeing her, Naomi and Ruth roam the stage aimlessly like wanderers indeed. This breaks Eve’s heart and causes her to intensify her effort to reach out to them.

EVE

Listen to me, my daughters, when I was in the garden of Eden, the serpent visited and deceived me. I dragged my husband into it and we lost the garden. On that day, God swore that He would bring forth a seed through me who will crush the head of the serpent. He said: “the seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent.” Ever since that time, the serpent has been looking out for that seed so that he would destroy him before the seed had the chance to crush him.

At this point, Naomi and Ruth have so wandered away from each other...almost losing sight of each other. Eve screams out loud.

EVE

My daughters, no! You have to stay together and try to hear me. In the name of God, please, stay together!

As though prompted in the spirit, they wander again towards each other and seem to enter into a dialogue (inaudibly). Eve continues her story.

EVE

When I gave birth to Cain, the serpent thought that Cain was the seed. So he possessed him and made a mess of him. Just when he thought he had averted the words of God, I took in again and gave birth to Abel. Fearing that Abel might be the seed, he instigated Cain to kill Abel. But at the word of the Lord, procreation continued...such that the serpent could not murder or corrupt every single human that was born into the world. So he started studying and looking out for the particular one that was likely to be the seed of the woman. He traced human race down to Abraham when he heard God say to Abraham: “in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” Immediately, his attention fell on Sarah, and he watched for her to take in and bring forth a child so that he would destroy the child. But God shut Sarah’s womb to frustrate the serpent’s agenda. Sarah didn’t understand. She thought that God had forgotten her and left her to suffer reproach. Oh, Sarah! Sarah. Poor Sarah!!!

Eve breaks into sobbing upstage while Naomi and Ruth still wander downstage. Just then, another woman enters stage, obviously puzzled. She looks confusingly at the wandering Naomi and Ruth downstage, then proceeds upstage to the sobbing Eve. She has a cardboard with the name, SARAH. She startles Eve with her sudden inquiry.

SARAH

Mother Eve!

EVE

(Startles as she looks up)

My God! Sarah! You’re here!

SARAH

Yes mother. From the bosom of my dear husband, Abraham, I heard you lamenting and sobbing and seeming to be talking to people who weren’t talking back. But then, I heard you scream my name with a troubled voice, and I decided to come and check on you. What is happening?

EVE

My dear Sarah, if you heard me, then you already know what’s happening. 

(Points to Naomi and Ruth)

Look at our daughters. They are about to lose out on the promise of God that started with me and my husband and extended to you and your husband.

(Points to Ruth)

The seed of the woman who is supposed to crush the head of the serpent is supposed to come from her. But for that to happen, she must be found by the man through whose linage that seed is to come. The man in question has been ready and searching for her for years. But she had been in her land, worshiping idols.

(Pointing to Naomi)

By divine direction, this one was led to locate and connect her to the man. But just when that was about to happen, the serpent sensed it and intercepted them by overwhelming them with darkness and distress and confusion. Now they are close to becoming wanderers. We have to help them. I have been trying to reach them. But they can neither hear nor see me. Sarah, we have to help them! We have to!

SARAH

Mother Eve, how do we help them when they can neither see nor hear us?

EVE

I don’t know. Think of something. Sarah, think!

SARAH

But mother Eve, what other “seed of the woman” are you talking about? God promised that the child would come from my womb, and I bore him. Don’t you know? The seed of the woman was Isaac, my son.

EVE

(Intercepts a little too energetically)

Isaac??? Did you say Isaac??? No!!! Isaac was the promised child through which the seed would come. The seed is Christ! Jesus Christ! And He is to come from the family line of David. And David is to come to from the family line of Boaz, who is to marry Ruth and make that happen. We have to bring Ruth and Boaz together!

Another woman runs frantically to stage, takes a puzzled look at the wandering Ruth and Naomi downstage, then proceeds upstage to join Eve and Sarah. A cardboard hung on her neck reveals her identity. She is REBEKAH (Isaac’s wife).

REBEKAH

I great you, my mothers. Mother Eve, I heard you scream my name, and I ran here as soon as I could. I have been listening to your conversation.

(Points to Naomi and Ruth)

As it stands, these two are irredeemably lost except we stand in the gap and intercede for them. When I couldn’t take in after getting married, my husband, Isaac went to the mountain and called upon the name of the Lord in prayer on my behalf...and I took in. As you know, I didn’t just bring forth a child. I gave birth to two nations. Let’s rise and do the same for these ones, and I assure you, they will find their way back into the will of the Father, and it shall be unto them according to the very words of God. Come on. Let’s hold hands and pray!

The women hold hands and begin praying earnestly...in tongues. As their prayer in tongues intensifies, Ruth and Naomi seem to be recovering themselves. Their memories seem to be coming back to them. Soon enough, the prayer upstage becomes inaudible, giving room for the audibility of Ruth and Naomi’s conversation.

NAOMI

I think I’m beginning to remember certain things now.

RUTH

Me too.

NAOMI

Your name is Ruth.

RUTH

Yes! And your name is Naomi. You are my mother-in-law.

NAOMI

Indeed I am! We were on our way to my people when it happened...when the dark clouds formed over us and knocked us out of self-consciousness. I remember that we lost everything and became impoverished. That was why we set out on this journey to join my people after I heard that the Lord had visited them and blessed them with abundant harvest.

RUTH

Exactly Mom! But how has our memories suddenly come back to us?

NAOMI

I don’t know. It must be the God of my people. Now, let’s hurry home before it happens again.

As they make to exit stage, the sound of celebration reaches them. They halt, cast random glances in a bid to figure out where it’s coming from. The jubilation closes in on them until Boaz and his dancing subjects  enter stage. On sighting them, Boaz obviously realizes that his promised bride has finally surfaced. So he intensifies his dancing. Ruth and Naomi just look on in amazement while Eve, Sarah, and Rebekah keep cabashing inaudibly. Soon enough, Boaz motions for the celebration to cease. He strides towards Ruth and takes her hand.

BOAZ

(Hyper-excitingly)

This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall no longer be called be called Ruth. Henceforth, she shall be called Mrs. Boaz, and she shall share in all of my harvest, even as I now finally receive her from the Lord as my promised harvest. Indeed, the Lord is true and faithful to His words.

(Motioning Naomi)

Come, my dear relative, let us go back home and round up this year’s celebration in a grand style...like never before, for the Lord has dealt with me graciously. Come!

Hesitantly, but without resistance, Ruth follows Boaz’s lead. But being spurred on by Naomi, she freely gives into his lead. The jubilation resumes, and they all dance off stage, leaving the praying mothers. At that moment, they round up their prayers.

EVE

My dear daughters, it was a good thing that you heard a mother’s cry and decided to check up on me. Now, it is certain that the family line will continue until the seed of the woman is born. I am really interested in His birth because it is He who will undo the error I committed in the garden of Eden which brought about the darkness in the world. Thank you my dear Rebekah for having taken to heart the action your husband took on your behalf when you couldn’t take in. May God bless him for having been an exemplary head over you. Let us now go back to Abraham’s bosom and have a feast just like our daughter, Ruth will be having with her better half.

The women exit stage most joyfully, expressing heavenly loving gestures towards each other until............

THE END.