Marjorie Dobson
Reflection: Samaritan believers
Reflection: Samaritan believers
by Marjorie Dobson
Reflection: Samaritan believers …? It must have been a shock, hearing that Samaritans had accepted the word of God. They were the ancient enemies. Their territory was treated as a foreign land. The dispute between their two factions had been bitter and long-standing. There was do…
Poem: Mirrored
Poem: Mirrored
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: Mirrored In the mirror, reflected, see that face you know, or think you know. Study carefully. Mark each line, laughter or wrinkle-grown. Note the colour of eyes, lips and hair. Take into account that the image you see is not the one that others know. You see a reflection o…
Drama/dialogue: Eastern strangers
Drama/dialogue: Eastern strangers
by Marjorie Dobson
Drama/dialogue: Eastern strangers (A piece for two voices. The first one reads straight to the audience, as if ignoring the interruptions. The second interacts with the audience, letting them in on the comments and questions. Only in the last three lines do the two speakers relat…
Reflection/Drama: Psalm 72 for today
Reflection/Drama: Psalm 72 for today
by Marjorie Dobson
Reflection/drama: Psalm 72 for today (can be read by several voices, but will work best with at least two) ‘He will judge in righteousness. He will defend the afflicted. He will save the children of the needy. He will crush the oppressor. He will be like showers watering the eart…
Prayer: Waiting in the dark
Prayer: Waiting in the dark
by Marjorie Dobson
Prayer: Waiting in the dark Waiting in the dark for a dreaded dawn, when news may be of death and destruction; how we long to defer the light. Waiting in the dark for an anxious day when difficult decisions must be made that may change life forever; how we long to discern the lig…
Reflection: One lost boy
Reflection: One lost boy
by Marjorie Dobson
Reflection: One lost boy It’s not that unusual for a twelve-year-old boy to stray away from his parents for a while. That’s just about the age when it’s most likely to happen. Twelve is one of those difficult stages in life when childhood is considered to be past, but teenage is …
Year ending
Year ending
by Marjorie Dobson
Prayer: Year ending As the year draws to a close and we take stock of what has happened and imagine what the future may hold, let us pray for our church and our relationships and our work, as we prepare to renew our commitment to God in the year that lies ahead. God of our past a…
Monologue: Hannah’s neighbour
Monologue: Hannah’s neighbour
by Marjorie Dobson
Monologue: Hannah’s neighbour (We often look at Bible stories through the eyes of the people involved, but what did Hannah’s neighbour think about the things that were happening?) I see the neighbours have gone off to Shiloh to make their sacrifice again. Every year, they go! Nev…
Poem: A birth
Poem: A birth
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: A birth Lonely, frightened and bewildered they wandered, with no place to stay and a crisis coming on them imminently. Doors and windows spilled light and noise, but there was no space to welcome their weariness; no warmth to wrap around their cold discomfort. Turned away a…
Poem: Expectation
Poem: Expectation
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: Expectation That first faint fluttering of movement seems so insignificant that it can be dismissed as imagination. As the days pass and the growing continues and the stirring becomes stronger, then the realisation dawns that new life is beginning to make its presence felt.…
Monologue/Drama:No more sacrifices!
Monologue/Drama:No more sacrifices!
by Marjorie Dobson
Monologue/Drama:No more sacrifices! No more sacrifices! No more burnt offerings! What’s he trying to do? Put me out of business? Who does he think he is? This is my way of life. I’ve been selling pure young lambs and birds for years now. Reasonable prices – although I’ll get a bi…
Poem/Reflection: Strange choices
Poem/Reflection: Strange choices
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem/Reflection: Strange choices Strange people God chooses sometimes. Not usually famous people; very rarely, rich people; not necessarily beautiful; not always religious; sometimes uneducated; often those that others disregard; usually very down-to earth characters. Was that wh…
Drama: Useless
Drama: Useless
by Marjorie Dobson
Drama: Useless A piece for three voices. The first is a woman, the others preferably men, but not necessarily. Each person reads one line of each paragraph. Follow this with the reading from Micah 5: 2-5a I am a nobody and I come from nowhere. I’m just an ordinary working class p…
Poem: Asking questions
Poem: Asking questions
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: Asking questions When the crowd of followers asked John, ‘what should we do?’ they knew the answer before he gave it. ‘Caring means sharing, not keeping everything as personal property. Give some of it away.’ When the tax collectors asked John, ‘what should we do?’ they als…
Poem: Why pray?
Poem: Why pray?
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: Why pray? When life lets you down and people prove unreliable and everyday anxieties dominate and tensions are high – don’t worry yourself into depression. Pray. When money becomes a problem, the lack of it or the love of it, and work is arduous or unavailable, and the bill…
Poem: Singing
Poem: Singing
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: Singing I love singing, but I’m not sure that others appreciate my efforts. On my own I am hesitant, my voice falters and is unreliable. Ask me to sing you a tune and it comes out in a whisper. But put me in a crowd, set me in a congregation, group me with others in worship…
Reflection: Gathering
Reflection: Gathering
by Marjorie Dobson
Reflection: Gathering Jigsaw puzzles have an endless fascination about them. First, opening the sealed box and scattering the pieces from the inner packet, so that they flow out in all directions. Some are upside down, some tantalisingly facing upwards with scraps of what will be…
Monologue/Reflection: A year to remember