The Great Adventure
(A drama about Advent)

Director's Notes: Quick test! Do you know what Advent means? If you do, good job. My guess is that most folks (even in the church) have no idea... just like this dad...

Cast:
Dad: Dad
Lucas: Kid

Props:
Dress in winter clothes
saws
string

Setting:
In some woods

(Dad enters wearing heavy clothes singing (It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year). He is carrying a hacksaw and twine.)

Dad: (yelling) C’mon boy. This is it! The perfect tree is right here.

Lucas: (enters shivering) Dad, you’ve said that, like, 10 times already.

Dad:  Oh no, I was just joking before. Nope, this is it. The perfect tree awaits us in this wintery grove.

Lucas:  Whatever. Dad?

Dad:  Yes?

Lucas:  Aren’t you freezing? I’m freezing.

Dad:  Naw. I’m good. I grew up in Chicago after all. When I was a kid, the snow was up to here on me. I walked to school every day in the snow…

Lucas: …uphill both ways. Yeah. I know.

Dad: And I was thankful for it too…

Lucas:  Whatever. Dad, I saw some guys back there with big saws. Shouldn’t we have bigger saws than these?

Dad: Bigger saws? Ha! Your grandpa and I used to go out with scissors when I was a kid. Nope.  These saws are perfect.

Lucas:  Whatever. Dad? Can I ask you another question?

Dad:  Does it have to do with you freezing?

Lucas:  No.

Dad:  Does it have to do with the size of our saws?

Lucas:  No.

Dad:  Ok, shoot.

Lucas:  Back there I saw this sign that says “Get a tree for Advent.” What’s Advent?

Dad:  Ah, I worthy question! Advent! The greatest of all holiday festivities! I’m glad you asked that. I mean, it’s good for you to learn more about things like this and who better to tell you!

Lucas:  Okay, so what does it mean?

Dad:  Well, Advent is actually the root of the word Adventure. So, advent is a great spiritual adventure!

Son: No, it’s not.

Dad:  What?

Lucas:  Well, we have this book at school called Adventurus and that is Latin for “what must happen.”

Dad:  Right! See, I was just testing ya! See, I brought you up well! Seriously, Advent actually is just a religious term for Adverb so when you use an adverb like small or great, and use them in a church or whatever, you are using an Advent.

Lucas:  Those are adjectives.

Dad:  What?

Lucas:  Small or great are adjectives. An adverb modifies a verb. Things like quickly or patiently.

Dad:  Right! Good job! You are really passing this test!

Lucas:  So, what’s Advent?

Dad:  Well, son, I hate to disappoint you but Advent didn’t really start until the 1950’s when stores started putting out circulars with ads in them. Advent is the Christmas word for Advert as in Advertising. That’s why you saw an Advert-izement for picking out a tree back there.

Lucas:  Are you sure it doesn’t have anything to do with Christmas? I seem to remember Pastor Tracy talking about how it has to do with the birth of Jesus.

Dad:  Ah, THAT Advent. You see, there are so many different Advents. The advent you are talking about comes from the Latin Aardvent which is translated into the most holy of animals, the aardvark. The aardvark was there at the manger and (Dave continues to go on and on about this as Lucas talks to the audience)

Lucas:  I should have stayed in the car with mom.

Lights out slow…

END

© 2008 Dave Marsh