Church Skits & Plays
An Easter skitLazarus Is Hosting3 actors · 5 min

Easter · 3 actors · 5 minutes · A man, a teen boy or young man, and a girl of about 12–14

Lazarus Is Hosting

The night before Easter, Lazarus, the young man from Nain and Jairus’s daughter sit down to supper in Bethany and compare their awkward second lives, until the girl asks a question none of them can answer. A funny-then-tender skit for three, set between the cross and the empty tomb.

$8USD, tax included
  • Instant PDF download, yours to keep
  • Performance rights for your whole church
  • 30-day refund if it doesn’t fit your church
Running time5 minutes
Cast3 roles · A man, a teen boy or young man, and a girl of about 12–14
PrepOne rehearsal at the table with the real dishes. Each actor learns about 150 words, with a copy folded beside each plate as a safety net.
Best forEaster program, placed between the cross and the empty tomb; a Saturday-evening service before Easter; youth group; small church. Not for a Good Friday service: the first half is funny.
ScriptureLuke 7:13–15; Luke 8:54–56; John 11:43–44; John 12:9; Romans 6:9 (KJV)
ThemeJesus raised these three to a life that would end again someday. He Himself rose, never to die again: “death hath no more dominion over him.”
FormatPrintable PDF

About the skit

It’s Saturday evening in Bethany, the day after the cross, and Lazarus has two guests who understand his life better than anyone: the young man from Nain and Jairus’s daughter. So they settle who has the most awkward second life. A man walked two miles to watch Lazarus eat lentils. People keep asking Nain to tell it at weddings. And the Girl’s father, told to “tell no man,” just stands her up in front of every guest until somebody asks.

When the joking runs out, each one remembers how Jesus did it: a voice, a hand, a name called out loud. Then the Girl asks her question, and Nain, for once, has nothing to say. The ending belongs to Lazarus, a man who has already been surprised once, and the hope behind it is Romans 6:9: Christ, raised from the dead, “dieth no more.”

Put it in an Easter program between the crucifixion and the Resurrection, or in a Saturday-evening service; with a funny first half, it isn’t meant for Good Friday. Three actors, a table and supper dishes, with one rehearsal. The staging notes cover keeping the jokes safe for anyone who is grieving, playing the last line as hope rather than knowledge, and handing over to “Low in the Grave He Lay.”

Read the first page

(The three are at the table, in the middle of supper. Nobody is eating much. NAIN is talking.)

NAIN: —and my mother says, "You sat up and started talking, and you haven't stopped since." Which isn't true. I stop. I stop all the time. I'm stopping right now.

(beat)

NAIN: See?

GIRL: You talked the whole way from the gate.

NAIN: It's a long way from the gate.

LAZARUS: It's forty steps.

NAIN: We came up for the feast. My mother wanted to see Him at the temple and thank Him properly. (beat) And then Friday. (beat) She said, "Go to Bethany. Lazarus will know what to do."

LAZARUS: I don't.

GIRL: Then why are we here?

LAZARUS: Because who else are we going to talk to about this? (He tears a piece of bread, trying to lighten things.) All right. Since we're here. Who has the most awkward second life?

NAIN: Me. Easy. Half of Nain was walking behind me that day. Now when I walk down the street, they all stop talking. (beat) So I fill the silence.

GIRL: That's not awkward. That's just you.

The script continues in the full PDF.

Characters

  • Lazarus, of Bethany, the host; calm, dry and a little worn out by all the attention
  • Nain, the widow’s son from Nain, called by his town; cheerful, talkative and unable to stand a silence
  • The Girl, Jairus’s daughter, about thirteen; sharp, and very tired of being her father’s favorite story

Props

  • A table and three chairs or stools
  • Three plates, a pitcher and three cups
  • A round flat bread with no yeast, such as matzo or a tortilla
  • A bowl of olives or grapes
  • A small side table with a few extra dishes
  • Simple Bible-times robes, or plain clothes

What you get

  • The full script with stage directions
  • Cast list, props list and simple staging notes
  • Four discussion questions for a small group, youth group or Sunday school class
  • Performance rights for your church: perform it as often as you like and print copies for your cast

Performance rights

One purchase covers one church or ministry. Perform it as many times as you like, make copies for everyone in the cast and crew, adapt the lines and include it in your livestream. Please don’t resell the script or share the file publicly. Read the full license.

More for your Easter program

Questions

Can I change the names or lines?

Yes. Change names and genders, trim lines for time or adapt a joke for your church. The script is yours to fit to your people.

Can we record and stream the performance?

Yes. You can include it in your livestream and post the recording on your church’s own channels.

How do I get the file after I buy?

Right after checkout you get a download link on the confirmation page and by email. It works for up to 20 downloads, and each copy is marked with your order so it stays licensed to your church.

Who is the seller on my receipt?

Payments are processed by Link, Stripe’s checkout, which acts as the reseller. Your card statement shows LINK.COM* CHURCHSKITS. Questions about the script itself come to us at hello@churchskits.org.

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