Church Skits & Plays
A Palm Sunday skitThe Password6 actors · 4 min

Easter · 6 actors · 4 minutes · Teens and adults, plus a child or teen as the colt

The Password

Jesus sends two disciples for a colt with seven words to say, and one of them practices them all the way there, until the owners ask and the words are gone. A funny Palm Sunday skit for six from Luke 19 that ends quietly, right before the hymn.

$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 time4 minutes
Cast6 roles · Teens and adults, plus a child or teen as the colt
PrepOne walk-through, with lines learned ahead: everyone needs both hands for the rope and the cloaks. The reader reads from the Bible.
Best forPalm Sunday service, right before the Palm Sunday hymn or the children’s palm procession; a Holy Week program. Works well in a small church: six people, no set.
ScriptureLuke 19:29–35 (KJV)
ThemeJesus chose the colt He would ride into Jerusalem and sent for it with His own words, “The Lord hath need of him.” Everything happened just as He said.
FormatPrintable PDF

About the skit

Jesus gave them seven words: “Because the Lord hath need of him.” The First Disciple has said them forty-one times on the way, and everybody forgets the “because.” Then the colt’s owners come out and ask, and the words are gone. What comes out instead: “Because the Lord… is my shepherd?” Then a donkey, a parade that might be big, and a promise to have him back before supper.

The owners are patient people. They offer water, and a chance to go back out and come in again. Then one of them asks a kind question the disciple never practiced for, and the skit turns quiet, landing on Luke 19:29–35, where everything happened just as Jesus said. The wrong answers are loud; the right one is not.

It goes right before the Palm Sunday hymn or the children’s palm procession, with “All Glory, Laud and Honor” as the suggestion. Six people and no set; nobody holds a script, so the lines are learned ahead, and the colt has none. The staging notes cover tying the colt safely, why the last line is said quietly, and why no one plays Jesus.

Read the first page

(The COLT stands tied to the post, looking around. THE READER reads, unhurried.)

THE READER: "Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him."

(The two DISCIPLES come up the center aisle, the FIRST DISCIPLE muttering, the SECOND DISCIPLE strolling. By "That's forty times" they're at the front, below the platform, facing the congregation, and they do the practice there, pacing.)

FIRST DISCIPLE: Because the Lord hath need of him. Because the Lord hath need of him. Because the Lord—

SECOND DISCIPLE: That's forty times.

FIRST DISCIPLE: Forty-one. I'm not going to be the one who gets it wrong.

SECOND DISCIPLE: It's six words.

FIRST DISCIPLE: Seven. "Because." Everybody forgets the "because."

SECOND DISCIPLE: Want to practice? I'll be the owner. (gruff voice) "Why do ye loose him?"

FIRST DISCIPLE: Because the Lord hath need of him.

SECOND DISCIPLE: (gruffer) "Why do ye loose him?"

FIRST DISCIPLE: Because the Lord hath need of him.

SECOND DISCIPLE: (leaning in, gruffest) "Why do ye—"

FIRST DISCIPLE: Because the Lord hath need of him! I've got it. It's a password. They ask, we say it, they let him go.

The script continues in the full PDF.

Characters

  • The Reader, offstage or at the lectern; reads Luke 19:30–31 and nothing else
  • First Disciple, wants to get it exactly right and has repeated the words the whole way; must be off book
  • Second Disciple, relaxed, and helpful in the least helpful way
  • First Owner, kind, patient and a little amused
  • Second Owner, would just like to know why two strangers are untying the colt
  • The Colt, a young donkey nobody has ridden; a child or teen in donkey ears, no lines, reacts to everything

Props

  • A post, sturdy chair or pew end to tie the colt to
  • A six-foot rope tied with bows, never around the neck
  • Donkey ears and a gray sweatshirt for the colt
  • Two cloaks or bathrobes
  • A Bible for the reader

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.

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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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