Checkers and God

This is a one-act play concerning the name for God.  No elaborate staging: only two participants and a checkerboard.  We watch them play and have their lively discussion.  I wrote this in a single sitting years ago and never revised it.  This play is not sacrilegious; it does not toy with God’s name.  It is my attempt to address with wonderment, and at the same time traditionalism, the name Yahweh, or YHWH as it is written in ancient Hebrew.  Here they are in a public park.  Two seniors are about to play checkers again.  Enjoy their conversation and see who wins!

RED                 Hello, Mr. Stankiwitz.

BLACK           Hello.

RED                 How are you?

BLACK           As good as the next guy.

RED                 “As good as the next guy?”  What kind of an answer—

BLACK           Can we talk without you asking questions?

RED                 (setting up checkers positions)  I don’t know.  I don’t… know.

BLACK           That pause.  It was so long.  Almost turning it into a question.

RED                 Oh, you’ll know if I’m asking a question… or… not.

BLACK           There’s that pause again.

RED                 Don’t worry about it.

BLACK           I won’t.

RED                 Say, what do you think about—let me ask one question.

BLACK           All right.  But don’t expect a single answer.

RED                 Okay.  What does Moses mean when he gets God to answer his question about “Who shall I say sent me?” – you know, when he foresees problems going back into Egypt where everyone is still in slavery.

BLACK           Your question is, if I understand it—and I think I understand you better than this question you’re asking—what does Moses mean?  Well, first of all, he wants some authority.  He doesn’t know yet that God is willing to work lots of miracles, plagues, grasshoppers—that stuff—in order to get the Egyptians tired of having them—even with their free labor—around.  He thinks his words must do the convincing.  Then if they believe the words, people will do as he says.  So, he… he’s got to say who it is that sent him and, preferably, something new about it.

RED                 That seems plausible to the ones in Egypt.  They’re not starving; they’ve got shelter.  But they’re slaves.  They’ve always been slaves; they were born slaves—

BLACK           Shall we talk about what God says his name is and what it means?

RED                 Oh, now you’re asking the question.

BLACK           Yes, but this interests me.

RED                 Okay. “I-am-that-I-am.”  What’s so difficult about it?

BLACK           Everything!  Tells me nothing about God!

RED                 Must someone’s name tell you something?

BLACK           When it is our God’s name, yes.  Too important just to have a name you like to hear.  The law says—and we recite faithfully—God is one.  There’s just one of him.  His name must be unique!

RED                 I see.

BLACK           I could go on, into great detail—

RED                 (holding up a hand)  It is not necessary.

BLACK           All right.  Then let me offer you a few meanings of the name that tie-in his “being” with “time” and “purpose” and his “character”.

RED                 You can do all that?

BLACK           (nods)  Why not?  And if I can say it, you can understand it.

RED                 Try me.

BLACK           First, it’s no use saying God “was”, ‘cause if you still “are”, and haven’t changed, then “was” is without meaning.

RED                 Sounds like it depends upon what your definition of the word “is” is.

BLACK           Okay, Mr. President.  (combined laughter)

RED                 Go on.  (he nods)

BLACK           Then, if you say, “What I was, I still am being…”

RED                 (yawning)  Yes, you can say that, but pardon me if I yawn in your holy face—

BLACK           That’s what I mean!  Not satisfying.  There’s no “Get up!  Let’s march out of Egypt!” in this name.  See what I mean?

RED                 Now you’re asking—

BLACK           Oh shut up!  So, “I was”… “I still am”… “What I was is what I shall do?”

RED                 Better than nothing.  (red does a double jump)  Now let me try a couple.  “What I intend is more of the same.”  (pause)  “You saw it once, you’ll see it again.”

BLACK           Are you in advertising?

RED                 I’m as old as you are.  That’s not how you sell soap flakes!

BLACK           I’m sorry.  Keep going.  I’ll shut up.

RED                 “What is, can change!”

BLACK           Nice motto, but not for a name of God.

RED                 You’re right.  Let me get back to the speedy log I was riding the river on.

BLACK           What an imagination!

RED                 “I will always be what I am.”  Like a promise, you see.

BLACK           That’s good?

RED                 Of course!  God is good.

BLACK           Good for himself, maybe.

RED                 No, not just… but good for all.  If you interact with God, then good comes of it to you as well.

BLACK           Yes… I believe that.

RED                 How about:  “I am always being”, like I am always “busy”?

BLACK           Yes.

RED                 “I’m busy being.”

BLACK           No.  That doesn’t make it.

RED                 Then:  “As I was, will be continuous”?

BLACK           “To be continued”?

RED                 No.  You’re right.  That is inadequate as well.

BLACK           Can you guarantee that when we end this discussion of ours I will be approving of it and like what I’m hearing?

RED                 Say, you’ve got something there.  How about:  “What I will bring into being is like the ‘good ‘ol days’”?

BLACK           Yogi Berra once said—

RED                 Stop!  Enough of the foolishness!  To think about God is serious business!  After all, he’s listening.

BLACK           Does he care so much, really?

RED                 Yes.  If he’s willing to listen, then you can be assured that he does care.

BLACK           Get them up and start marching, eh?  (he leans forward and asks quietly, spelling it)  “Y-H-W-H”—what do you think that name is and what it really means?

RED                 Me?  I’m not supposed to think such things and say the holy name, as you do.

BLACK           But Moses started it, so let’s continue the discussion.  I have an idea.  I feel good in saying it!—

RED                 Wait, before you solve this.  I have been thinking, more about including “destiny” and tying it to the fact that God is holy.

BLACK           Go on, say what you’re thinking.  I can remember mine.  (he sits back)

RED                 “The holy purpose I have still is becoming”

BLACK           “Still in the works”?

RED                 Yes.  But, it sounds better when said “my” way.  It is the fulfilling of a divine purpose.  Destiny.

BLACK           And holiness in “your” destiny?

RED                 Am I mixing too much?

BLACK           No.  Not really.  Yet, I don’t think it says enough about God—

RED                 The character, personality he has?  Don’t forget:  Marching.

BLACK           You’re right.  Raison d’ etre—“purpose for being”.

RED                 I didn’t know you spoke French!

BLACK           The French don’t think I do.

RED                 Sounded pretty good to my old ears.

BLACK           Yes, but say that in Paris as I just did, they’ll probably serve you up a hot dog:  wiener on a bun.  (laughter)  Is it my turn still?

RED                 Keep in mind:  I’m pretty comfortable sitting where I am.

BLACK           My little nephew once said—he must be fifty now—“’Y-H-W-H’ is the sound the wind makes when a star gets in the way.”  (both smile across at each other)  Okay.  So, here are my three, rapid fire:  “I will be who I have been”, “Still I am who I was”, “What I was is how all shall be.”  Ah, now I see this… I’m saying, “What is to come into being, you will take advantage of and like!” [see Postscript, Psalm 81 below]

RED                 I feel… a little bit like marching!

BLACK           “What is to come to pass, you will like.”

RED                 It does make me feel kind of good to think like that.  But I’m afraid I must stick with the old steady, literal and true “I am that I am”.

BLACK           Even if you don’t make sense from this?

RED                 Even so.

BLACK           It does bring to mind what the Psalmist said, repeating:  “Oh Lord, our Lord.  How majestic is thy name in all the earth.”  See?  It speaks of God in the creation.  Maybe “my name” is all right after all!

RED                 We’ll have to discuss this again… but over a different game of checkers!  (RED wins)

 Postscript: In Psalm 81, verse 10 it reads: "I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." In the last verse (16) it continues: "He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee." The people He has saved disappoint God; they have not advantaged themselves of His provision. Rather, there is no listening to His voice (v. 11), they hold to their lusts and walk according to their own counsel (v. 12), and it says they actually hate the Lord (v. 15). Theirs was "a game" that nobody could win.

THE END

Let Clif know what you think of the one-act play. Would you ever consider presenting it as an event? He'd like to know. Thanks! Link to Google Blog page.