Looking ahead and kind of wondering.
Will we hear any laughter in our churches this coming weekend? And as I raise that question, I also need to acknowledge that in some of our Christian Faith congregations a different Gospel will be heard because a number of traditions observe this coming Sunday as Transfiguration Sunday. However, as to the rest of us . . . will there be any laughter? Or even some chuckles? Or will we even see a smile breaking through the somberness as the Gospel is proclaimed?
In spite of the fact that Pope Francis has reminded and continues to remind us that there is and should be joy in the Gospel, for so very many church-time is serious time and that means somber time and that means leave those smiles outside the doors!
Did it ever occur to you that Jesus did have a sense of humor. Or perhaps more correctly, Jesus does have a sense of humor. He is fully and totally human and that should means that humor and smiles and laughter cannot be left out.
Remember that time when Peter, seeing Jesus walking in the middle of the storm on the choppy waters, asked to join Him? Jesus said, "Come on, Peter!" And I can just picture Jesus with a smile as He said that, thinking to Himself, "Oh, Peter, watch out for what you ask!"
Anyhow, while so many will likely miss it, this coming weekend, for those of us using the Common Lectionary and reading from Luke for the Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time, we get a big glimpse of the sense of humor that Jesus has.
His examples are funny. Try to imagine them.
This blind guy asks another blind guy to lead him. Neither knows the other is blind! Picture them walking along the road.
Use your imagination and just visualize that walk!
And then there is the image of that beam of wood sticking out of an eye while beam-eye tries to help someone remove a speck from theirs!
And that delicious looking fruit tree, enticing until a bite is taken from the fruit and it is worse than lemon or maybe just filled with rot! Surprise!
Images designed to make us smile and then pause and think.
Why must Jesus be pictured as always speaking with chimes and a choir of angels humming in the background?
Can you picture Jesus smiling? Laughing? Telling a joke?
Can you picture Jesus laughing with you? Or maybe (often?) laughing at you?
Can you picture Jesus down to earth?
Et incarnatus est!
(Now I invite your thought and comments on this in the comment section below.)
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