Happenings 14 September 2018

Do we take ourselves too seriously sometimes? I mean, when was the last time you looked at yourself in the mirror and laughed hilariously? Or took out a pen and drew a moustache on model in a women’s magazine, just because it looked funny? If you’re like me, I’m guessing it’s been awhile … It seems to me over many years of ministry that this is the time of the year when people start struggling. The world seems to be tired, sick, sick of being sick, grumpy … and yes, prone to taking ourselves too seriously. In the Middle Ages, there was a peculiar celebration called the Feast of Fools, in which power structures were turned upside down, and for a brief moment, society’s underclass could lampoon and laugh at those in power. Sacred cows were metaphorically barbecued. Weighty things were treated lightly. It became infamous for taking things too far (no surprises there!) but there is something in this that resonates with me. Discipleship is serious, but it is never supposed to be grim. Instead, as you look through scripture, the thing that impels people towards Christ, even through walls of heartache, is actually … joy! “I once was lost, but now I’m found” – isn’t that reason to celebrate? To see life as a thing of wonder? Have we forgotten to tread with lightness and gladness each day that God gives us, simply because we are His and He is ours? Go on … have a chuckle. Let out a guffaw or two! Again, I say … rejoice!

In Him, 
Murray