So serious

I’ve been so serious for the past few weeks. Faith and doubt. Why doesn’t God fix all this stuff? Wedge issues from the pulpit . . .

I’ve remembered to have a sense of humor and an open and welcoming attitude as I talked about these serious things, but things have still been so serious.

One friend commented, “Rock on, dude. You may also want to duck.”
I think I also need to heed the advice given by Sergeant Hulka in the 1981 movie, ‘Stripes:’  “Lighten up, Francis.”

I think I need to laugh some more. I probably do need to duck. And it’s also a good week to simply lighten up. This week’s Bible reading from Luke 14:1, 7-14 put a smile on my face. It’s party time – Jesus style.

Don’t take yourself so seriously. Don’t take your position so seriously. Don’t take the rules of “who’s in” and who’s out” so seriously. Instead, throw a party and invite the people with no money, the people who can’t stand up without help, the people who can’t walk at all – and those who can’t see. Invite the people who work hard, but still don’t seem to ever have enough to live. Invite the people you’d just as soon ignore. Invite the people who everyone else thinks is unimportant.

And then have fun. Everything doesn’t have to be so serious.