Dear All of Us,
In my wild, wicked past
I was on the staff
of big, stuffy church.
It suffered an
unending plague of
big, stuffy meetings.
There were meetings
to plan meetings,
to review
completed meetings
and sure as heck, yep,
plan follow up meetings.
I found it hard
to be good,
so
I wasn't
and that with
impish regularity.
A touch of such.
One Monday night
at a
Church Board Meeting
I acted up, I acted out.
Background:
That Board Meeting
was on the heels
of an exhausting weekend -
two weddings, one wake,
a Saturday evening
service and sermon
two of both on Sunday,
an afternoon church picnic,
and for toppers,
an evening with the
Middle School Youth Group
powered by out-of-control
pubescent hormones.
Monday meant
staff meetings.
Goal One:
impress each other
with all and how well
we each were doing,
a newsletter to proof
that no one
under seventy
ever read,
counselling a
late thirties couple
that even with
the bloom
off the rose,
the rose
was worth keeping,
refereeing a squabble over
who had family rights
to a plot in
the church cemetery.
My head was about to explode
that Monday night as our
Church Board Meeting
got under way.
I just so bad
wanted
to be home
with my family -
I know, I know
- bad grammar -
but "so bad"
did I want to be
"Home safe"!!
The Board Chair liked
to play corporate.
We all know the type -
trying to be a big fish
in a little pond.
So,
role, rule
and
titled reign
at church -
much ado about
not at all that much.
He was heavy into
excruciating fuss over
such weighty matters as
should we paint the
Youth Room
Battleship Gray
or go
Army Fatigue,
whether to require that
all offerings at the
Sunday Coffee Hour
absolutely had to be
low cal and organic,
and could we hold
the final hymn
on Sundays
to one verse.
Well, I went
passive aggressive.
I made myself
stay awake,
but I resolved
to say nothing.
I wasn't going
to be a good sport
about a bunch
of grownups
playing Little League.
That got noticed
and it upped
the participants'
unspoken,
but palpable,
"What's up with Pastor?"
After two and a half hours
of trivial pursuits
the Board Chair
opined that
"We haven't
heard anything
from Pastor
this evening.
Pastor,
may we have
a word from you?"
I paused and paused,
and paused,
deliberately creating
an extended and
awkward silence,
and then with slow,
strong, deliberate
emphasis
I simply said:
"WORD"
and absolutely
not one syllable more.
After some stunned
and
more awkward silence,
folks started to chuckle
and then roar like
the opposite of heaven.
Even the stuffy board chair.
Someone said "AMEN!!!"
and we all went home.
So why the above?
Why not something
"more spiritual"
this week?
To tell the truth,
I just wanted
to play a bit.
So I just did!
So much is
so sober serious
these days and ways.
Not a bad idea
to tickle each other
more than once
in a regular while.
It can lighten the lift.
And given the givens
these days with
the likes of
Putin, Xi Jinping,
Trump, Zuckerberg,
MBS, Netanyahu,
Bezos and bromates
all putting their
spin outs
on us and our world,
I figured a touch of
the church jester
might be in order
for the disorder,
take some of the air
out of ballooning
church bureaucracy,
offer a twinkle of hope,
lighten things up a touch.
We sure can use some
LIGHTER FARE
these leaden heavy days.
As a matter of fact,
a medieval theologian
taught that
humor is really
an expression of
Divine Love.
He said it refreshes spirit.
The scriptures are all in on that:
"I will refresh the weary"
Jerimiah 31:25
"A twinkle in the eye
means joy in the heart..."
Proverbs 15:30
The Message
"Gladden the soul
of your servant,
for to you, O Lord
I lift up my soul, ..."
Psalm 86:4
"A joyful heart
is good medicine."
Proverbs 17:22
"...but the cheerful
of heart have
a continual feast."
Proverbs 15:15
"A glad heart makes
a cheerful face..."
Proverbs 15:13
"...whoever
refreshes others
will be refreshed."
Proverbs 11:25
The medieval
theologian and mystic,
Meister Echardt shared:
"My Lord told me a joke.
And seeing Him laugh
has done more for me
than any scripture
I will ever read."
Picture all this,
feel it, and
our spirits spring
wide, free, joyous
in a
rip roaring
Love Laugh
Humor calls
the question
on puffy fluff.
It's a mercy midst
mindless middling.
It relieves life's
stress and nonsense.
It frees and joys the heart.
Looking forward to us
being together next week.
Hey, love to all.
God Bless,
John (Naughty) Frank
and I enjoyed every
outrageous moment of it!
PS
If this is your first go at
frankly speaking
please do scroll down
below all this
for five posting
of our usual and
a bit more
substantive fare.
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