Our God of humor.

We’re looking at Sunday’s Gospel reading – “Who do you say that I AM?”   And we looked at a related question – “what else do we say god is?” – “god” with a little “g.” 

But – back to the main question, “Who do you say that I AM?”

First – here’s something many of you can relate to – this weekend we brought the girls back to college.

This is the junior and sophomore year for Annie and Kalie at Franciscan University (a very happy place).  Franciscan is located at the top of a hill – up, up, up.  It’s a great metaphor – somewhat like the “city on a hill,” or Jesus taking the disciples to a mountain top.

It’s a steep hill.  It seems even steeper at 10:30 pm (more on that in a minute).

When you get young ladies settled in it tends to be a multi-step process. 

You need extra storage bins for the room that have just the right size and look?  Off to Walmart.  Down the hill, and back up again.

Let’s get loaded up with food – breakfast items, snacks, fruit, Oreos.  Off to the store.  Down the hill, and back up again.

Let’s go get dinner.  Down the hill and back up again to say good night.

Then we get back to the hotel and realize we have items in the hotel room they need.  Back up the hill, drop them off, and back down again.

Once we were back in the hotel parking lot Steve sees a phone charger cord in back.  A-ha!  Annie’s going to need that before the morning.  This time Karen gets out and goes to the hotel room and Steve just runs the charger cord back up the hill to drop off to Annie.  He gets to her dorm and as he’s about to go in and drop it off there’s a little voice calling out.  What’s it saying?  Something like “dunnnnn ….  prrresssss.”  Steve’s trying to figure out exactly what the little voice is trying to say as he shuts off the car.

Did we mention our van has one of those new-fangled push-button starters.  And the thing about a push button starter is there’s no key to start the engine.  Only the key-fob to unlock the push-button starter.  The key fob that was in Karen’s pocketbook, and was now with her in the hotel room. 

All of that came rushing into Steve’s addled wits as he pushed the button to stop the engine.

And so, Steve got his evening exercise trotting down the hill, to the hotel, and back up again with the fob.

It was all very entertaining.  And so typical of the Smiths.  If there’s a difficult and complicated way to do something – we’ll find it.

Here’s math, Smith-style:  sin^2(x) + cos^2(x) + 2 + e^(i*pi)

To the rest of the world, this is simply “1”. 

Where’s all this going?

Turning back to, “Who do you say that I AM?”   Sometimes, He’s a jokester. 

Two Sundays ago the Gospel passage was Jesus and the Canaanite Woman – and Jesus referring to her as a dog – “it isn’t right to give the food of the children to the dogs.”  But the actual translation isn’t dog, rather it’s “puppy” and meant as a term of endearment.  We heard a homily last week where the Priest suggested that Jesus was making an inside joke with the woman.  You see, Israelites and Canaanites considered each other mortal enemies.  The Priest pictured Jesus giving the woman a wink and a wry smile – “We’re not supposed to be talking … we’re going to get in trouble….”  And perhaps it was that touch of humor that gave her the courage to find the faith to say, “even the dogs get to eat the scraps…”. 

Who’s to say exactly what Jesus’ delivery was in any given passage, but for sure Jesus had a magnificent sense of humor.  And for sure it is reflected in scripture if we know how to listen for it.  And for sure His humor shows up in our life and relationship with Him.  Probably when we’re not expecting it.  Perhaps when we’re thinking too much of ourselves.  Or taking life too seriously.  Or not seeing the humor in little things (like steep hills).

“Who do you say that I AM?”  Perhaps when we least expect it but most need it, God wants us to know He is also the God of humor.  And He wants us to be in on the joke; and laugh with Him.

Blessings on your journey with Christ –

Steve and Karen Smith

Postscript:  “Who do you say that I AM?”  Mt 16:13-20

Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"

They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.  For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.  And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.  I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.  Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.