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Creekside Church
Sermon of April
3, 2005
"An
Itsy-Bitsy, Teeny-Weeny, Yellow Polka Dot Homily-nee"
1
Corinthians 4:8-12
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Rev.
David Bibbee
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I
was asked… no, I was told… no, make that, I was
ordered to give a "short" message today. But what is
short? How short is short? Short compared to what-- my usual
sermons? Short as in the time it takes to say, "Creekside Church
of the Brethren?" I'm defining short as, small-as in "itsy-bitsy,
teeny-weeny thoughts about humor and faith."
A salesman took
a shortcut through the countryside but miscalculated the miles and
ran out of gas on a lonely road. He walked a mile and saw a sign
that said, "St. Anne's Convent." He followed a lane to
the convent where he was greeted by one of the sisters. "My
car is out of gas. Do you have any to spare?" They did, but
couldn't find a container to hold it. Finally, the sister appeared
carrying the only thing she could find-a bedpan.
With a gallon
of gas in the bedpan, the salesman and nun walked back to the car.
The nun carefully poured the gas into the tank. But before she finished,
a farmer on a tractor stopped to watch. Then he said, "Sister,
I don't know anything about your order, but you sure admire your
faith."
To be admired,
something must be seen and heard and experienced. So I ask you,
is there anything about your faith to admire?
Faith is personal,
but not private. Faith is something we embrace, but it is also something
we share. So I ask you again, is there a quality about your faith
that others find attractive, winsome, or even… fun? Faith and
fun isn't something we connect. Christianity is serious business.
The world is coming apart at the seams. People are hungering, thirsting,
and perishing and we've got to do something about it. But is there
a quality to your faith that anyone would find attractive or admirable?
People look at the sober, somber, serious, wrinkled-browed faces
of Christians and think, "If that's what being a Christians
does to you, I'll take my chances with something else."
You've heard
the old expression: "You'll catch more flies with honey than
vinegar." So the question is, "How do we become honey
buns and not sour pusses where faith is concerned? We begin by remembering
that our awesome Lord God almighty has a sense of humor.
Abraham and
Sarah were in the nursing home. God came during crafts period and
said, "You're going to have a son." "Sure we are,"
Sarah said, and nine months later they had a son, Isaac, which means,
"laughter." Moses said to Pharaoh, "God told me to
tell you to set God's people free." "Sure he did,"
Pharaoh said. And all Pharaoh's horses and all Pharaoh's men drowned,
and the Hebrews headed for the Promised Land. A shepherd boy with
a sling stood before the armor-plated giant Goliath and said, "You're
going down!" "Sure I am," Goliath laughed.
"WHACK!" The
King of Kings came in a cow stall. The Lord of Lords was nailed
to a cross. His dead body sealed in a tomb, and the forces of evil
that conspired against him said, "Mission accomplished!"
and God replied, "Sure it is," and Jesus was resurrected,
and all these years later we're here to tell about it.
God has a sense
of humor, and we shouldn't take ourselves so seriously. Jesus said,
"I've told you these things that my joy may be in you and that
your joy will be full." Jesus is Lord, so we don't have to
be. He is the Truth, but when people think they possess it,
they aren't funny nor are then fun to be around. Hitler wasn't funny.
Neither was Stalin. Sadaam Hussein and Osama bin Laden aren't funny
guys. They don't like jokes… especially when the joke is on
them. But we, of all people, should have more fun than anyone else.
We know there's more to life, and more than death, so let's relax
and enjoy the ride.
When my daughter
was eighteen, I took her through the retreat center at St. Mary's
College where I loved to spend spiritual renewal time. We ran into
Sister Virginia, a spunky nun with a heavy Bronx accent. I introduced
Lisa to Virginia, who, tongue-in-cheek, asked Lisa if she would
like to become a nun. "No way! I could never have any fun."
Sister Virginia replied, "Sure you can, honey! I can do
everything you can do… except one."
William Sloan
Coffin (How's that for a name?), said, "The secret to life
is to die old as young as possible." Finding fun people,
and being a fun person is a sure way to have more fun than anyone
else, and the object is to do it before you die.
We are a bunch
of fools, but not just any old fools. We're fools for Christ who
live by rules the world deems silly. But the foolishness of God
is wiser than the wisdom of the world. So let me leave you with
advise from Karol Jackowski, another nun who taught as St. Mary's.
She said, "If it looks like fun, and doesn't break the Ten
Commandments, DO IT!"
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