"And then he added that though for man it is impossible, for God all things are possible, and he is a master of the impossible because in terms of what man thinks possible he is in the end a wild and impossible god. It seems to me that more often than not the parables can be read as high and holy jokes about God and about man and about the Gospel itself as the highest and holiest joke of them all."(F. Buechener "Listening to Your Life" p.107-108)
I love stand up comics. What I find especially funny about them, is that most of what makes me laugh at loud is how true what they say is. Again because they take real life situations and paint them in a new and funnier way. And as I laugh at the reality of it, especially the stuff that pokes at me, white married male, I get it.
Yes there are some jokes I don't get. Sometimes things are said that are meant to be funny and aren't. And as they say if you have to explain the joke, it loses its oomph. There are also things that aren't funny that get laughed at. I find jokes at other people's expense to be that way.
But when a medium is used that gets me to take a look at myself from a different perspective, then its doing its job.
The gospel is no laughing matter, but it is a joke, not as something to be dismissed, but as something that points to a greater reality and often hits home.
Blessings,
Ed
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment