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Richard Littledale

Richard Littledale's
Views on the News: February 2006

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Of humour and humility

A funny thing happened on the way to church. In fact, a funny thing happened in church. In fact, come to that, a funny thing happened to its founder and saviour. As Christians we are not unaccustomed to Jesus Christ being the butt of jokes and humour, both inside and outside the church. In the main we do not complain vigorously, we do not attack those who write them, and we do not call for them to be silenced. Why is this?

Some of it is undoubtedly to do with our British temperament. Like our climate it is temperate - lacking in extremes of either hot or cold. In the main we are far more inclined to shrug our shoulders than to shake our fists. Some would argue that this mildness has kept Britain great, though others feel that it has kept her from being great. Whilst other nations were blasting a way of progress through the hills, we were seeking a middle way which would not squash the flowers.

Another reason for our acceptance of humour is doubtless Christianity's roots in Judaism. From that source has come a rich vein of self-mocking humour. The Jewish people have a fine tradition of meeting adversity with a twinkle in their eye and a joke on their lips. It is not hard to see the traces of humour even in the dourest of Old Testament prophets. Elijah was a showman with an acerbic insight into life, and Jonah was an unintentional clown. Perhaps some of this has rubbed off on the Jews' Christian 'cousins'.

Humour, whether directed at the holy from inside or outside the church, can actually be good for us. How often did Jesus find pomposity mixed with holiness, or arrogance mixed with piety? Laughter has a great capacity to burst the bubble of self-importance, and Jesus was not averse to using it in his stories. If jokes about the church do nothing more than hold a mirror up for us to see our own silly faces - they do us a service.

That which is truly holy is unassailable. It can neither be mocked by the comics nor squashed by the oppressors. Like the shining presence of God in the Tabernacle of old - it shines on regardless. When the lesser lights of our puffed-up attitudes are snuffed out by an occasional jibe - it lets the real light shine all the brighter. Bring on the humour…and let the humility follow in its wake!

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Q: How many Baptists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: That sounds like a question for the Church Meeting.



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