There is nothing funny about tragedy. Tragedy is horrible and painful. It is car accidents, drownings and hopeless diseases. Tragedies are often so awful that that are unspeakable.
Only God can turn a tragedy into something good. The cross of Christ becomes salvation for hopeless sinners because of the resurrection. The unexpected has happened and it makes us laugh! The kingdom has broken into our world and now the last are first and poor are rich. The blind are the ones who can see and the empty are filled. We were all caught looking in the wrong direction but now that we've taken a turn on "unexpected road" we are all filled with laughter.
Come, Lord Jesus! Bring your kingdom in fullness. Fill your people with the laughter of Sarah and Abraham. Give up the grace to expect the impossible.
2 comments:
I'm finding myself enjoying this mini sermon series more and more. To be honest though, I think you put more into comedy than tragedy. Not that the message wasnt conveyed but that comedy is emotionally easier to discribe.
In my own personal study of Lamenting I've found it extreamly hard finding the joy is suffering. Understanding taking the sour with the sweet and the sweet with the sour can be depressing, I think.
This expression of conflicting natures with the emotional aspects of the Gospel, I think, was written all over your face. At one point I thought you were about to cry, it was moving. I thought I was about to cry. Moving from tragedy to comedy seems very natural to me, even if the emotions are conflicting with one another. I have cried so hard i've laughed and i've laughed so hard I cried.
When thinking about Christ's Passion and as well my connections with friends and family, sometimes I find that strange mixture of joyful sorrow. I'm crying to hard out of worry and conflection, but yet I begin to jump for joy at the awesomeness of the relationship. Are we so strange in the world in understanding that a blessing from God can make one cry and laugh and smile and tear... all at the same time?
Some may call it foolishness and it may very well be, but its a foolishness I will keep close to my heart.
Thanks for a great message!
I always shout AMEN when the "parable of the lost son" is highlighted. I believe in the father of the prodigal son!
I know you like movies. To my knowledge, the closest a movie ever came to portraying something like the prodigal son's homecoming is the 1972 movie Sounder. The trailer is posted on IMDB, and it will give you a taste of what I am talking about.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069303/
See you soon!
D Thompson
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