Holy and Humorous?
“A characteristic of the great saints is their power of ‘levitation.’ Angels can fly because they
take themselves lightly… The kings in their heavy gold and robes of purple sink downwards,
pride can’t rise to levity.” Orthodoxy, GK Chesterton
After years of passing it by on the shelf of Christian classics I want to read someday, with the help of Renovare Book Club, I finally did it! GK Chesterton’s, Orthodoxy. I was shocked that the theological and cultural issues that Chesterton writes about over one hundred years ago, are ones we still wrestle today.
One of my favorite sections was what he terms in old English, “Holiness and Levity” otherwise known as, good old humor!
I think of Jesus’ words that to enter the kingdom we must be (remain) like a little child. Something we adults, find almost impossible to do!
We can receive the gift of salvation with joy, feeling God’s unconditional love saturating every cell of our body. Weightlessly, embrace our new identity as a child of God. Let God’s sunshine kiss our face and skip in the freshness of new life in him. But, before we know it, we turn into priests with heavy robes, swinging incense and weighed down with religious rituals, too busy with God’s work to enjoy God’s gift of abundant life.
Careful not to venture too close to the edge of frivolity, feasting or friends for fear of falling.
I’m so thankful that Jesus didn’t play by those rules. He wouldn’t let himself be put into crusty, religious boxes. He honored God and participated in temple services but never let himself be put in bondage to them.
When the disciples were getting too serious and tried to shoo away the children running up to Jesus for his warm embrace, it was one of the few times scripture tells us that Jesus angrily rebuked them. Setting the disciples straight never to do that again and declaring a principle of the kingdom that children in all their frivolity were to be our eternal teachers.
During my Spiritual Direction training, when the instructors passed around a list of 50 holy people from history for us to pick a Spiritual Giant to walk with, I remember circling profound Augustine, mystical Theresa of Avila and wise CS Lewis (all of whom I dearly love). I couldn’t settle on any of them.
Walking with Jesus for over 40 years I knew more than my share of theology. I was plenty somber but struggled with simple pleasures. If I was choosing someone to “walk with” for a year, what I needed was someone holy yet also human.
As we endeavor to become “holier” (whatever that means, right?!), we’re almost afraid to still be human. If we’re silly in front of a group that we’re leading, will we lose their respect? If every conversation doesn’t have a divine “take-away” was the time “wasted”? Is it ok in stewarding the life we have been given and overflowing kingdom work to be done, to while away an afternoon watching football, playing cards or going antiquing for things that won’t matter for eternity?
My heart landed on Francis of Assisi. In learning just a smidge about him from a one-class session, you couldn’t have found anyone more passionate for Jesus or devoted to the sacrificial life of the kingdom and yet, not anyone more human.
He talked in day-to-day language not like a theologian, barely knew how to write, and had an incredible sense of humor! When the air grew too heavy in his little band of followers he was known to sing at the top of his lungs as they walked from town to town. One time he even took off in a full-out run like a wild banshee whooping and hollering to remind himself and the brothers to stop taking life so seriously. One of the newest members turned to another brother questioning whether this was the “holy” man whose reputation had traveled over hundreds of miles, that he had just given up his life to follow?
Is holiness also humanness and a significant part of humanness a word that starts with the same first three letters, humorous?
Can holiness not only include the gravity of repentance, laying on of hands for healing but also laughing at a good joke?
Holiness can look like a lot of things. If I’m going to pick attributes to shape my life as one of Christ’s followers, I want “levity” to be one of them.
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How have you viewed holiness and humor?