With the opening of fishing season last Saturday, I know that many people had a sabbatical on the boat or dock fishing for the “big one!”
There are so many jokes about fishing:
Why are fish so smart? They swim in schools?
Game warden: “Why are you fishing where it says no fishing allowed?” I’m not fishing, I’m teaching these worms how to swim!
Hopefully someone laughed!
As I explored laughter, I discovered some great sayings:
As soap is to the body, so laughter is to the soul. Jewish proverb
From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere. Dr Suess
Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand. Mark Twain
I often wonder if some of Jesus’ teachings that we discuss with such seriousness, might have some humor behind them. Think of “let the one without sin, throw the first stone!” Could another verse be best portrayed as a caricature: “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” I think that Jesus did use disarming humor to make a point in teaching and witnessing to God’s work in this world.
As I have been exploring the concept of “sabbatical” in the Friday devotions, I thought that a good laugh can be seen as a sabbatical. A moment to break tension. A moment of grace. An opportunity to speak a simple word of truth to power. Time to center on God’s gift and what that means to our lives and world.
I hope that you all have a good laugh today—you’re on sabbatical!
Blessings,
Pr Walter
he/him/his