Huh? What does that mean? Well, it means something close to what you thought, but not quite. If it means something akin to what I thought, then why would we laugh that the country is in ruins? Well, is it not actually in ruins, but simply that that large wooded sculpture that we let in, the one covered in tolerance and rainbow stickers, was not a gift after all. The soldiers that ran out of it were the same ones singing that they were coming for our children. It was not about acceptance but dominance.
So yeah, it is bad, yet it is not hopeless. And that is not even the point either. The laughter is not maniacal or regarding some break with reality. It is not cold or Joker-like. It is simply more having to do with not wanting to do the opposite. For too long, Christians have either had their heads in the sand or simply in their hands as they worry themselves sick. But, not wanting to be uninformed, I ended up toying with the latter.
Things are not great. False teachers have almost taken over the church at large, while the liberals, adding to their numbers, believe they are doing well because they know how to love-bomb. The culture can, in many cases, argue that they have the “church” on their side. Horrifically, the church they are speaking of is more like an old vandalized shed known for drug drops and prostitution than any actual gathering of the saints. Yeah, things are bad. That church cut their teeth and gained their community cards by practicing saying Caesar is Lord in the mirror so many times that they don’t know the difference anymore.
So why laugh? Well, laughter comes from a joyful heart. And a cheerful heart is only possible from a faithful one grounded in something much higher. But it is also something else. I have wondered about the BabylonBee for a while; what good does it do? Well, in one sense, laughter helps expose He-that-must-not-be-named. When Christians start caring about God more than their reputations, Truth will start spilling out. When Christians fear God more than man, the Gospel may begin again. When Christians learn how to laugh again, they will get over themselves.
God is the transcendent anchor during this dumpster fire. His standards reveal all the lies. Christians are supposed to live in that faith. Everyone has some faith, but we need to have the right kind of faith. Faith in God means something, and it ain’t just feelings. Faith in God means trusting him. Trusting in God doesn’t leave room for all the sadness and despair, wondering when the men in suits are coming. Actually, trusting in God, believing, and then living like God has this is why joy can come back into the picture. Yet, this faith is not that, name it and claim it, kind. I don’t suppose for a moment that trusting in the Sovereign hand of God necessarily means the glacial-sized hole in the boat will miraculously recover. This is not that.
We are in judgment for sure. Just read Romans 1 if you haven’t figured that one out. Those who can’t see the judgment are those without the standards of God. They have bought into the culture’s fallen belief system–that bodily mutilation is love and that more climate advocacy will change the temperatures outside. But faith does mean something–living in such a way that I am acting faithfully, which means not sticking my head in the sand or being overcome by evil. Faith overcomes evil by good. That is why the faithful speak up. There is evil to be overcome, there are imaginations that need to be cast down and arguments that need to be deflated. There are rainbows that desperately need to be redeemed and repurposed.
It does the Christian no good to be down in the dumps when the Lord is seated on high. And I am speaking to myself here. I think of David when writing in the 42 and 43 Psalms. Why are you downcast O’ my soul? I will yet hope in God! Faith trusts! Faith hopes! Faith overcomes! Faith holds out! And therefore, faith holds the line, even when the bow raises terribly above the stern. It does no good to lean back wearing shades when the sky is falling. Yet keeping your cool and acting accordingly does much good.
The terms clown world and trash world have been tossed around to give this age a moniker, and they are not far off. They are fitting descriptions of a culture that wants to celebrate and export sin-to set aside a month and howl at the moon and pretend that God has not spoken. But sin is not simply an offense; it spreads like cancer, which is why virtues like justice are also missing. These sad states of affairs are also reminders to the church that the calling of the great commission is far from over. As the boat shakes and shifts, rather than get sea sickness, I want to be able to rejoice as a testimony that Jesus and not Caesar is Lord. Faith trusts. Faith continues to work. Faith learns to enjoy God’s creation because our Father in Heaven wins.
Laughter is a way to remind ourselves that all is not lost–that all is not forsaken. It might simply be a way to shake us out of the dread. But it’s honestly only possible if God is true and everyone else a liar. So the fact that clown world is evident to so many (Even Dawkins longs for a cultural Christianity) is simply one more evidence for the God overhead that the world is desperately trying to silence. But he will not be silenced, and His people have a responsibility to speak up, and laugh. Why?
Our mission is not doom and gloom, and our hope is not in the here and now. Our vision is walking, not fainting, running, and not growing weary, for the Lord lives. Don’t fret. Speak the Truth and rest in the Lord. Maybe even enjoy your life.
thanks
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