The Bible - LOL

I have a tendency toward thinking in black and white.  In some cases this serves me well, in most it does not.  Due to this tendency, I have three blogs, because I cannot mix blog topics.  These are my other two:  The Reintjes Chronicles and From ACOA to Daughter of God.  Of the three, I think this is the easiest to write, because I can just ramble.  It says so in the title of the blog.

Here is today's ramble.  It is about the Bible.  There are two stories in it that I have come across so far, that literally make me laugh out loud.  I am not sure what the significance of that is really, other than until recently, you couldn't have convinced me that there is anything humorous about scripture.  And I think that was a reflection of my opinion of its Author.  God doesn't have a sense of humor.  Jesus is always all business.

This whole ramble would probably be offensive to some people.  Hopefully, neither of the two people who read this blog are in that camp.  If either of you are, I apologize in advance.  I am not making light of God's word or the intensity of what Jesus offers to do in our lives.  Perhaps I am trying to bring to light the fact that God is not always the severe task master we assume He is, the Holy Spirit delights in laughter and joyful moments.

Here is the first story.  It is in Acts 20.  Verses 7 to 12.  (CEB)

⁷ On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. ⁸ There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. ⁹ Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. ¹⁰ Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” ¹¹ Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. ¹² The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

Here is the second example.  It is in  1 Peter 4.  Verses 12 to 14.  (CEB)

¹² Dear friends, don’t be surprised about the fiery trials that have come among you to test you. These are not strange happenings. ¹³ Instead, rejoice as you share Christ’s suffering. You share his suffering now so that you may also have overwhelming joy when his glory is revealed. ¹⁴ If you are mocked because of Christ’s name, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory—indeed, the Spirit of God—rests on you.

I doubt at the time of Eutychus' incident that anyone was giggling.  Peter's audience probably didn't think being slandered and sticking out like sore thumbs in their society was hilarious.  But I wonder if - after having survived the episodes - they could look back and smile?  You've laughed that laugh before, the one of relief, at having narrowly escaped disaster after doing something stupid.  When you can remember and grin at the most awkward moment of your past.  The fact that we can do either of those things is testament to the work of joy in our lives.  A built in gift from the One who built us in the first place.

Something about that first story from Acts makes me want to go, "All Pastors take note:  if you are going to literally bore us to death with your sermons, please be prepared to resurrect us!"  (For the record, none of the Pastors I have had the privilege of learning from have ever come close to boring me to death.)  I wonder if that piece of scripture is actually where that saying comes from?

And the second one - after verse 12 - I wonder if in the original transcript on the original scroll, it said, "DUH!"?  It seems to me like that should be there, followed by;  "Did any of you really think this was going to be EASY??  SERIOUSLY??  What planet have you all been living on?"  and then a sigh and then verse 13.  Maybe something was lost in the first translation.

And that is about it for this ramble.  

Hebrews 4:12 (NLT) says, "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires."

Is it alive and powerful enough to make you LOL?