It’s in the Signs.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

I teaseed our youth group about having too much fun at church.  So for my birthday, a few years ago, they had a t-shirt made that reads:  “Calm Down—We’re Lutheran!”  I love it, and they have way too much fun on those Sunday mornings when I wear it at church.

Three boys taking a break from running through a sprinkler to sit on a curb, and enjoy a Popsicle is a sign of fun. A sign of summer fun.  I’m going to ‘have some fun’ today and do a pre-text kind of thing.  This verse lets me talk about summer fun, even if that’s not exactly what the context is all about!  Speaking about fig trees, Jesus said,

“When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near.”
Matthew 21:30, New International Version

Jesus was talking about a sign that it is summer!  Coincidentally, that is partly what I’m talking about today.  It’s summer.

‘Christian’ and ‘fun’ are not antithetical!  ‘Following Jesus’ and ‘fun’ are not antithetical!  Now, I admit that the word fun is not in the Bible.  Yes, I’ve checked.  I wish it were!  The man who was healed and went “walking, leaping, and praising God” sounds like he was having fun.  I can’t imagine the concept of fellowship (koinonia) without it being fun.

I love seeing our youth have fun, even at church on Sunday morning, and not only when it’s summer.  The world needs to see the followers of Jesus having fun, enjoying one another’s company, and getting a kick out of life.  What better time than summer to let that part of our life together show itself?

Find a pal, and run through a sprinkler.  Sit on the curb with a friend, and enjoy a Popsicle.  Tell a joke at this summer’s Church Picnic that has them rolling on the lawn.  Have some fun!  Enjoy your life as a child of God.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO