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Oct 24-30, 2021
⬆️ Sermon begins at 40:29 ⬆️
Day 1: Creative Play
Day 1: Creative Play
By Dr. "Joey" Alan Le, Ph.D.
Some believers equate seriousness with holiness. But is the Christian life so grave and somber? Is it true that playfulness is childish and immature? I have a feeling that God is more playful than we give him credit. After all, Jesus did say: “unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3). Perhaps the joy that children exude in play teaches adults about the kingdom of God.
Methodist pastor and New Testament scholar Ben Witherington III picks up on Jürgen Moltmann’s idea of creation as God’s play. God does not need the universe because God is self-sufficient. So, “why is there something instead of nothing? One answer is—Because God is playful. God enjoys creating and playing.”[1]
Just look at nature and the animals that God has created. Isn’t the platypus hilarious-looking? Or the giraffe? Isn’t the ostrich so odd? Creation is full of humor, and the things critters do make us smile and laugh. This makes us think that God does have a sense of humor and playfulness.[2]
Technically, play is unnecessary. Human beings need rest; otherwise, we get tired. We need to eat, otherwise, we would starve. We need to work, otherwise, we could not survive. Human existence does not depend on play. But existing is not living.
Exodus 35:30 Then Moses said to the Israelites: See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 31 he has filled him with divine spirit, with skill, intelligence, and knowledge in every kind of craft, 32 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 33 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, in every kind of craft. 34 And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 35 He has filled them with skill to do every kind of work done by an artisan or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and in fine linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of artisan or skilled designer.
God made us in the divine image, so we are meant to emulate God. If creation is God at play, then human play emulates God. When we are at play, we enjoy the game of creation. In play, we begin to live truly.
Reflection
In your opinion, is spiritual maturity more serious or more playful?
Where, in creation, do you see God’s playfulness?
How have you experienced intimacy with God in your creative play?
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[1] Ben Witherington III, The Rest of Life: Rest, Play, Eating, Studying, Sex from a Kingdom Perspective (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2012), 48.
[2] Witherington III, 49.
Day 2: The End of Play
Day 2: The End of Play
In a way, playing board games, video games, and sports can connect us to God because they reflect and anticipate God’s ultimate day of rest.
Hebrews 4:9 So then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God; 10 for those who enter God’s rest also cease from their labors as God did from his. 11 Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs.
God promises us a true, everlasting rest.
Remember, “joy presupposes liberty.”[1] So for now, to have joy, we need the conditions to flourish. To flourish, we need to live justly with one another. And this is God’s dream: one beautiful day, all creation will live peaceably with one another, treating each other lovingly and, therefore, rightly/justly.
But that great eschatological Sabbath is not so much about the absence of activity but the presence of joy and fulfillment and completion.[2] Heaven won’t be boring or monotonous. It’ll be full of play, laughter, and joy!
Moltmann emphasizes how play is an activity that inspires hope:
“[I]n playing we anticipate our liberation, a time when we study war no more, a time when we shed all those things that inhibit us and alienate us from real life. Play foreshadows the joy of the eschaton where all manner of drudgery and disease and decay and death will be left behind.”[3]
In short, play anticipates the joy of the eschaton.[4] Play does not simply provide relaxation, lift one’s spirit, escape from reality, or pleasure. Play foreshadows an eschatological better day when all things go right. So, playing today celebrates the future now. The foreshadow becomes a foretaste.[5] The joy of play brings us into contact with the freedom that God intends us to have: freedom from suffering, sin, and sorrow.
Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; 4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.”
When we play, our hope and imagination kick in. As Kevin Garnett exclaims: “Anything is possible!” Play hints at “what it means to really live, to be fully human, to have real brothers or sisters…all on the same team playing together toward the same end. This goes beyond camaraderie to koinonia.”[6]
So, Christians have good reason to play now in light of the future. We usher and welcome in God’s future (partially) “by living now in joy, spontaneously, unselfishly, freely as if playing.”[7] Indeed, if we believe that God is and will work all things together for good for those who love him and are called to his purposes, then there is much reason to celebrate, to play, even now, in advance of the fullness of the Kingdom’s coming.[8] In the end, we’ll all be playing in the presence of God.
Reflection
What are you most looking forward to in the joy of the eschaton?
In your words, how does play today anticipate God’s coming kingdom of freedom?
Close your eyes. Imagine yourself playing at the feet of your Heavenly Father. Describe what you envision.
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[1] Jürgen Moltmann, (London: SCM Press, 1973), 13.
[2] Witherington III, 27.
[3] Witherington III, 42.
[4] Witherington III, 43.
[5] Witherington III, 57.
[6] Witherington III, 57.
[7] Witherington III, 60.
[8] Witherington III, 60.
Day 3: Artistic Play
Day 3: Artistic Play
Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts,
Play takes place in several spaces. We play music, for one. Music speaks to our hearts in ways that words cannot articulate. Imagine movies or theaters with music. It would fall flat!
Think of worship music. Why has the church incorporated hymns and singing since its first days? The music helps the worshippers get “caught up in love and wonder and praise of God so that our whole selves are worshiping. Whether it’s through music or the visual arts or dance or drama, worship requires these forms of playing.”[1] Playing and performing helps express our love and gratitude for God. In the play of worship, we encounter God.
Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes framed the significance of art this way: “Art is an incarnation of truth. It penetrates beneath the surface of things to portray them the way they really are.” In other words, artistic play is the human soul expressing itself into the visible and the sensible and is the divine coming to earth.
There is something about art in which it both points bring itself to something outside of itself, and also participates in the thing to which it points.[2] The art signifies something more than just sound reverberating through the air, color on a canvas, or a body moving through space. By bringing the truth to form, the piece of art also participates or symbolizes the truth. Human play participates in the divine play.
Acts 16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
Even though the world is rife with pain and suffering, Christians can play in defiance of the reign of sin and embody God’s peace. We play today as though creation has already been redeemed and restored. And through our play, the process of redemption and restoration begins.
There’s one more aspect of play that is an avenue to God. If you’ve ever played a musical instrument or a sport, you might have experienced a particular moment of perfection or excellence. Whatever you did, it felt right. You were “in the groove,” or you played effortlessly. You were in the zone.
According to Moltmann, play can bring a person “to ecstasy, to a condition where he transcends his self-consciousness and self-focus and is surprised by joy, and becomes self-forgetful for a time.”[3] In such times, we let go of anxiety, worry, fear, and surrender to the music or the game. Joy overtakes us, not because we manipulated or manufactured it, but because we let go of control.
When we play, we cannot force a particular outcome or the feeling of euphoria that accompanies success. To enjoy the game, we simply have to let go of the control, and joy comes on its own. As Witherington summarizes: the point is that play opens us up to joy, and opens us up to God, who is Joy itself.[4]
As C. S. Lewis once said: “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” And it’s in those moments of self-forgetfulness that joy can surprise us.
Reflection
Do you agree or disagree with Ryken and Hughes’ statement that art is an incarnation of truth? Explain.
How might our play begin God’s work of redemption and restoration?
Can you affirm that joy surprises you in moments of self-forgetfulness? Or is it the opposite, that joy is found when you focus on yourself?
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[1] Witherington III, 50.
[2] Witherington III, 60.
[3] Witherington III, 60.
[4] Witherington III, 61.
Day 4: Enjoyment of Play
Day 4: Enjoyment of Play
Anyone who has a hobby understands that there is a certain joy in trying to do something well and in achieving it. Many of the most enjoyable activities in life are done for their own sake and not for any monetary gain. Playing with your kids, playing a musical instrument, playing basketball at a park, playing a board game or puzzle…all these activities are meaningful in their own right. As Witherington puts it:
Like a life lived well, play when it is done well is indeed its own reward and creates joy. Every Christian needs to venture forth into play so there is at least some time in the week that is not a mere means to some other end. This is because in the Kingdom nothing will be a mere means to an end; rather, we will have arrived at the goal and end of all things where we will enjoy where we are, what we are doing, and indeed enjoy God forever. We will be caught up in love and wonder and praise in the eternal moment. It is thus right to seize and relish those moments of playful joy and joyful play now, as previews of coming attractions.[1]
In alternative terms, play prevents us from being enslaved to practicalities, profit, and productivity. Play, and the joy it brings, give us a glimpse of heaven.
Deuteronomy 5:15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day.
God commands his people to rest on the Sabbath so that they do not return back to slavery. Rest and play keep a person human.
Reflection
Describe a moment when you tried to do your hobby well, and you succeeded. What was the feeling of joy like?
How much of your week is a means to some end? Alternatively, how much of your week is spent on things that are ends in themselves?
What do you imagine it will be like when you can enjoy where you are, what you are doing, and being in God’s presence forever?
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[1] Witherington III, 64.
Day 5: Call to Joy
Day 5: Call to Joy
By Dr. Tony Petrotta, Ph.D.
It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
— C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
I suspect we all grew up playing — with dolls or “army” men, board games and computer games, in the sand, mud, or a tree, perhaps. Many of us grew up with organized sports or dancing, perhaps singing or playing an instrument.
We also associate play with leisure in our society. “Leisure” is what we do when we’re not busy, not working. “Don’t just do something, stand there!” a boss was overheard saying to a subordinate.
Below is one example where God’s playfulness comes to the surface, but we, as humans, find a way to lose the joy that God so desires for us. Jonah is the primary person for such a study, but he’s not entirely alone. Finding a way to let Joy slip away from us, unfortunately, is a human characteristic.
Read Jonah 1-2.
“One day long ago, GOD’s Word came to Jonah, Amittai’s son: ‘Up on your feet and on your way to the big city of Nineveh! Preach to them. They’re in a bad way, and I can’t ignore it any longer’” (Jonah 1:1).
Jonah, however, got up, boarded a ship, and went the other direction to Tarshish, running away from GOD. Even when God sends a storm to bring Jonah back towards Joy, he opts for being thrown in the sea instead.
Jonah chooses the sea over the call, and God chooses a Big Fish (not a whale!) to guide Jonah back to his call.
Reflection
Why would Jonah flee from God’s call? And why would Jonah choose the sea rather than the call?
Was there ever a time when you “pushed back” at a call to a ministry or a task that needed to be done for joy and human flourishing?
Where might God be calling you at this point in your ministry?
Day 6: The ‘Eucatastrophe’ of the Resurrection
Day 6: The ‘Eucatastrophe’ of the Resurrection
By Dr. Tony Petrotta, Ph.D.
Read Mark 14: 53-15:32.
There is a thoroughness to the beatings that Jesus endures that is hard for a reader to endure. And yet, the story doesn’t end with the brutality. The story ends in Resurrection.
Is this detailed telling of what Jesus endured necessary? What does it accomplish, if anything?
What strikes you about the “split scene” of Jesus being abused and Peter denying Jesus three times before the “cock crows”? Why tell that story?
Many people seemingly laugh, but is there anything humorous or joyous in this brutality?
In Scripture, there are multiple stories that carry a theme of “exile and return” — relationships that get broken but also get mended. What would the phrase “sowing of tears” mean in the context of the death and resurrection of Jesus?
J.R.R. Tolkien coined the term eucatastrophe, that is, “the sudden happy turn in a story which pierces you with a joy that brings tears.”
Reflection
Reflect on what eucatastrophe might mean. Has anything like that ever happened to you or to somebody you love?
Compare and contrast the laughter of the soldiers and crowd with Christ’s joy.
Why is the Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth cause for joy?
Day 7: Child’s Play
Day 7: Child’s Play
By Dr. “Joey” Alan Le, Ph.D.
Today’s wisdom comes from the Scottish poet and minister George MacDonald (1824–1905). He reads the story of Mary and Joseph worriedly searching for their lost son, Jesus, fearing for his life, as a lesson on childlike faith.
Read Luke 2:41-52.
48 When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” 49 He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he said to them.
Naturally, every parent would be worried sick about their missing child, especially after three days! They might have been in “great anxiety” because their boy could have been starved, shelterless, kidnapped, hurt by strangers.
But the child, Jesus, sort of shocks his parents by saying: “I’m in my Father’s house.” What does that mean?
MacDonald believes that Jesus is teaching us this first lesson: the essence of childlike faith is “nearness to the Father.”[1] We are always in our heavenly Father’s house. There is no danger because wherever we go, we are held in our Father’s arms. At no point, and in no place, are we outside our Father’s care. So, what is there to fear? Why be anxious?
If we do find ourselves anxious and worried and afraid, it is not because God is absent. Instead, it is because we do not raise our gaze to see God. Anyone who has held a wailing baby in their arms knows this truth: the loving parent is with the child all the time, “but it may be long [before] the child knows himself or herself in [their] arms.”[2] The child often cannot play carefree until they know that their parent is near. Adults can learn something about childlike faith here: joy is more present when we trust in God’s nearness.
The second lesson is this: childlike wonder brings us closer to God’s perfection. MacDonald teaches that in the Perfect — that is, God — it would be impossible for the familiar to destroy wonder at the divine.[3] We would never be bored with God’s wondrous glory. Indeed, the loss of wonder is a sign of our downfall.
English writer and lay theologian G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936) vividly shows how a child’s play is the most like God:
The thing I mean can be seen, for instance, in children, when they find some game or joke that they specially enjoy. A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.[4]
Because they have not “grown up,” children see things as if it were for the very first time. Their awe, wonder, curiosity, and imagination open them up to God’s beautiful world. Childlike wonder and the ability to play with abandon is the deepest spiritual maturity.
Reflection
What worries you, or causes you the most anxiety?
How near do you feel God on an everyday basis? If you don’t feel God nearby, what might be the obstacle?
In what ways do you see God take pleasure in sustaining creation?
Do you identify more with Chesterton’s portrait of the grown-up or the child at this point in your life?
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[1] George MacDonald, Hope of the Gospel (Public Domain, 1892).
[2] MacDonald.
[3] MacDonald.
[4] G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, 2009 ed., Moody Classics (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1908), 92.
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