Last night at the Wednesday Huddle we had a great time being entertained by a whole lot of little ghosts and and bats and cats, one very large pumpkin head and a host of other characters. It never ceases to amaze me how much little kids like Halloween. Every year I need to be reminded that children get such joy out of dressing up and pretending to be someone else. Ok, there is the candy, but that is not what I want to talk about today.
There was this one kid who had the best Batman costume I’ve ever seen. Take a look at it here. He has the mask down, that is a real utility belt around his waist, even his shoes are covered with something that looks to me like bat boots. I suspected I know who was underneath the bat mask because his sidekick Robin didn’t wear a mask and they acted like brothers.
But here is the thing: Batman acted nothing like the kid I thought was behind the mask. That kid is a bit shy and keeps to himself. Batman was all about telling me about his outfit and what Batman was going to do to Robin if he didn’t leave him alone. The kid I know waits as patiently for his slice of pizza as any kid I’ve ever seen. Batman got right in line with all the other Bat Girls and Bats and Robin’s. I think it was a very good thing for this kid to be Batman for a few hours and experience what it might be like to be someone different.
I’m not a big fan of Halloween. I’ve never been into the scary part of it all. I get scared enough driving on I-494 N. But I will say that it’s good for everyone to once in a while take a break from ourselves and imagine what another kind of life could be like. In many ways, that is the invitation that the faith of being a follower of Jesus Christ offers us.
Now I’m not saying that you are going to find out what it means to be closer to God by putting on a costume and pretending to be someone else for a few hours or days. I am saying that sometimes we find the kind of life that so often eludes us when we put aside our reservations and try it on for size for a while.
It’s sometimes a fine line between what is true for our lives and what we wish our lives could become. This got me to thinking about a quote from Frederick Buechner that often consoles me when I’m feeling more like the shy child than Batman.
Sometimes wishing is the wings the truth comes true on.
Sometimes the truth is what sets us wishing for it.
May you God lead you to find a way of imagining what your life could be.
Keep the Faith,
Pastor Dan
There was this one kid who had the best Batman costume I’ve ever seen. Take a look at it here. He has the mask down, that is a real utility belt around his waist, even his shoes are covered with something that looks to me like bat boots. I suspected I know who was underneath the bat mask because his sidekick Robin didn’t wear a mask and they acted like brothers.
But here is the thing: Batman acted nothing like the kid I thought was behind the mask. That kid is a bit shy and keeps to himself. Batman was all about telling me about his outfit and what Batman was going to do to Robin if he didn’t leave him alone. The kid I know waits as patiently for his slice of pizza as any kid I’ve ever seen. Batman got right in line with all the other Bat Girls and Bats and Robin’s. I think it was a very good thing for this kid to be Batman for a few hours and experience what it might be like to be someone different.
I’m not a big fan of Halloween. I’ve never been into the scary part of it all. I get scared enough driving on I-494 N. But I will say that it’s good for everyone to once in a while take a break from ourselves and imagine what another kind of life could be like. In many ways, that is the invitation that the faith of being a follower of Jesus Christ offers us.
Now I’m not saying that you are going to find out what it means to be closer to God by putting on a costume and pretending to be someone else for a few hours or days. I am saying that sometimes we find the kind of life that so often eludes us when we put aside our reservations and try it on for size for a while.
It’s sometimes a fine line between what is true for our lives and what we wish our lives could become. This got me to thinking about a quote from Frederick Buechner that often consoles me when I’m feeling more like the shy child than Batman.
Sometimes wishing is the wings the truth comes true on.
Sometimes the truth is what sets us wishing for it.
May you God lead you to find a way of imagining what your life could be.
Keep the Faith,
Pastor Dan
RSS Feed
