I have enjoyed over the last few days smiling at Jane Austen's humour in 'Northanger Abbey', the authoress' (does one use that word nowadays?) first book. Not so polished as her later works, it is perhaps her most humorous- at least, to this untutored mind. Maybe Jane Austen in the popular stereotype does not come with humour attached to her writing, but believe me, it does have its moments.
I guess the same goes for Jesus. Surrounded, rightly, by so much reverence, a laughing Jesus seems out of place, possibly unthinkable, but put 'laughing Jesus' into google, and numbers of images come up- and it's not just a simper or chuckle from Our Lord, but what appears to be a hearty and enjoyable laugh. But then, he has a fine sense of the ridiculous; camels going through the eyes of needles comes to mind.
If ever someone was pigeon-holed, it was, is, Jesus. But if he entered fully into our humanity, as orthodox Christianity has insisted on, then laughter, along with a whole host of stuff normally not admitted -because of over-pious reverence- comes into play. And this enables us to address him as our brother- perhaps not the most popular of Jesus' titles or attributes, but one that brings him nearer in our frail humanity. In Lent, which we have just begun, we who have been ashed last Wednesday, have heard the injunction to 'turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ'. This brother is our helper in that task.
I hope that in many ways he will be with you this week- maybe even to laugh together.
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