Current Events Monday: Go Fly a Kite
Did Jesus have fun? The way that some theological scholars talk, you’d think that our Lord was one of the biggest killjoys of all time. The biblical narrative however sheds some light on how Jesus spent at least some of his spare time. For instance, we know that Jesus attended boisterous weddings (John 2), regularly attended parties/feasts (Luke 5), enjoyed time visiting with close friends (Luke 10), goofed around with children (Matthew 19), and basically cared less about the cultural pecking order at formal meals (Luke 14). Jesus sounds like an intensely interesting, disarming character who knew when to get serious and when to have fun. More specifically, Jesus understood how to rest.
With all the sobering news coming at us, it is helpful for us to unplug at times. In fact, God designed our bodies to rest and regenerate. There is no one except the Lord who can bear all of our burdens all of the time. Consequently, I was heartened by seeing that 40,000 people showed up to Zilker Park this weekend for Austin’s 93rd Annual Kite Fest.
You can read about it here: Thousands gather at Zilker Park for ABC Kite Fest 2022 (statesman.com)
In both the Old and New Testaments, we get some instructions about resting. A “Sabbath” simply refers to rest or even recreation. The word we use for recreation today is quite similar. It stems from a 14th century AD French term for experiencing refreshment, amusement, or undoing/untwisting one’s self when we get high strung. In other words, a healthy balance of work and play keeps us energized to meet the ongoing, intense challenges of daily life. Jesus himself said that the Sabbath was made for human beings (Mark 2:27), meaning that we are not to be legalistic about “trying to get some rest.” Rather, we are to accept rest as a gift from God. It’s ok to take an afternoon off to fly a kite!
We could likely agree that more time set aside for rest and worship would do us all some good. The frenetic pace of life today leaves us hurried, frazzled, and sleep deprived. Let’s take a lesson then from the way of Jesus. If even he took time to rest, then we surely need to follow in his footsteps.