The Funny Book of Love...

The Book of Love

The book of love is long and boring
No one can lift the damn thing

It's full of charts and facts and figures
And instructions for dancing

But I....I love it when you read to me
And you...You can read me anything

The book of love has music in it
In fact that's where music comes from

Some of it is just transcendental
Some of it is just really dumb

But I...I love it when you sing to me
And you...You can sing me anything

The book of love is long and boring
And written very long ago

It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes
And things we're all too young to know...

But I...I love it when you give me things
And you...You ought to give me wedding rings

And I...I love it when you give me things
And you...You ought to give me wedding rings

And I...I love it when you give me things
And you...You ought to give me wedding rings

You ought to give me wedding rings

-Steven Merrit (The Magnetic Fields)

One of my favorite songs, you may remember it from the closing episode of Scrubs...Peter Gabriel did a cover version of it that he sings with his daughter Melanie...great song, youtube it...

Anyway...why would I post a song like this?

Because I think it highlights one of the more obscure aspects of God almost no one talks about...

His sense of humor...

The song is really kind of sarcastic...which is a fun kind of humor, its actually one I really enjoy.

So yes I am suggesting that God is quite sarcastic...

I believe that every kind of humor there is... finds its origin in God...

Sarcasm, slapstick, puns, riddles, jokes and just plain ol' goofiness...

I think Gods humor is always wrapped in love, which is kind of the way I feel about this song, it comes across with a bit of an acid tongue, describing loves book as so damn heavy no one can pick it up...but then the song goes on to call out for love in every verse..."you can read me anything"...

If you look at the story where God has lunch with Abraham and tells him that the promised son will be here next year, and Sarah laughs there is a cool play on what happens....God says "Why did you laugh Sarah?"...She says "I did not laugh..." and God says "Oh but you did!"....


...

...you did laugh at my joke didn't you?...

"No I did not laugh"....

"Sure you did..." and I think as God tells her this that God himself is laughing...

It really is kind of an amazing joke...a woman well past menopause is now going to have a baby...

I wonder if she had to go through menopause again?...I wonder how Abraham handled it?

...really when you think about it, it is kind of hilarious...but here's the punch line...

They named the promised son "laughter"...

I am discovering this incredible tension of Gods abundant amazing love wrapped up in laughter and joy and the burden of the human heart as I come in contact with Him.

Of late I have been praying a lot...many hours at a time...and God is ALWAYS in a good mood when I meet with Him...

But my heart is heavy...

So heavy...

Even in His Presence where there is fullness of joy, I am experiencing a heaviness that is partnered with laughter...its kind of freakin me out...

Its funny and tearful all at once...

I have no model or template for this...

I am completely at rest in His Presence, I am completely at home there...it is my greatest addiction right now...I long for His Presence and run to pray at the end of every work day...


...but when I get there...it is so heavy...maybe its the weight of Glory I have no idea...

Maybe its transformation...

Whatever it is...its funny...and heavy at the same time...

It's showing me Gods incredible sense of humor, its funny and serious, hilarious and heavy, beautiful and bold, all at the same time...

God has a divine sense of humor...and He wants you to laugh with Him so He can tell you the punch line...which is your greatest desire He will fulfill...but ya gotta laugh at His jokes...

I'm laughing and crying all the time now...

"But I...I love it when you give me things"