OK, so this one is Erin’s fault; I got along exploring her blog after her response (which I very much appreciated) to the meme I started, and ran across her post on foolishness and God. Apparently it’s part of a synchroblog that she and some other folks have going; but while I might not resonate with this in the same way as they do, this is something with which I resonate powerfully nonetheless. It begins with Jesus, God’s designated Fool; and it ends with us, his designated fools. I’ll talk about that tomorrow. For now, I want to let Michael Card do the talking, because I’ve always loved this song.
God’s Own Fool
It seems I’ve imagined Him all of my life
As the wisest of all of mankind;
But if God’s holy wisdom is foolish to men,
He must have seemed out of His mind.
For even His family said He was mad,
And the priests said, “A demon’s to blame”;
But God in the form of this angry young man
Could not have seemed perfectly sane.When we in our foolishness thought we were wise,
He played the fool and He opened our eyes;
When we in our weakness believed we were strong,
He became helpless to show we were wrong.
And so we follow God’s own fool,
For only the foolish can tell;
Believe the unbelievable—
Come, be a fool as well.So come lose your life for a carpenter’s son,
For a madman who died for a dream,
And you’ll have the faith His first followers had,
And you’ll feel the weight of the beam.
So surrender the hunger to say you must know,
Have the courage to say, “I believe,”
For the power of paradox opens your eyes
And blinds those who say they can see.ChorusWords and music: Michael Card
© 1985 Mole End Music
From the album Scandalon, by Michael Card
More tomorrow.
Thanks for the link. I haven’t heard that song…but it brings to mind how foolish things of God can seem to the unaware.
You’re quick. 🙂 I would say, though, that it’s not just to the unaware. How could it be otherwise, really? If God is big enough to be God, how could he be small enough to make perfect sense to anyone as small as we are?
BTW, I love Portland, though I haven’t been there in ages (not since our honeymoon, actually). What part of the area do you live in?
Sorry I’m late following up on this…must have missed it.
I agree with you about God being too big for any of us to really get Him. I think what I meant is even the desire to know God seems foolish to some.
We live in outer NE near Gresham. Why did you honeymoon in Portland of all places?
Ahh–good point.
And we didn’t honeymoon in Portland, precisely, but we passed through it. Bit of a long story.