The Serious Business of Having Fun

Guilt.  Serious.  Boring. 

I wonder if it’s too much of a stretch to suggest that these might be the top three expectations of an unchurched person who dares attend a church on Sunday.  (Perhaps with a little judgment on the side.)

One of the last things a first-time visitor to church would expect to experience is “fun.”  And yet, I believe fun can be just as engaging as serious, if not more. 

Granted, the work of the church is very serious.  After all, we’re talking about eternity.  On the other hand, while our work is very serious, we should never take ourselves too seriously. 

Having fun in church reflects three truths:

1.    God loves us.  (If this is true, which I believe it is, shouldn’t the outpouring of this truth be joy, fun and hope?  Why do we equate spiritual depth with sour faces?)

2.    God has a sense of humor.  (You and I are living proof of God’s sense of humor, aren’t we?)

3.    Our future belongs with Jesus.  (This truth alone should shake away the pretentious religiosity surrounding many of our churches.)

One of my favorite quotes about fun and creativity comes from a rather smart chap named Albert Einstein: “Creativity is intelligence having fun.”

I saw an example of this from our staff on Sunday.  We closed out the “Staying in Love” series by counting down the “Top Five Cheesiest Love Song Videos of All-Time.”  We finished the list by actually performing one of the songs live – Separate Ways by Journey.  (I love that song, by the way.)  Lauren Espy, who serves on our Service Programming Team, not only made a T-shirt for Sam to wear which was identical to the one Steve Perry wore in the Journey video, but she also found him a mullet wig. 

 

(In the photo, Sam is getting his mullet wig straightened by Kristen Franklin prior to the 9 am service.)

I LOVE this.  Our staff loves having fun.  I love that about them!! The volunteers love to have fun.  I love that about our volunteers!!  And the church ate it up on Sunday.  Buckhead Church loves to have fun. (Yes, I love that about our church!!)

But we’re not alone.  I think God loves it too.  I think God enjoys it when His children have fun.  In those moments, we reflect His goodness, joy, creativity and presence.

Maybe the world would listen a bit closer to us if we stopped taking ourselves so seriously.  Maybe they would pay attention to us if the joy came out of us more often instead of the seriousness. 

For sure, seriousness has its place.  But we shouldn’t take for granted the serious place that fun should have in the church.

Jeff

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