In honor of today and yesterday's OSU win, our church secretly played a video of our pastor making a complete fool of himself during an OSU game. The entire service witnessed his dancing like a lunatic. Of course he tied it in to 2 Samuel, but the damage had been done, and it took a little while for the congregation to settle.
It got me thinking about foolishness. Is there an element of dignity in the foolish? Leads one to define dignity. Of course, there's the dignity that you can't take away from Whitney Houston. There's the dignity of Britney Spears. There's (supposedly) a dignity in winning at something and also at losing at something (I disagree with that. I'm from the Larry Bird school of thought). The dignity of the martyr. The dignity of the soldier. There's the dignity of King David.
In some sense of dignity, I suppose there's the element of doing something someone would consider foolish.
Today is also Palm Sunday.
There is another image of dignity I'm left with.
A dignity unto death.
5 comments:
Ah, the foolishness of the Cross, a necessity for all accepted by far less.
well said - both of you
Oh and there is a certain irony to the Palm Sunday story, but I'm not sure if I have quite touched it yet. That he showed the dignity of riding into jerusalem like a king yet he is riding a donkey, and the people think he is going to be king, but they think he is going to be an earthly king rather than their heavenly king.
that might have only made since in my head.
Actually Sam, I think you're right this time. Jesus' actions were deeply ironic, and if we allow them to be, they are just as subversive today as they were back then. That is one thing that the gospel writers certainly did well - challenge the common notions of what it means to be "saved."
Excellent observation Sam!
The donkey, at one time in the OT was the animal of choice for a king (Judges) and it was an animal of peace. Those who saw Jesus coming into Jerusalem knew what this meant. And they were not happy!
Great observation Sam!
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