Happy April Fools’ Day!!!
Actually, I’m just fooling with you – I couldn’t care less about April Fools’ Day.
I did a little research (Wikipedia) and found out that there’s not really any set origin for April Fools’ Day. There’s a possible reference to it in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, which I was supposed to read in high school but never did. I do regularly watch A Knight’s Tale, though, so I’m sure that more than makes up for missing out on one of the most influential works in the English language.
Quickly, as an aside, I absolutely love A Knight’s Tale; I loved it before Heath Ledger died. I think that the movie is absolutely ridiculous and I wince every time the crowd starts singing Queen. Whenever I’m close to writing the movie off, though, the dancing scene to Bowie’s “Golden Years” brings me back.
So even though there is no real solid origin for April Fools’ Day, here we are on April 1st wondering what tricks, if any, will be played on us. No one enjoys being on the receiving end of an April Fools’ joke. We’d much rather be the ones playing the joke. Nobody wants to be a fool.
And it may seem like a Jesus Juke but it’s hard not to think about Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1 on April Fools’ Day.
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. – 1 Corinthians 1:27
In spite of this annoyingly insufferable holiday, it’s still not that bad to be a little foolish. Sometimes when I think about Jesus and how I’ve set him as the foundation for my life, I can’t help but feel a little foolish.
I saw a friend from high school this week who is now a lawyer. She told me about some other people from our graduating class who are also lawyers. In that moment I felt a little foolish for being a pastor. I could have gone to law school or gotten an MBA. But instead I went to seminary and now spend my days working on church strategy and how to get students to better love Jesus. And compared to lawyers and doctors and corporate big shots, my job seems a little foolish.
I just need to trust that God doesn’t see things that way. I need to trust that even though I feel foolish sometimes, God can and will use me. I just need to be open and avail myself to his will and desire. I may be a fool, but at least I’m a fool in the kingdom of God. I’d much rather think about that truth today, than spend my time thinking up tricks to play on other people.
Happy April Fools’ Day. Go be a fool for God’s kingdom.
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