The Making of a Fool

Sermon by Lyda Pierce

August 5, 2007

SCRIPTURE: I Cor. 1:20-30and 3:18                            

(Lyda appears with all in all off-white robe, hair in a white banana, face bare)

One summer when I was in college I earned money by picking pineapples in Hawaii. One Hawaiian word I remember is: Haulee. The Hawaiians women I worked with called me, haulee. I was told that it means death-breath. Basically, that they were saying that I was too white, too pale... that I looked something dead, even like a skeleton, but I was breathing.

(Lyda puts on white face during this part of the message)

White faced clowns are haulees... the white represents the bare skull or death. No wonder children are often afraid of white faced clowns!

Some would say that to put on white face is to die to myself. I would say the white face is to die to my self-centeredness, and to all the masks I put on to hide behind. The white face is an image of getting down to the bare bones of who I really am–the self God created me to be.

(Face needs to be all white before continuing. During the following section of the sermon Lyda applies colors to make a clown face.)

But death is not the end of the story.  The bare bones took on life again.. Spring follows winter and crocuses begin to bloom, sometimes when there is still snow on the ground. Jesus rose from the dead

So–to the white face I add colors, I put on new life, hope, joy– I put on new life in Christ.

“Saint Francis called ....himself a clown for God.   He realized that he was so in love with God that it was ridiculous.  He did many foolish things.   Once he took off all his clothes in front of the whole town and the bishop. [He got down to the bare bones— ] .....

People laughed at St. Francis  they thought he was a fool.  But, instead of a badge of shame Francis took this as a badge of honor.  He agreed he was ridiculous in his love for God.

(Somewhere in here Lyda takes off robe to reveal bright clown clothes, and puts on a red wig.)

...When you think about it, ... anyone who is truly in love with God is a clown of sorts.  Consider some of the major characters of the Bible.  It makes for quite of list of surprisingly clownish people.  If you ever find yourself trying to explain the Bible to people who have never heard of any of the stories it starts sounding quite strange.

There is Noah, building an ark in the middle of the desert. ...

Then there is Moses, a murderer with a stutter, who confronts the Pharaoh and commands him to “Let my people go!” 

Abraham and Sara have a child in old age – really old age -90 and 100 years old. 

Job made a habit of arguing with God. 

Jacob wrestled all night with a shadow, or an angel, or something and ended up getting his hip out of joint.

The New Testament is no better. .....

Jesus challenged the respected leaders of the temple and he hung out with the scum: tax collectors, prostitutes, the poor, the children. He was called a king, but only had a borrowed donkey to mount when he rode into Jerusalem. He organized a Passover dinner and he served bread to the one who would turn him in to the authorities later that night.

Then God played the ultimate practical joke by raising Jesus from the dead, and letting his followers discover an empty tomb. 

And this clown, this foolish figure who didn’t know how to behave properly and wouldn’t even stay dead is who we follow some 2000 years later. We must be fools too.

Today, we remember that last Passover meal that Jesus had by celebrating. We give thanks, bless the bread and the juice and then share it, giving everyone a crumb of bread and a sip of juice that won’t fill anyone up! 

We talk about gathering around the table but our table is too small, so we line up like up and receive the bread one by one..

We talk about the bread being the body of Christ and the juice being his blood– Yuk. That is gross if we really think about it.

Are we hungry for bread? Are we hungry to be part of the bread that feeds the world?

Do you love God enough to risk being a fool? To help build the kingdom where there is bread for all? What a wild, crazy dream. Only a fool in love would live their life based on that hope.

Look around and see a lot of fools right here, different kinds: clowns, magicians, jesters, prophets, absent-minded professors, and general fools.

There are different kinds of clowns. Some speak, and some are....(“silent” indicated by a finger placed on the lips—the rest of the service, including communion and the blessing, takes place without spoken words from the pastor using movement).