Everything in the world seems to overwhelm us with its seriousness. As a child learning to read, my father, who subscribed to three newspapers a day when the Nation’s Capital had three real newspapers a day, the Post, Times Herald, and the Evening Star, used the comics to help me with reading. Alas! Comic pages are disappearing.
Most of us had comics in our daily newspapers and a whole section on Sunday, but with the growth of digital news, they are disappearing. Should we mourn their loss? Some of them had personages that became cultural icons, like Peanuts, whose characters provided insights into human behavior and a book: The Gospel According to Peanuts.
In one strip, Linus builds a sandcastle to have it washed away, and muses, “There’s a lesson to be learned here, but I don’t know what it is.” In another, Linus asks Snoopy, “Doesn’t it bother you that the Bible doesn’t speak very highly of dogs?” “Sure,” replies Snoopy, “but I just turn the other muzzle.” The Gospel can appear in unsurprising places, to be sure.
Prayer for the Day
Searching for your Gospel, Lord, we expect it in the certain places,
But you surprise us when we see it in places we don’t anticipate;
Seeking to find a pathway to living your call to caring for others,
Let us not turn aside from the ordinary around us.
Grant, O Lord, that we see your Gospel written in the faces of people,
And may we respond to those who need our care and help.
In the name of the One who is the face of your Gospel,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect.
- Oscar Wilde, British dramatist and poet (1844-1900)
Sometimes when we pray for guidance, we’re guided in unexpected directions. We may want a lofty answer and we get the intuition to clean our bedroom. It seems so humble and picky that you don’t necessarily think of it as spiritual guidance.
- Julia Cameron, American teacher and writer
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream,
Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongues with shouts of joy;
And the it was said among all people, “The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.
Psalm 126: 1-3