Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. [James 1:16-17 (CSB)]
I began my prayer with the words of John Baille found in A Diary of Private Prayer. He opened the prayer by praising the “Lord and Maker of all things” for things like “the life that stirs within me” and “the bright and beautiful world around me.” But it was the inclusion of “all you have given me to fill my hours of leisure…music and books and good company and all the harmless and delightful pleasures” that gave me pause. How often do we offer praise and thanksgiving for “leisure” and the “delightful pleasures” of life? Do we regularly praise and thank Him for the taste of strawberries, the scent of lilacs, the joy of making love, napping in a hammock on a summer day, enjoying a latte and a fresh-baked almond croissant, completing a sudoku or crossword puzzle, a good workout at the gym, a game of mahjong or golf with friends, snuggling on the sofa with the cat, eating s’mores around a campfire, playing Crazy 8’s or Uno with the kids, binge watching Netflix on a rainy day, or warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream? Each of us has our favorite leisure activities and sources of pleasure and yet pleasure is not one of the words typically associated with Christian belief. In fact, many consider pleasures to be the devil’s tool used to keep us from a godly life!
“I know we won many a soul through pleasure!” writes senior demon Screwtape when advising his nephew Wormwood on ways to capture a young man’s soul in C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. Screwtape, however, clarifies that pleasure was God’s invention and reluctantly admits that, “all our research so far has not enabled us to produce one!” The elder demon explains that God “has filled His world full of pleasures. There are things for humans to do all day long without Him minding in the least – sleeping, washing, eating, drinking, making love, playing, praying, working.” Because pleasure is God’s work, the demons’ job isn’t to introduce pleasure but to encourage their victims to take pleasure in ways, degrees, or at times that God (“the enemy”) has forbidden. Screwtape makes clear that, “Everything has to be twisted before it is any use to us.”
Our God-given pleasures are useless to our enemy until he has falsified, warped, distorted, perverted, or misrepresented them in some way. Evil is not found in the pleasure; the evil is in its abuse! When twisted, any pleasure can move into sin territory—relaxing can become laziness and sloth, love can become lust, the joy of sex can get perverted or exploited, the satisfaction of achievement or mastery can slip into pride or obsession, the delight in something new can become an increasing demand for novelty, and the enjoyment of food and drink can become gluttony and drunkenness. Satan’s job is to distort and corrupt our pleasure in such a way that our enjoyment diminishes while our craving increases. When he perverts and distorts God’s gifts of pleasure, Satan’s victims get nothing in return!
Our good God has given us nothing that isn’t good and our faith proclaims the goodness of His world. We have been blessed with the ability to enjoy God’s gifts of pleasure—let us honor Him by being as happy as we can in the delights of every day. On the other hand, we also have been called to be people of prudence and moderation. While pleasure is God’s department, the misuse of it is Satan’s! We have not been given license to enjoy God’s pleasures outside of His law. We are not to indulge in destructive, warped, or excessive pleasures nor are we to neglect our responsibilities for the sake of pleasure. Most important, we are never to love the blessings of pleasure more than we love the One who blessed us with them! Having duly noted these warnings, let us honor the Lord by finding pleasure in His everyday gifts!
There are but two lessons for Christians to learn: the one is to enjoy God, in everything; the other is to enjoy everything, in God. [Charles Simeon]
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. [1 Corinthians 10:31 (CSB)]
This is the day the Lord has made; let’s rejoice and be glad in it. [Psalm 118:24 (CSB)]
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Today’s socks tell me, “I am perfectly made” and remind me of Psalm 139’s affirmation that, “I have been remarkably and wondrously made.” All of my low-cut athletic socks have pithy affirmations woven into the toes. Depending on what pair I choose, I’m reminded that I have hope or that I’m loved, brave, strong, grateful, kind, powerful, blessed, or thankful. My favorite pair, however, tell me, “I am with you always!” It may seem silly, but there are times, especially during difficult days, when I recall the day’s affirmation on my feet and I stand a little more assuredly.
Found in almost every Roman Catholic church (and some Protestant and Orthodox ones), are the Stations of the Cross—a series of fourteen icons or carvings on the walls—each of which depict a moment in the Passion of Christ. Created to help people contemplate the events leading up to Christ’s crucifixion, they start with His death sentence from Pilate and end with His dead and battered body being laid in the tomb. Because Good Friday and Jesus’ death aren’t the end of the story, some churches have begun adding the resurrected Christ as a 15th station.
“Alleluia” (or “Hallelujah”), like “Amen,” is a word familiar throughout Christendom. Meaning “Praise the Lord,” it is the transliteration of the Hebrew hallel, meaning to shine, be boastful, praise, or rejoice and Yah, an abbreviated form of the name of the Lord: YHWH (Yahweh/Jehovah). Although two distinct words, they were consistently written as one (halleluyah). In the Old Testament, this extraordinary word occurs only in Psalms. Usually found at the beginning, halleluyah was an imperative call to praise or boast in the Lord—a call to shine a light upon Him! Whether we spell this beautiful word the Latin way as “alleluia” or the Greek way as “hallelujah,” the meaning is the same. Many modern translations simply translate it as “Praise the Lord!”
What would you do if you were six and your father said that your mom is in the hospital because she finds it hard to be happy and “did something stupid”? That question is answered in Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe’s one-act play, Every Brilliant Thing. In their play, that boy, now a grown man, tells the audience that he made of list of everything that was “brilliant” about the world—everything worth living for—and left it on his mother’s pillow. Reflecting a six-year old’s priorities, the list included ice cream, Kung-Fu movies, laughing so hard you shoot milk out your nose, burning things, construction cranes, and “me.” Although she returns the list with its spelling corrected, the boy’s mother never comments on it. Nevertheless, he keeps adding to his list. Although his mother eventually takes her life, the narrator tells how his list took on a life of its own and eventually saved him from his own depression and suicidal thoughts.
Unfortunately, much of our Advent season is not spent joyfully looking forward to celebrating the birth of the Christ child. In hope of finding the perfect gift for everyone on our list, we pore over catalogues and search for sales and coupons. Either we fight for parking spots at the mall and spend hours standing in line or spend those hours sitting at the computer while shopping on line! We then fret and fuss over wrapping those gifts, mailing packages and Christmas cards, hosting and attending parties, baking cookies, making travel arrangements, decorating the house, preparing holiday dinners, and paying the ever-mounting bills. When we say, “Merry Christmas!” we might find ourselves mumbling a Scrooge-like “Bah! Humbug” under our breath! Instead of looking forward to Christmas with anticipation, there are times we can’t wait until it’s all over and done.
