Puppets

So I realize that this isn't the greatest picture due to the lighting and angle at which it was taken but it's a picture of a puppet Jesus which was featured at a puppet show we had brought in for our elementary campers this past week at Wesley Forrest.  And this tiny puppet led me to have a variety of thoughts which I wanted to share. 

First off, I love the fact that Jesus' hands are stretched outwards. I've seen Christ portrayed this way so many times before and yet was never struck by the duality of the posture until this week. Christ is both giving and receiving through his out stretched arms and open palms. He is giving us an invitation to come with him to a place of wholeness. To go on this crazy journey that embodies what true relationship means and what it can accomplish. But he is also receiving. Christ is receiving our prayers and praise. He is taking our burdens upon himself when we need that the most, while at the same time receiving our praises that we lavish upon him in thought, word, and action. How amazing!

But that leads me to my problem with this puppet. You can't really see from this picture, but Jesus is so unhappy. He is straight faced, while all of the other puppets showed emotion. How sad. And how inaccurate. Even those who have went through life with struggle after struggle still have smiled at least once, yet here is Jesus looking so stern. It sort of cancels out the whole idea that he is inviting us to something beautiful. What a tragic thing to be teaching kids - and adults. In addition, if this same portrayal of Christ is receiving our praise and prayers with open hands, his demeanor would give the idea that he could care less or that we are nothing more than a burden to him. When are we going to start teaching that Jesus laughed, as well as cried. He smiled, as well as was stern. He was not the monotone figurine we have made him into. 

My other issue with the puppet show didn't come until the very end, when the puppeteers came out to dance to a song. While I don't remember the exact title of the song, the lyrics' basic gist was this: Jesus arose and conquered the grave, thus making death and Satan break their strongholds on our life. I agree with that. But I did not agree with the line "And we (or he - it was hard to hear) no longer suffer" Woah, back up. Depending on the hearing of this line it either means that he (ie Jesus) no longer suffers or that we (ie his followers) no longer suffer. Both are theologically inaccurate and a poor message to be sending. Yes, when we are in Heaven on that glorious day, "every tear will be wiped away" according to scripture. But I believe that Christ still suffers today, when he grieves over his wayward children. The scripture tells us that God seeks us as a Shepard seeks a lost sheep. While I've never lost an animal, I have lost things of much lesser value which have caused me to fret. How much more does God, our Father, and Christ, our Savior, and the Holy Spirit, our comforter, suffer and struggle to bring us back when we are lost. If we present the idea that He no longer suffers, its similar to saying, he does not care about what you do or if you come Home. 

And to say that we no longer suffer is just laughable. I went to a Christian college where there was much suffering and pain. I myself have had deep struggles and all (yes, all) of my friends have suffered. Scripture does not present the idea that we currently no longer suffer. It says that we have hope. That we have someone to share the burden with us. Completely different then the idea that we don't suffer. God redeems, yes, but he does not nullify all experiences of suffering and pain.