Go play.

Go play.

There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.
—Psalm 104

sport. v. to amuse oneself : frolic
—Merriam Webster

God is playful. God plays and so God’s people can play too. We talk about God’s work and our work and often carry around a sense of stuffy self-importance or just plain burden. Work. Ugh. But the psalms offer a different perspective on God’s “work,” specifically the “work” of creation—God made sea monsters for the fun of it!

I confess I carry a certain amount of “what will people think?” anxiety about confirmation classes. A good bit of the time we’re together we’re simply playing cards. We play. We tease each other. We talk about youTube and school drama. Would anyone believe that in these moments we’re “doing God’s work”?

Take delight in the Lord, and God will give you the desires of your heart.
—Psalm 37

delight. n. a high degree of gratification or pleasure : joy
—Merriam Webster

I attended Cornell University, the Ivy League school in upstate New York. While I was there, I was surprised to learn that many came to Cornell not because they wanted to but because they couldn’t get into Harvard. And into this over-worked, over-achieving, wealth- and status-anxious culture, my campus pastor would speak a word of subversive, liberating grace: “Go play.”

Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
—Nehemiah 8

I gotta go. My son wants to play video games with me.

Return to the Lord. Go play.

Thanks be to God.

Pastor Clark Olson-Smith

This was originally posted on April 25, 2022.