Smile, it’s Good News!
A friend of my used to wind me up by calling me ‘smiler’. This was, and is, not because I have a glorious smile on my face all the time. In fact quite the opposite, my face struggles to indicate how I feel inside. Nevertheless, I have been, and still are, on a journey of changing that.
Given that, I am struggling this evening with the difficulty we have with smiling in Church. In particular, around specific seasons of joy, at least on paper anyway. I have been to a few advent / carol services over the years and only one, perhaps two, remain in my mind as joyful occasions. The rest have been at best sombre and at worst dire and misserable! Partly due to the choice of hymns/songs/carols, but mainly due the the lack of smiles.
It seems that the training given to leaders, choirs and those reading is similar to that given to the Queens Guard!! Who are not meant to interact with the teasing public, their are not meant to smile! The contrast was particularly noticeable this evening because the children’s choir where also taking part and children can’t help but smile when there is a sea of parents and grandparents smiling right back at them from the pews.
My journey of smiling has reached the point where I actually look forward to advent, and indeed Christmas festivities. The ‘bah-humbug’ approach is becoming a thing of the past. A journey helped enormously by my joy-filled wife and my joy-filled 3 children. Having got this far on my smile journey I am determined not to let dull and dire services put me off!
Apologies to anyone reading this who thinks or knows that they were involved in one of the advent / carol services I am referring to. But I have to say: Beautiful singing, and indeed words [I did encounter God this evening], but smile, this is good news we have.