The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
[John 10:10]
Another song from the soundtrack of The Greatest Showman is ‘Come Alive’, where Barnum sings to all the various ‘misfits’ from society encouraging them to embrace their lives and join his circus show. Although his motives may not have been completely pure at this point in the film, it has a profound affect on the characters who have spent their lives hidden because they are ‘different’.
In today’s world, to be a Christian is often to be different. We are called to be who we are in the world, to be confident in our God, much as those characters in the film were confident in Barnum. That confidence changed their lives, and they started to really live. For us as Christians, being who we are is often not what others think of us – goody two shoes, holier-than-thou, etc; it is to be who we are, and to have fun. In John’s gospel, Jesus said that he came to give life to the full – a life that was full of joy and sorrow, laughter and tears, mourning and dancing. We need to be openly showing both sides of the Christian life to all we meet.
Graham Kendrick’s hymn ‘Teach me to dance to the beat of your heart’ (Singing the Faith 477) is a great song with a lively beat, reminding us to find joy in our faith and happiness in our walk with God. I’m sure you will have hymns or Bible readings that you find uplifting and joy bringing. I encourage you to spend a little time listening to or reading them, to remind yourself of your joy in the Lord, the joy that makes you come alive.
God of fun and laughter,
we thank you for all that brings a smile to our faces,
for everything that makes our hearts light,
that makes us soar.
We thank you for all that brings us joy and makes us feel alive.
Help us to spend more time on joy,
on being fully alive in you and in our world.
Amen
You can download this Prayer for the Week here
Prayers for August 2019 by Revd Claire Rawlinson
Image: photo by Mitchell Orr on Unsplash
