Sarcy

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians4:6NIV

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians4:29NIV

I need to nail something down. Right now. My Scottish culture almost demands that you are sarcastic, and the more sarcastic you can be, the better. To soften the barbs, we find it goes by other names like, ‘a bit of fun’, ‘banter’, ‘harmless chatter’, ‘inoffensive laughs’ and the favourite, ‘everybody does it’. It doesn’t sound so bad like that, does it? However, sometimes it feels like a competition and I’m getting tired of it.

The little brother of sarcasm is irony, and there is a better place in our language for that, than for being sarcastic. Let me throw a lifeline. Done well, sarcasm can be very funny and more so when no one is affected personally. Scottish menfolk are not good at light sarcasm. It has to be full bore or not at all. In fact, the more personal you can make your sarcastic comments, that would seem to work for many. Because this is a cultural failure, the ailment has seeped into the church, and good Christians have become quite adept at the ‘art’. Social media is a favourite gallery to display your prowess’.

I wonder how Jesus views our conversations? We do have good evidence that God would prefer we didn’t sink to that level as seen in the two verses above. There are many more taken in context which would support this.

The ground has been pierced by my sword from here on. I cannot do anything to stop my friends being who they are, or holding to this kind of so called humour, but I can exert some pressure to change myself, from the inside. So, when addressed in sarcasm, whether personally or aimed at another, I will not react or respond. For my own part, it dies right there. I feel I have been here before, but each time I backslide, the worse the error of my sarcasm becomes. Is my target too high, and perhaps unattainable? I hope not because I don’t like myself when I slide back, even a little.

Sarcasm defined by the Cambridge English Dictionary: “The use of remarks that clearly mean the opposite of what they say, made in order to hurt someone's feelings or to criticize something in a humorous way.” Or how about this definition?: “the use of irony to mock or convey contempt.” ...and still the answer comes back, “..it’s only a bit of banter, a bit of fun!” Somehow I don’t see my culture changing anytime soon!

Party!

“Let’s party” seems to be the byword for a good time, and the signal that party time is the only way to have fun. The unspoken thought behind the words, at least in my culture, is that alcohol must be a part of the night’s revelry, otherwise it’s a waste of time. But does it have to be that way?

In our young, immature years, we think that some wine, beer, or spirits will unlock the door to fun, and happiness. Sadly, many have to learn the hard way that this is not true. Ask the young girl who ends up with the choice between having an unplanned baby, or an abortion. Ask the young man who has picked a fight with his best pal, and maimed him for life. Ask the nurses at A&E. Ask the Police who have to literally pick up the pieces shed on a good night out. Ask a parent who lies awake praying that their son or daughter is safe and will come home unharmed.

We can’t be too hard on our teenagers, when we remember our own youthful escapades. We may have got out of our youth unscathed physically, but many of us bear the unseen scars mentally and emotionally. That is the very reason parents, and yes grandparents too, worry for their own because they have been there, and even now may live with the uneasy consequences. So the next time your mum or dad says, “be home by …”, “stay safe” or “keep good company” or “don’t be on your own”, it’s not because they want to be a kill joy. On the contrary, they want you to avoid the pitfalls they almost fell into, and they know that the unintended bad memories stay real and vivid for a long time. Maybe for ever. So next time you hear the words, “let’s party” try to keep in mind the things that are important. The things that will outlast your years, way beyond any (bad) decision you may make for the short term. Oh, and for the record you CAN have fun and enjoy yourself without alcohol. It’s true!

“Then he said, ‘I know what I will do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger barns! I will put all my wheat and good things together in my new barns. Then I can say to myself, I have many good things stored. I have saved enough for many years. Rest, eat, drink, and enjoy life!’ “But God said to that man, ‘Foolish man! Tonight you will die. So what about the things you prepared for yourself? Who will get those things now?’ Luke 12:18-20

Wit

It’s the lowest form of wit, and used far too much in the West of Scotland in my opinion. It is seen as funny but only by those who are dishing it out, and always at the expense of another. One of the side effects of this kind of wit, is that the usual way of responding is to be as sarcastic in return. No one wins, and it is a vicious cycle which is difficult to break.

Being sarcastic can be humourous in a one way direction, but happily only ever used by those who don’t know any better, those same people who don’t like getting it back. I mean a Christian would never use it, never mind a minister, would they? This is where I have to confess to having a short fuse when it comes to sarcasm, no matter whose mouth it comes from, and lately I have been very shocked to learn that it can be used by some of the very people I expect to be above it. Christian leaders, or ministers also seem to think they are being funny, and trust me, they are not.

There are some things which would be top of your list of things to expect from a senior church figure or pastor, but I reckon sarcasm would not be one of them. After all, that would be a no-no, right? So the danger is that you only find out after the damage has been done. The fine reputation that goes before a Christian leader and preacher could be so easily lost when he opens his mouth and tries to be funny in the only way he knows how. Disaster and a loss of respect is certain. Another thing, the word is too close to ‘sar-caustic’ for my liking.

Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. Ephesians 5:4 NIV

Wide Eyed Christmas Fun

What have adults done to Christmas? We have done it a great dis-service by making it so commercial that we miss the whole point of the season. There is much rushing around, preparing our home for dinner guests, cleaning, shopping- sometimes at the last minute, and even trying to fit in that all important Christmas Carol Service, where we try to get into the spirit of the season, but all the while are worried that the turkey might be burning!

On the other hand, what about the children? Not a care in the world, except that they might dare to believe they will get the present they wish for. They are too young to be 'commercialised' or brainwashed by TV to believe that Christmas cannot be enjoyed unless they have 'everything to make themselves look good'. They know they look good anyway, and they are right. Take a look into the eyes of a child and see the fun and love, yes love, of the season. Our children today are innocent to the trappings of 'our adult' Christmas for a while, and we should enjoy it with them. They are the link to the original child of Christmas, who was born in a lowly stable of loving parents who had nothing much to give, except love, and they lavished their love on this, their baby, loaned to this world for such a short time. In that short time, this baby changed the course of the world's history, and we should be thankful.

Our children today, have the same wide eyed and loving view of the world. Who knows, some of our children might also make a difference to our world. We owe it to them, and our world, to allow these young lives to stay children for as long as they can, and as long as we can let them. They will end up like us all too soon, caught up in the trappings of our man made commercialised Christmas season.

To see more of my work, go to: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/dmmclean1/Christmas2009funandmischief#