Amusing Grace

Through him all things were made.

– John 1:3 –

If we trace the origin of all things, if we follow every good gift to its source, we end up at the feet of the Eternal Son of God, who lives face-to-face with the Father. He is The Cause, The Meaning, The Reason, The Plot, The Point of everything.

The Lord Jesus Christ is not just the founder of Christianity; He is the founder of the universe. Galaxies, cherry blossoms, waterfalls, and sunsets are not random accidents. They are His inventions. This startling realm of daily wonder was His idea. He made it from scratch.

Without using pre-existing matter (there was none), He unleashed the power of His word and pulled the universe into existence out of nowhere. First, there wasn’t, then there was. No raw material was required. The Logos gave the command, and all things came to be from nothing. Scholars call it “Ex nihilo.” We would call it the ultimate mind-blower.

His Word made worlds. As well as ... walruses, bumblebees, crunchy apples, trumpeting elephants, autumn colors, snow-clad mountains, screeching seagulls, tropical beaches, black cherries, hummingbirds, alpine wildflowers, tuxedoed penguins, cascading waterfalls, chirping crickets, and designer-made snowflakes.

Philosopher Thomas Carlyle confessed,

This world, after all our science and sciences, is still a miracle: wonderful, inscrutable, magical and more.

Winsome Critters

During our first years in the tropics of Bolivia, I was puzzled by a loud buzzing noise often heard in the early evening. I had no idea what it was and even wondered if something was wrong with the power lines. Then I discovered the source—swarms of cicadas, large insects that produce a strident deafening buzz. When swarms of them “chorus” together, the sound amplifies into an overpowering bedlam.

We had a small brown dog named Cocoa, and she found cicadas to be tasty morsels. Large numbers of these noisemakers would often descend upon a big tree in our yard and screech up a storm. Sometimes I threw a stick up into the branches, and numerous cicadas would drop to the ground. Our little dog was on top of them in an instant, filling her mouth and crunching on the noisy critters (could we call that sound bites?). It was hilarious to hear loud buzzing noises from Cocoa’s mouth as she dashed about, feasting on these noisy delicacies that had dropped from the sky.

Who is the author of all this playfulness? What kind of God would invent creatures that are frisky, comical, playful, silly, dopey, vivacious, chirpy, cheeky, frolicsome, bouncy, and prankish? He is undeniably a lover of fun. “I cannot find it in me to believe that God enjoys long faces and scowls at merriment,” concludes Madeleine L’Engle.

“All nature wears one universal grin,” observed novelist Henry Fielding.

The Divine Creator is often seen as a deity of unbending seriousness; He never cracks a smile. How did we ever come up with such an idea? The lighthearted charm of creation tells an entirely different story—our Maker has a playful streak. The inventor of such amusement is not without a keen sense of humor. He is a God of amusing grace.

A Mirthful Maker

The One who crafted this whimsical world must have greatly enjoyed the undertaking.

• He dressed up raccoons like bandits.
• He invented the playful silliness of kittens.
• He made monkeys with their mischievous antics.
• He trained mountain goats to do crazy climbing feats.
• He designed penguins who stroll in their Sunday best.

He created dogs that chase their tails, otters that play with pebbles, roosters that crow their hearts out, lizards that catch insects with their tongues, camels who spit at strangers, parrots who mock their owners, and excitable golden retrievers with floppy ears and tongues hanging out of their mouths. What kind of a God would create all that?

Helen Salsbury writes:

Dear God, we make you so solemn,

So stiff and old and staid.

How can we be so stupid

When we look at the things you’ve made?

Have you seen the silly arrogance of a llama? Have you watched squirrels playing tag? Have you heard the ridiculous bray of a donkey?

Pointless Playfulness

Creation is a mirror of God’s glory, says Scripture (Psalm 19:1). It reflects His character, the magnificent splendor of who He is. The works of His hands force us to conclude that His “glory” is not just about His power—it’s also about His playfulness.

There is a “world” dominated by evil which does not belong to me, but the world made by God, full of sunrises and meadows, snowflakes and apple cider, cherry blossoms and children's laughter—that world does belong to me, for I belong to Christ.

For all belongs to you... the world, life, death, the present and the future, and you belong to Christ.                (1 Corinthians 3:21-23 Moffat Translation)

All delightfulness, winsomeness, funniness, charm, amusement, enjoyment, pleasure, bliss, and beauty originate from this one source. He is the giver of every good gift. Did humor and wit come into the world as the result of the Fall? Clearly not. Our sense of humor reflects the character of our Maker. We were made in the image of one who evidently enjoys laughter.

Winemaking at its Best

Once, when Jesus attended a wedding in a small village called Cana, the unthinkable happened.

They ran out of wine.

The bridegroom had underestimated the capacity of his guests to consume that delightful beverage—and the supply ran dry. The miscalculation threatened to put a damper on the whole celebration. A most embarrassing situation for the hosts. It would bring major social disgrace.

The carpenter from Nazareth stepped in and saved the day. About 180 gallons of water were quietly transformed into wine. “He spoke to the water, and it blushed into wine,” said one. And no ordinary wine. It was exquisite—head and shoulders above the previous batch that ran out. The celebration regained its momentum. The Master’s hidden alchemy brought life back to a party that was about to wind down.

The Master of Ceremonies took a sip, and his eyebrows went up. Never had he tasted anything like it. He was so impressed that he called the groom and remarked:

Everybody I know begins with their finest wines, and after the guests have had their fill, brings in the cheap stuff. But you’ve saved the best till now. (John 2:10 The Message)

Making wine was the first miracle Jesus performed—a sign, according to John, that “revealed His glory” (Jn. 2:11). It put His spectacular goodness on display. He’s not a life-squelcher—He’s the life-giver. He puts songs in the heart and sets feet to dancing. He is the joy-bringer.

When Wine Flows Freely

The Old Testament prophets frequently used wine as a metaphor for the coming messianic age of blessing.

Isaiah spoke of the coming age as a sumptuous Eastern banquet, a feast of well-aged wine (Isaiah. 25:6 ESV).

Jeremiah wrote:

They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord—the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil. (Jeremiah 31:12)

Joel declared (2:24):

The vats will overflow with new wine and oil.

Amos predicted (9:13):

New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills.

Wine will flow like a river!

Obviously, this has nothing to do with drunkenness and insobriety. It has everything to do with fullness of joy, abundance, and blessing under God’s favor.

An Ancient Shortage

The fact is, wine ran out in this world long before the wedding in Cana. It ran out in the Garden of Eden when sin invaded the world. Joy and blessing have been in short supply ever since. When Christ shows up and mass-produces wine at a wedding, what is He saying? There’s important symbolism here. He was picking up a well-known prophetic theme and was essentially announcing, “The long-awaited messianic age has arrived. The time of God’s joy, blessing, and favor has come, the time for an outpouring of divine grace. Come and feast at the banquet of the Kingdom. The celebration has begun.”

“Joy is the rarest and most infrequent thing in the world. We already have enough fanatical seriousness, enthusiasm, and humorless zeal in the world…” writes Karl Barth. “When we have found God our Savior – or when He has found us – we will rejoice in Him.”

When this Messiah finishes writing the final chapter of our planet, it will be heart-stopping. The supreme cause for wonder. God’s epic story culminates in the greatest banquet of all.

You can count on it—the best wine will be left to the last.

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Bio: Jurgen Schulz is a Canadian missionary from Victoria, B.C., who, along with his wife Wendy, has served in Bolivia for over forty years. He is currently an instructor at the Seminario Bíblico Evangélico in the Andean city of La Paz, Bolivia. 

You can read more about the ministries of Jurgen and Wendy at this link on the MSC website.

This excerpt is from Jurgen’s book, What Story Have We Fallen Into?, which you can purchase at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indigo, and other stores.

Photo credit: image via Peakpx