Play On

I finally did it.

As I left my house this past Monday, I said, “I’m going to work” and then arrived at the Strong Museum of Play.

For work.

I don’t think that means that I’m technically an employee of the Museum of Play, but for a brief period that place was functionally my office.

Church can be boring. Ask anyone under the age of ten. Ask anyone who has ever been under the age of ten. Ask anyone who has ever sat through a single church meeting at any point in their lives. Church can be a boring place.

But it doesn’t have to be. We know church can be a place of celebration. The songs we sing on Christmas and Easter are brash and brassy, a joyful place of good news. If church doesn’t have to be boring, then why is it so often the case?

I would argue that it is because churches, as a general statement, are not particularly interested in having fun. Sure, they’ll put together a strawberry festival every year, but that’s more about providing fun for the community than it is about fun for the church. VBS can be fun, but once a year is not nearly frequently enough. Instead, we get the same worship service week after week. We know what will happen in church because it was and ever shall be. Sit, stand, listen, sing, say what you’re told to, sit, and leave. I’m not saying that a traditional worship is wrong. Not at all. I love traditional worship and I love the way the ritual grounds us in community. But eventually, ritual becomes habit, and habit becomes background noise.

But what if church was fun? What if church decided to meet at a museum dedicated to the incredible gift of having fun? What if we had a dog in church every Sunday?* What if we grew food and enjoyed the quiet enjoyment of gardening? What if we played games regularly? What if church was fun?

I’m going to say something obvious. I don’t want church to be boring. I work at a church, and if it were boring, then I’d have a boring job, and then I’d go crazy.

As long as I’m here and as long as I’m a pastor, I will make conscious decisions to have fun, to break up monotony, to explore and experiment.

I take ministry very seriously, but that doesn’t mean that we need to be serious. There’s a time and place for being serious, and I will always look to carve out spaces for the sacred amidst the solemnity, but I won’t sacrifice our emotional and spiritual joy because it may seem frivolous or silly.

We, as a church, will join in communal lament. We will join in communal anger. We will join in the communal gift of contemplation. But we will also join in fun. We will also join in laughter.

Thanks to everyone who came to the Museum of Play! And thank you all for having fun with me in this work that we do together.

*Please note, this is not a joke. That would be awesome.

Peace,

Jeff

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If you’ve ever wished church could be a little more joyful, a little more surprising, or a lot more fun, you're not alone. At Twelve Corners Presbyterian Church, we believe faith and play don’t have to be opposites. From spending time at the Museum of Play to blessing beloved pets and planting gardens, we’re reimagining what church can be. Come be part of something meaningful, unexpected, and joy-filled. Visit our church to learn more or join us for worship on Sundays at 10:00 a.m.; we’re saving a seat (and maybe a game piece) for you.