4Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.5Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,6who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,7but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
God has placed us here and intends for us to be engaged in doing His will. It begins with our own personal relationship, being engaged in the Scriptures and allowing His Word to shape our thinking and our activity. He has given us powerful tools in order to live the Christian life effectively - the teachings of the Scripture, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the benefits of being part of the overall body of Christ, to encourage us and motivate us. And, as we humble ourselves before Him and make it our goal to humble ourselves before others, we reflect the character of Christ and release the love of Christ as vessels shaped to be used by our Savior.
Jesus desires for us to be completely engaged with Him, and to live fruitful and satisfying lives - engaged with the people around us, in community with fellow believers, and transparent before God, allowing His true identity to show through our lives. Here's what Jesus said in John 15:
5I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.6If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.7If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.8By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
There's a mysterious clown who has been making random appearances in Northhampton in Northern Ireland, and no one seems to know why. That's why there are headlines that uses words like "creepy" and "terrorize" to describe the activities of this individual, who has been seen standing around on street corners and staring at passers-by. According to the Belfast Telegraph website, " he or she has worn the same white face makeup, red wig, all-in-one suit and oversized bowtie. He is also sometimes seen carrying a clown teddy.
The Northhampton Herald and Post is quoted in the story, and reports that the clown knocked on someone's door and offered to paint their window sills despite having no painting equipment. She reported the men to police for their suspicious behavior stating they looked like clowns. The article stated: “A number of sightings of people dressed as clowns have also been reported across Northampton in recent weeks”. The report says, "He doesn't juggle. He doesn't twist balloons into animal shapes. He just stares."
He has his own Facebook page called, "Spot Northhampton's Clown", and has posted such items as, “Too much hate not enough love. No, i don't have a knife on me!, thats just stupid rumours spread by stupid people..."
“However, i might go for a jog around that pond in Abington park later as i'm really unfit... See you around! Beep Beep!”
He says he just wants to amuse people, but apparently his character is eerily similar to clown in a Stephen King movie - that can't be good.
And, now there is a self-styled hero called Boris the Clown Catcher who, according to the Telegraph,
has posted on his official Facebook page, "My name is Boris. I am the official clown catcher...I am not here to scare anyone. I am not here to hurt anyone. I come in peace!"
And, in an exclusive interview with the Northhampton Chronicle and Echo, Mr. Clown says, “Most people enjoy being a bit freaked out and then they can laugh about it afterwards." and, “It’s like watching a horror movie, when people get scared they usually start laughing."
“Naturally, some people would have been extremely frightened by what they saw, but I hope many are starting to see it as a bit of harmless fun."
“Naturally, some people would have been extremely frightened by what they saw, but I hope many are starting to see it as a bit of harmless fun."
So this mysterious dude is conjuring up over a hundred thousand Facebook followers, and is stirring a wide range of emotions from fear to intrigue, but I'm not sure many people are laughing.
I was struck by a description of the clown's behavior, "He just stares". And, I think that might be description of quite a few people in this world...just being idle, not really doing anything with their lives, not finding their purpose, just looking, staring. We have to make sure we're not just watching the world go by and are not completely engaged in finding and following God's purposes for our lives. We must guard against a lack of engagement.
This character is also works in the shadows and works alone - I think that he can remind us that we were born for meaningful relationships and that a lack of community can really be a dangerous space for us. When we insist on working alone, we may miss God's best because we will not experience what comes from being part of a team, with a flow of ideas, a sense of common purpose, and an assurance that we're not on our own. God has wired us in that unique way.
And, in addition to remind us of the dangers of a lack of engagement and lack of community, we also are challenged to overcome a lack of transparency. Now that he has attracted worldwide attention, he is finding it harder to keep his identity secret. Often we want to keep our identities secret. Sometimes we do not allow our true identity - in Christ - to be reflected in our words and our actions; the Bible is clear that God is not pleased with the "secret saint". And, we also can be engaging in behaviors that are not pleasing to God, that contradict His will for our lives, and instead of coming before the Lord, confessing and repenting and allowing Christ to set us free, maybe even seeking the help of a pastor, counselor, or friend, we hide our secret sins and allow them to grow in our hearts and minds. God wants to set us free, and He is calling us to come to Him and allow Him to remove those burdens from us that hold us back in our walk with Him.
Eventually, the clown of Northhampton will be identified, probably. We can identify and take seriously those 3 areas of deficiency - lack of engagement, lack of community, and lack of transparency, and allow Christ to express His nature in us.
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