Kyle Dresback

Dear Friends,

In his little book, Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale, Frederick Buechner reflects on three aspects of the gospel: First, before it is anything else the gospel is tragedy. The cross is a symbol of defeat, of God’s absence. Second, the gospel is an almost totally unforeseeable comedy; one in which a laughing Sarah sets the tone for an improbable series of events that hurtle a sin-scorched earth toward its ultimate restoration. And finally, the gospel is a fairy tale, beckoning us into its world that isn’t quite ours but is somehow near and not unfamiliar.

Today’s lectionary illustrates this idea.

In Psalm 22 David despairs that he has been abandoned by the God who was always faithful to his forefathers: Why have you forsaken me? … I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer; by night as well, but I find no rest.

In Matthew 11 Jesus describes his coming kingdom in the most triumphant of terms, promising health and wholeness to those who suffer: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.

These readings might present a sensation of whiplash, if not outright contradiction. When it comes to gospel as tragedy and comedy, it’s hard to hold both together. I’ve found that when life happens many of us tend to default to one or the other—either tragedy or comedy—neglecting the other half of the story.

But you know who has less trouble holding contradictory ideas? Children.

In my years teaching middle school students, I’ve often found that they are not yet constrained by the logical certainty with which adults are plagued. Nor are they quite so sure of the “rules” that they can’t occasionally—“naively”—view God’s world as enchanted. Working with children has enriched my view of and relationship with God.

The research suggests, and my personal experience confirms, that an intergenerational church is a healthy church. The benefits of the relationships between children and adults run both ways. If you’re looking to get involved somewhere, consider helping with kids. Not only will they benefit from your experience and friendship, but they might remind you of an aspect of the gospel you’ve forgotten about.

In Christ,

—Kyle