Silliness--Bulls and Lutefisk

 While in Nicaragua we visited artisans in their place of work.  Two of them were in Masaya, just outside Managua.

As we came over a little rise, we suddenly saw hundreds of people in the street a couple blocks away which would have prevented us from moving.  We could not hear what they were chanting, but it was clear we were going nowhere.  I will admit to a fleeting moment of fear with the unrest that we see in the world.

Suddenly, the crowd started rushing towards the bus, still chanting.  We pulled over as far as we could.  They ran right by the bus, and after a few dozen people, there was a skinny bull in the midst of them.  We laughed--a poor man's rendition of the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain.  Our Nicaraguan host laughed. Oh, we have just encountered a bit of the festival of San Sebastian.  While this was January 18, the Church of Saint Sebastian in Masaya leads up to the festival with some "silliness" according to our host, since Saint Sebastian is actually feted in the church on January 20.

That would include a "running of the sick bull",  I guess.  People were celebrating the festival; celebrating their church, celebrating the faith.  The hundreds continued to march and run--a parade that even included a few instruments.

Silliness.  I like that.  We have silliness in our USA churches, too.  Lutherans are known for lutefisk and lefse and red jello.  They have nothing to do with the way we live out our faith.  (In fact, there hasn't been any lutefisk or red jello at Bethel in years.  Lefse, on the other hand...)  They simply represent a bit of our history and the way we live out in community.

I suspect that we won't be running after a bull in the streets of Rochester any time soon.  But it was fun to celebrate faith with the people of Nicaragua--even if it was from a bus.  May some silliness invade your faith life as you continue to be a fool for Christ.