Imago Scriptura 96 -Psalm 148 - Playing with Yarny

I want to introduce you to Yarny.  Yarny is the protagonist of one of my favorite video games I've played in a long while called "Unravel" - its a beautiful game with a beautiful story throughout.  My kids and I have loved playing it and helping this little yarn character make it through a series of adventures.  For my birthday, my oldest wanted to make a Yarny for me so he and my wife have been working on this "for a while" (my wife's words).  So, he arrived a few days early and we took him out on a long hike the other day to get some pictures of him out in places like we took him through in the game.  It was just plain fun to be out with my kids, setting him up in these various places, and just having a beautiful time together. As I read one of today's Psalms (Psalm 148), I imagined the writer of the Psalm in a playful sort of way as it was composed.  It feels like the Psalmist is just looking around at the world around - seeing the sun and moon and saying to them, "Praise!"  Then turning to the waters, the creatures, the weather, the mountains, the hills, the people of power, and the everyday people, to old and to young, to boys and to girls, to everything and anything, "Praise!  Praise!  Praise!"  It is an inspiring Psalm and its a fun Psalm. It is so easy to stop playing.  We get older, tasks need to be completed, chores need to be finished, schedules need to be kept.  Yet this Psalm reminds us that we need to play as well.  There was a lot that I could have "done" on Sunday afternoon instead of going out for this hike, but this was where I needed to be.  Even in our play and our fun and our silliness, we can be praising God just as much as when we are singing a hymn or praying a prayer. There's a great song by the late Rich Mullins called "Boy Like Me, Man Like You" as he sings about what Jesus might have been like as a boy and one of the verses says:

Did you wrestle with a dog and lick his nose? Did you play beneath the spray Of a water hose? Did you ever make angels in the winter snow?

I am sure that Jesus played and laughed.  He needed it.  His disciples needed it.  We all need it.  So, enjoy the adventures of Yarny...

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