Follow the Leader

"Follow the Leader" was a simple game that I played with my friends as a young child.  As I grew older the game became more challenging as new movements and obstacles were added. Yet, the premise was still the same. I needed to imitate the one that went before me. Today, we still have a leader that we are called to follow.  Jesus said, "Come! Follow me!" (Matthew 4:19)

Jesus is the example for us in all areas of life. He is not only the greatest prophet, healer, and high priest. He is the greatest teacher. Certainly, he must be our example as we minister to others. I don't know if you've ever thought about it, but we as clowns, are using a variation of the "Jesus approach" in our teaching.

Jesus used objects to teach lessons to those around him. He talked about salt, lights, coins, birds, gates, pearls, seeds, harvest fields, and more. Jesus used these objects and pointed out characteristics that paralleled spiritual lessons.

For example: Jesus said that a seed must fall to the ground and die before it can really live and have a harvest come from it. When he spoke this, he was laking first of all about teh reason why he came to earth. Secondly, it shows us that if we are to really have a fruitful life that we will need to "die" to our own sinful desires (John 12:24).

As clowns we don't just speak about the characteristics of objects and how they parallel spiritual lessons. We play with the prop and somehow seem to discover the spiritual lesson that may be discerned from the prop. The wonderfully amazing thing is that as clowns discover the lessons, the viewers willingly discover the lessons with them.

Jesus was also a master storyteller. He told of characters who had conflicts, problems and resolutions. As clowns we don't necessarily tell stories to people, but we do show stories to them visibly. We make them come alive before their very eyes. We are simply visual "storytellers" instead of only verbal ones. In Jesus' stories he spoke of characters that everyone could relat to. In our presentations we are those story characters that all can relate to. Peaople often learn from their own mistakes. In this case, we as clowns are allowing them to learn from our mistakes acted out in the story situation.

The third and most effective way that Jesus taught was by example. Jesus was not a hypocrite. His teaching was validated by his lifestyle. No one could say that he was a fake. He was authentic. He was true. His teaching flowed from the fountain of his life. We, as Christian clowns, must always keep that in focus. Realize that the most teaching one will do, whether in clown make-up or not, is through one's life. There is no excuse for stating a truth in front of an audience and then not living by that truth when not on the stage.  Teach by example. Live as an example so that you may teach. That is the centerpiece of the "Jesus approach."

It's my prayer today, "Dear Jesus, help me to follow your example. Today I choose to follow the leader."