Theology of Smile

I saw a news report this week suggesting that the Chinese police should try not to scowl so much. It scares the tourists.  It’s not just China. It’s Seattle.  It’s nearly everyone you pass on a downtown sidewalk.  If not scowls, it’s mostly blank expressions and no eye contact. That’s understandable.  The city can be a dangerous place, and eye contact is risky business, especially with strangers.

I think it’s usually worth the risk.  Jess and Erik thought so, and they did something about it. Last week they decided to smile at the city.  Walking along Broadway, they actually looked at passersby, smiled at them, said hello, even prayed with a few people and tipped a barista $20.00 for a cup of coffee. The responses were varied. Some were surprised, even startled. Others were ambivalent. Some went from scowl to smile. A few even stopped to talk.  The barista was blown away.

So what’s the catch?  No catch. Just two people smiling at the city.  Two people trying to be a blessing. A smile does that.  It blesses.  Well, not every smile. Joker’s pearly whites doesn’t exactly warm the heart. It’s amazing how many conflicting emotions and intentions one simple facial expression can express – joy, fear, honesty, deception.  It’s actually quite complex, the psychology of smile.

There is a theology of smile that is simple and sweet.  Smile is a gift of God. Yes, like most of God’s gifts, we’ve managed to twist and turn it into something its not. But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a gift of God.  A grace. A blessing. The Old Testament often speaks of God’s face “shining” upon people.  Numbers 6:23-25 is good example, a well-known blessing that still finds its way into worship today:

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift his countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

In The Message, Eugene Peterson translates v.25 this way:  “God smile on you and gift you.”  Do you see?  A smile – a real smile - is a gift.  A gift from God. You might call it the face of grace.   

It’s the kind of face that God loves to shine on us, and through us.  

Mother Theresa said it this way:  “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”

God is smiling on you.  Share the smile.  It could make someone’s day.  And change a city.

Blogging Off,

Jeff