Kill the Clown

“There is an evil I have seen under the sun. / As an error proceeding from the ruler, / Folly is set in great dignity,…”
- Ecclesiastes 10:5-6

One summer about 8th grade or so, I went to church camp in the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico with my brother. Our youth minister was my new stepfather. It was my first, but not my last, organized rebellion.

Camp was going great. Up in the mountains, doing outdoors stuff, everything I loved…except they had a clown. A literal clown in full clown regalia: face painted, orange wig, outlandish coveralls and large shoes. I’ve never liked clowns.

The clown would randomly show up at different times for some sort of demonstration no one understood. He would leave balloons or a written message, do some kind of trick or give a hug. Never speaking a word. It was annoying!

I tolerated it for the most part, till he started showing up during archery, free time, when we were playing games or any other time we actually enjoyed what we were doing. He would stop everything and do something annoying, which none of us understood.

So, my brother and I did the most natural thing imaginable—rebellion. We started small. Popping the balloons he left behind. Changing the messages he left or destroying them. Getting other campers to mock and disrupt whatever he was trying to do. This led to a reproof from the camp leaders. A guilt trip. No matter how we felt we should respect what they were doing.

Thus, my brother and I decided to write our manifesto. It was simple. We found some shoe polish, snuck out and wrote over all the church buses, “Kill the Clown!”

Apparently, we crossed a line. After a few group meetings trying to guilt the responsible parties into a confession failed, a search was done, the shoe polish was found, and Byron and I were toast. All the havoc being caused by the stepsons of one of the lead youth ministers.

We were informed the clown was supposed to represent Jesus. I knew then, things were not going to go well. After apologizing to my stepfather, youth group, the entire camp and spending the day washing all the buses by hand, I definitely felt we had NOT been entirely forgiven.

Part of me felt they should give us camper of the year awards. The clown was supposed to represent Jesus and we had treated him the same way Christ was treated on Earth. We had made it a real practical lesson. You might be surprised to know I didn’t win any camper awards that year.

Let’s be honest; no one really likes clowns. We have to teach our kids to trust clowns, even while we are trying to teach them not to trust strangers. What’s stranger than a clown?

What is my point? I was wrong. Period.

However, I also believe the camp was wrong. We try to get so creative in our presentation of the Gospel that sometimes we become foolish. We get so abstract in our ideas and celebrate our creativity that we miss the opportunity to teach truth. Creativity is great! However, when creativity (or creation) becomes more important than the Great Creator, “Folly is set in great dignity.” (Ecclesiastes 10:6) And that is error.

Kids don’t need an abstract idea of Christ. They need the concrete truth of love, grace, forgiveness, life, mercy, peace, joy and purpose found in Him. They don’t need to be entertained, they need eternal life.

Adults are no different. We just think we are smarter and have a higher level of comprehension. We like to be entertained too. But in our hearts, we are truly looking for much more. It can only be found in one place—abiding in Christ.

I’m challenged this week not to be a clown. Not to share abstract concepts to try and communicate my faith in a creative way just to be creative. But to allow Christ to work through me in concrete ways to minister to others in my life. People need real answers for the real world. As Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 11:3, what matters is the "simplicity that is in Christ.” I pray Christ would work through me this week to be real.

As a side note: I still hold the belief my brother and I were right in our rebellion and should have received camper of the year awards! Just saying (tongue in cheek).

© 2026 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.