Lamb

Today I'm going to do something a little different... a book review! About 5 years ago, a bunch of my friends formed a book club and one of the books we read was called Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, by Christopher Moore. I didn't know what to expect when I started reading, but by the time I finished chapter 1, I was HOOKED. I enjoyed it so much that I reread it every year during Lent. (It is, for me, a Lenten staple as necessary as Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, and Cadbury Creme Eggs.)  And now I want to share the wealth with you, dear readers. 
   
This book tells about the life of Christ from the point of view of His best friend, Levi who is called Biff. The story begins when Josh (Jesus) and Biff are six and it chronicles their lives until the time of Josh's death. The tale loosely parallels the well-known stories found in the Bible... however, the Bible only covers the life of Jesus from His birth until age 13, resuming again at the beginning of His ministry (around age 30). Lamb fills in that gap by imagining what happened in those lost years.   
      
The thing that strikes me the most about this book is that it manages to be reverently touching and laugh-out-loud funny all at the same time. I'm sure there are some who might find the humor offensive. If you're one of those people, this might not be the book for you. But I urge you to push past your holier-than-thou attitude and give this book a try. I take my religion seriously, but I'm a firm believer in laughing. And I'm pretty darn sure our Lord has a fantastic sense of humor. I mean, seriously... He gave us stuff like this:
   

  
And this:

  
And of course, this:

    

  
The author himself acknowledges the importance of humor by prefacing Part 1 with this Voltaire quote, "God is a comedian playing to an audience that is afraid to laugh." Don't be afraid to laugh. In fact, I dare you to read parts of this book and NOT laugh out loud. The writing of the Sermon on the Mount comes to mind. I just looked it up now for reference, and I laughed so hard that I cried. No exaggeration. (If you happen to buy the book, keep a lookout for that part... it's in chapter 28. You can thank me later.)
   
Still not convinced? Read this note from author Christopher Moore... or this excerpt from the inside flap of the book:

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal is a behind-the-scenes look at the original boy wonder. A few of the neat things you'll discover in these pages are... 

• What to do if your kid's face suddenly appears on every loaf of bread in town.

• The proper method for choosing a harlot.

• How sarcasm was invented. (Yeah, really.) 

• The history of the martial art specifically designed for boys from Nazareth (aka Jewdo).

• What the rough draft of the Sermon on the Mount sounded like.

• How to tell when an image of the Virgin Mary is a bona fide vision... and when it's just elephant poop.

• How bunnies came to be associated with Easter.

... and much more.

Verily, I say unto thee... go forth and read Lamb. Thou shalt not regret it.