From Dave Tomlinson, writer and Vicar of St Luke’s Holloway in London:

Looking at pictures in the news of De Vinci’s Salvador Mundi, a portrait of Christ which will reportedly sell at auction for around $100m, I found myself pondering afresh why Jesus is almost never pictured smiling.

A few years ago, two Australians had the same thought. As global travellers, they noticed that wherever they went images of Jesus mostly portrayed an austere figure, never looking happy.

So they invited international artists to create pictures of Jesus, seen through the lens of their own culture, but joyful and smiling. The result was a remarkable collection of paintings with unconventional images of Jesus dancing, juggling, playing games with children, eating, drinking and laughing with friends, even performing as a stand-up comic. They entitled the exhibition ‘Jesus Laughing’.

I’ve always had a fondness for the Laughing Buddha, the rotund, happy figure that symbolises the good life filled with gratitude, compassion and happiness. And as a Christian I regret that too-often my faith tradition has conveyed the impression that God disapproves of enjoyment and carnal pleasure. I love the Jewish proverb which says that on Judgement Day we will give an account of every good thing that we refused to enjoy when we might have done so.

At its best, religion has a smile on its face, not a frown. Yet it is also true that pleasure should not be our goal, but rather a consequence of discovering a richer meaning to life through a deeper connection with others.

In a month’s time, my friend Evie will be the only disabled person in a party of climbers scaling Everest to Base Camp. Instead of simply grieving the death of her mother, Evie is doing the climb to raise money for a charity supporting disabled children in her mum’s memory. It will be devastatingly hard work, but Evie says she always wants to contribute, to make things better for others. And I know she will return with a typically almighty grin on her face.

As a pleasure lover, myself, I find the pleasant life constantly beckons – and I do mean to enjoy my time here. But people like Evie show me that life’s greatest joy derives not from pleasure-seeking but from working to bring pleasure to others – even if it hurts!