Laughter & Religion
Fellowship of Merry Christians --- Ministering With Humor --- The 'Church of Laughter'
It is very frustrating to have attended so many churches that have very low-key, "appropriate" worship services that lack greatly in true joy. People are just mumbling along, waiting for the song to be over so they can move on to the sermon and, ultimately, lunch. For someone who sings loudly and praises with everything in his/her inner-being, such places are very unwelcoming. For this reason the vast majority of believers and non-believers view church as a place where you only hear another boring lecture.
Sometimes dancing naked in the streets is exactly the kind of foolish humility that God wants from us. Seriously. "David again brought together all the able young men of Israel—thirty thousand ... David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals...As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window...When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”...David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord." (2 Samuel 6)
Laughter of Biblical Proportions --- How to incorporate Laff-A-Robics into church services
It's two to two-and-a-half hours of music, humor, inspiration and prayer, geared toward people who aren't used to sitting in a regular church service. Keep it moving, with no segment more than five or 10 minutes, except for the message, which should only be about 20 minutes. Preach on simply experiencing new things - driving a different route home, visiting a park, meeting a neighbor. That's a part of what the Bible calls an abundant life, enjoying creation. It's not super-religious, but humor can open hearts to the truth as laughter relaxes people and gets their attention.
Does this overall message resembles the prosperity gospel. If the prosperity gospel means money, then the answer is no. But God does want us to be blessed, to excel in our careers, to be good parents.
The Creator made humans able to walk and talk, to see and hear...to do everything. But the Creator wasn’t satisfied.
Finally, the Creator made humans laugh, and when they laughed and laughed, the Creator said, “Now you are fit to live."
-Traditional Apache Story
The writer of Ecclesiastes stated: “There’s a time to laugh, and a time to cry”(Ecclesiastes 3:4).
We know that there are plenty of reasons to cry. Just a casual glance at our world, with its wars, hatred, violence and evil – makes us sad. Losing someone special, helplessly seeing a marriage dissolve, experiencing personal betrayal, facing an unsuspected tragedy – all may give cause for tears.
To counter the sad times, the Scripture also advises that there is a time to laugh. Church leaders need to know the balancing therapy of laughter. Toward that goal, we should fully embrace the joys of a ministry – celebrating special moments with members, “high-fiving" family achievements, relishing the reaching of hard-earned goals, and savoring the blessing of our children. But those experiences may still fall short of the biblical pronouncement regarding laughter. C'mon, when was the last time you laughed so hard you cried?! Or, you actually had a good belly laugh?
Many evangelicals know well the stern side of C. H. Spurgeon and his serious pursuit of the holy life. Indeed, his stands for righteous causes, and countering doctrinal error are often recounted. But many readers may not know that he was a man with a great sense of humor. Spurgeon knew the value of laughter and mirth. He virtually took to heart the word in Proverbs 17:22: "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." Spurgeon laughed as often as he could. He laughed at the ironies of life, he laughed at comical incidents, he laughed at the amusing elements of nature. He sometimes laughed at his critics. He loved to share wholesome jokes with his friends and colleagues in ministry. He was known to often tell humorous stories from the pulpit. William Williams, a fellow pastor who kept company with Spurgeon, was a near and dear friend in the latter years of Spurgeon’s life. He wrote:
"What a bubbling fountain of humour Mr. Spurgeon had! I laughed more, I verily believe, when in his company than during all the rest of my life besides.
He had the most fascinating gift of laughter … and he had also the greatest ability for making all who heard him laugh with him. When someone blamed
him for saying humourous things in his sermons, he said, “He would not blame me if he only knew how many of them I keep back."
Once, when Spurgeon was feeling depressed, he spoke of the remedy of laughter: "The other evening I was riding home after a heavy day’s work. I felt wearied and sore depressed, when swiftly and suddenly a text came to me, 'My grace is sufficient for thee.' I reached home and looked it up in the original, and at last it came to me in this way. 'My grace is sufficient for THEE.' And I said, 'I should think it is, Lord' and I burst out laughing. I never understood what the holy laughter of Abraham was till then."
Spurgeon considered humor such an integral part of his ministry that a whole chapter in his autobiography is devoted to it. Humor permeates his sermons and writings, often woven into the fabric of his messages. It's one reason among many why he is still so readable today.
Theologically, spiritually and practically, humor is an important and all-too-often-missing attribute in church life today.
"So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people to do in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them." (Ecclesiastes 8:15)
Perhaps the best indication that God does have a sense of humor is that He created man in His image (Genesis 1:27), and certainly people are able to perceive and express humor. God made each of us with our many emotions so we could fully experience and appreciate the entirety of His creation. One only needs to look around to see the joy, and even humor, that God built into the world. From the duck-billed platypus to the lumbering hippopotamus to the antics of monkeys, we see plenty of living things that bring laughter and amusement.
"The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, but they cannot compare with the pinions and feathers of the stork. She lays her eggs on the ground and lets them warm in the sand, unmindful that a foot may crush them, that some wild animal may trample them. She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers; she cares not that her labor was in vain, for God did not endow her with wisdom or give her a share of good sense. Yet when she spreads her feathers to run, she laughs at horse and rider." (Job 39:13-18)
In this Bible passage we read a comical description of the ostrich: flapping her wings "joyfully" but without any common sense ("wisdom"). She does stupid things; and yet she laughs at horse and rider (presumably by outrunning them). This in itself makes a series of comical images.
The Lord wants us to be joyful (John 15:11). “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with shouting” (Job 8:21).
An example of God's humor is the instance in which the Israelite's were using the Ark of the Covenant like a good-luck charm in taking it to battle, and the Philistines ended up capturing it and placing it in their temple before their idol of Dagon. They came into the temple the next day and found Dagon flat on his face before the ark. They set him back up. The next morning, there he was again, but this time he had his hands and head cut off as a symbol of his powerlessness before the God of the ark (1 Samuel 5:1-5). God’s putting Dagon in a position of submission to His ark is a comical picture. “See what they spew from their mouths— they spew out swords from their lips, and they say, ‘Who can hear us?’ But you, O LORD, laugh at them; you scoff at all those nations” (Psalms 59:7-9).
Another example of humor is found in Paul's writings. Paul is known to be an excellent debater. He knew that one of the techniques employed in debating is to mock the opponent. In the fifth chapter of Galatians he employs this technique when he tries to show the mistake of some men who advocated circumcision. He first explains that circumcision avails nothing. Then he goes ahead to take a direct hit at the people who advocated that theory. A hit literally under the belt. "I wish those agitators would go so far as to castrate themselves!" (Gal 5:18).
There has long been a notion that Jesus never laughed. Traditionally, paintings of Jesus have tended toward melancholy portrayals of a somber, glum Savior. But the true picture of Jesus that we find in the Gospels is one of a well-rounded, magnetic personality. He carried children in His arms—and what child wants to be around someone who never laughs (Mark 10:16)? He was accused of being too joyful on occasion (Luke 7:34).
Jesus encouraged joyful laughter, most famously in the Beatitudes, recorded in Matthew 5 and Luke 6. Jesus said, “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.” Jesus spoke of rejoicing in His parables in Luke 15—the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son were all found. The result in each case was great rejoicing. Even more telling is that Jesus told these stories as illustrations of the “joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).
While his last weeks of ministry reflected his sorrowful anticipation of suffering and leaving his friends and family, the rest of his ministry is characterized by his joyful interaction with people. Would five-thousand people have gathered out in the countryside, without bringing anything to eat, unless they knew that Jesus was a charismatic and upbeat speaker who shared his joy with others? They certainly wouldn't have left their homes to travel to the countryside if they knew that Jesus had a somber and glum manner of speaking.
Church is a place where the people of God meet to worship and praise the King. But it should also be a place where one can enjoy themselves and chuckle at certain things that happen.
Many American churches are resurrecting an old Easter custom begun by the Greeks in the first century of Christianity, "Holy Humor Sunday" celebrations of Jesus' resurrection on the Sunday after Easter.
For centuries in Eastern Orthodox and Protestant countries, the week following Easter Sunday, including "Bright Sunday" (the Sunday after Easter), was observed by the faithful as "days of joy and laughter" with parties and picnics to celebrate Jesus' resurrection. Churchgoers and pastors played practical jokes on each other, drenched each other with water, told jokes, sang, and danced.
Apparently it was a medieval custom (and one in the Eastern Church still today) that the preaching for Easter Sunday consisted of jokes. The message being that on this day we enjoy the cosmic laugh, we celebrate that God has outwitted the devil and overcome death. God has the final laugh. The custom was rooted in the musings of early church theologians (like Augustine, Gregory of Nyssa, and John Chrysostom) that God played a practical joke on the devil by raising Jesus from the dead. "Risus paschalis - the Easter laugh," the early theologians called it.
A great 'Bright Sunday'. The First Presbyterian Church of Winter Haven, FL [USA], called it "Bright Sunday." "It was a marvelous day for our congregation," reported Rev. C. Alan Harvey, associate pastor. "They enjoyed it greatly." Here are some of the things that Harvey said the church did: "We publicized its observance in the church newsletter and newspaper articles. We invited people to dress in their brightest colors that day. We reprinted 'The Risen Christ by the Sea' on the cover of our bulletin. White paraments with yellow 'smiley' faces, whose eye pupils were crosses, covered the lectern and pulpit. The word 'Rejoice!' was written on each parament. Bright sunflowers were used in the floral arrangement in the sanctuary. During the children's sermon, I taught them the song, Bubblin' Bubblin', whose lyrics are: 'Jesus' love is bubblin' over, Jesus' love bubbles in my soul.' A bubble machine spewed bubbles out over the congregation as we sang. Then each child was presented with a bottle of 'Easter Bubbles.' The choir arrived in bathrobes instead of their regular choir robes and their anthem was In Thee is Gladness by Daniel Kallman. The sermon was entitled 'How Great Their Joy ... Our Joy,' based on Matthew 28:1-10 and 1 Peter 1:3-9, and my sermon was about 50% funny stories and jokes. People laughed whom I had never seen laugh before. Each member was given a plastic medicine bottle and inside it was a joke, humorous story, or riddle. Each "Humor Dose" had a label on it: "RX. Take as often as needed to be uplifted. Side-effects: chuckles, giggles or at least a smile. Refills remaining: unlimited." About 10 people were invited to read the joke,riddle or story that was in their bottle or share one of their own. The affirmation of faith was 'Lord of the Dance' by Ann Weems. Each offering plate was lined with neckties in honor of the little boy who told his Daddy he was going to do what the preacher said: "Bring your ties and offerings." The last hymn was I Danced In the Morning, and then we released and let drop the 100 colorful balloons suspended from the ceiling. Everyone left worship in the most joyful and spirited manner that I’ve ever seen. Wallet-size pictures of 'The Risen Christ by the Sea' were distributed to worshipers as they left the service, as a reminder of Christ's joy and to encourage them to share the joy of Christ with others."
Harvey added: "It really was a great day, and our congregation has really embraced this worship service. I believe that it will be included in our church calendar for many years to come."
Laughter: As Sacred As Prayer
Most of the time there is a tendency to approach prayer from a serious perspective. That is, we focus on the scriptures that deal with warfare, hardships, striving, and laboring in prayer. King David told us, “In Your presence there is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever” (Psalm 16:11). And Paul told us, “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). This being the case, if our prayers are oriented to the kingdom of God, then at the very least they should be filled with righteousness, peace and joy.
To learn to laugh is not merely a human pleasure; it opens onto the sacred realm. Sometimes it is better to laugh than to pray.
"For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength." (1 Cor 1:25)
Many religions are built primarily on bricks of tears. Others demand almost superhuman courage to climb their tall trees and pick their fruit. Still others seem just to want to scare us silly so we’ll start behaving according to their dictates, our own impulses and truths be damned. And why doesn’t laughter seem to fit in anywhere?
But in reality, the parables are often the stuff of comedy and the gospels reveal Jesus to be a man with a palpable sense of joy and even playfulness. Inviting God to lighten our hearts, we can enjoy a little heaven on earth.
You maintain that the Gospels are filled with humor and that Jesus had an extraordinary sense of humor. How so?
First, anyone who told clever parables and made funny asides must have had a good sense of humor. If we believe that Jesus is fully human, as our theology tells us, then that means he had a sense of humor. You cannot be fully human without a sense of humor. That’s a robot, not a human being.
Second, there are residues of Jesus’ humor in the Gospels. A well known passage is the story of Nathaniel, from the Gospel of John. When Nathaniel hears that the Messiah is from Nazareth, he says, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” It’s a funny remark about what a backwater town Nazareth was. Now, what does Jesus do? The dour, grumpy, depressed Jesus of our imagination would be expected to say, “Make not fun of the poor town of Nazareth.” Or, “It will go worse for you, Nathaniel, on the day of judgment than Sodom and Gomorrah.” Does he say that? No. He says, “Now, there’s an Israelite without guile.” In other words, “There’s a person I can trust.” And he invites him to join the apostles.
That shows us three things. First, Nathaniel had a sense of humor. Second, Jesus had a sense of humor, enough to appreciate a funny remark so much that he invites Nathaniel to join his group. Three, John had enough of a sense of humor to want to preserve that story.
There are other indications in the Gospels that Jesus of Nazareth had a lively sense of humor. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is castigated for not being as serious as John the Baptist. "The Son of Man came eating and drinking," Jesus said, "and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard.’ ” In other words, the Gospels record criticism of Jesus for being too high-spirited.
There are also the parables, whose humor people today tend to miss. Scripture scholars say that one difficulty with finding humor in the New Testament is that what was seen as funny to those living in Jesus' time may not seem funny to us today. For someone in first-century Palestine, the premise (or “setup” as a comic would say) was probably more amusing than the punch line. "The parables were amusing in their exaggeration or hyperbole," Amy-Jill Levine, a New Testament scholar at Vanderbilt University, said in an interview. “The idea that a mustard seed would have sprouted into a big bush that birds would build their nests in would be considered very humorous. Or the idea that someone would have a plank in his eye. Some of these stories are funny and would most likely have struck people of that time as hilarious."
People in Jesus’ day would probably have laughed at many of his intentionally funny illustrations: for example, the idea that someone would have lit a lamp and put it under a basket, or that a person would have built a house on sand or that a father would give a child stones instead of bread. Imagine how funny the story of Matthew 23:24 ("You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel") would have been to them. Now picture a guy greedily chomping down a smelly camel, hoofs, humps and all—with the camels’ big fat lips and yellow teeth hanging from the idiots’ mouth!
And one scholar pointed out the humor in the story of Jesus healing the two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs. The demons’ name is “Legion,” which, of course, is a joke about the Roman legions. And the demons go into pigs and rush down a hill, and then the townspeople are mad.
If we could have been in the crowd listening to Jesus’ colorful, outrageously incongruous, and humorous word pictures powering home his message, we probably would have laughed too. But these are now quiet words on a worn, marked-up Bible page and have become like street signs we pass every day on the way to work, no longer noticed or read; they become so extremely familiar that the words become like old coins in which the edges have been worn smooth and the engravings have become almost indistinguishable.
The Gospels have humorous stories because life has humor, and Jesus truly encountered all of it. But because we come from a different time-period and culture than when Jesus walked the earth and the Bible was written, we don’t see the humor.
For all those who were raised in conservative Christian homes, it was forbidden to laugh aloud in church or to express extravagant emotions. Susan Sparks (an ex-lawyer turned stand-up comedian and senior pastor of Madison Avenue Baptist Church in New York City) would like to see a more relaxed and playful mood in religious communities, an effort on the part of more people to bring laughter into the difficult places of life, the use of humor to see past our differences, and the more widespread acknowledgement of the healing power of laughter. This hopeful and helpful affirmation of the spiritual power of humor is just the right medicine for today's troubled times.
Laughter—the GPS System for the Soul
Laughter was honored by the ancients as a spiritual healing tool.. Laughter celebrates the goodness of God, the world God created, and the life God gives. It is an accepted fact of modern medicine that laughter is really good for our physical health and is usually the best way in coping with the trials and disasters that come our way. A guy feeling frustrated over his family’s financial troubles joked that “it seems the only ones who can make a deposit on a new car are the pigeons.” If we aren’t careful we can let circumstances suck the joy right out of us. Laughter can lighten the load.
An Internet site advises this Wellness Tip: “Go on and laugh! Whether your preference is giggle, chuckle or guffaw, here are a dozen well-being benefits of laughter: Increases antibodies in saliva that combats upper respiratory infections. Secretes an enzyme that protects the stomach from forming ulcers. Conditions the abdominal muscles. Relaxes muscles throughout the body. Aids in reducing symptoms of neuralgia and rheumatism. Changes perspective. Has positive benefits on mental functions. Reduces blood pressure and heart-rate. Helps the body fight infection. Releases endorphins which provide natural pain relief. Tightens stomach muscles. Helps move nutrients and oxygen to body tissues. AND, it makes you feel good!”
So why aren’t we laughing along the spiritual path today? What would happen if we did?
In this personal and funny look at humor as a spiritual practice, Rev. Susan Sparks—an ex-lawyer turned comedian and Baptist minister—presents a convincing case that the power of humor radiates far beyond punch lines. Laughter can help you:
• Remove the fearful mask of a God who doesn’t laugh
• Debunk the myths that you don’t deserve joy
• Find perspective when faced with adversity
• Exercise forgiveness for yourself and others
• Reclaim play as a spiritual practice
• Heal—emotionally, physically, and spiritually
• Keep your faith when God is silent
• Live with elegance, beauty, and generosity of spirit
Whatever your faith tradition—or if you have none at all—join this veteran of the punch line and the pulpit in reclaiming the forgotten humor legacy found in thousands of years of human spiritual history.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian who was hanged by the Nazis in 1945 for his part in a plot to kill Hitler, said that "He saw the way people were disillusioned with church, but attracted to Jesus Christ. I'm convinced that Jesus Christ had profound and important things to say to people, but they have got lost in squabbles and worries about church buildings. The politics has taken over and the message has been obscured. People are very interested in the good news but not so interested in boring church sermons or church politics."
A Sunday school teacher asked the children just before she dismissed them to go to church, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?" Annie replied, "Because people are sleeping"
Kathleen Norris, the spiritual writer, once said “I am convinced that joy is a fruit, because it tastes so sweet.” That’s a wonderful way of appreciating the Apostle Paul’s listing of joy as among the “fruits” of the Holy Spirit. " But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law" (Gal. 5:22-23)
A minister with a message will always have an audience, and a preacher who believes in the gospel he is preaching is sure to get a hearing. Ministers desire to see lives changed by the Word of God; humor is a great tool to accomplish that goal. Many pastors work hard to get a chuckle out the congregation, telling insipid little stories that have to do with the point of the text; and trying to amuse or entertain “the crowd.” And it works. Let’s admit it. It works. The crowd stays wide awake, they listen attentively, and they don't forget the message they were taught.
Humor is a wonderful gift that God has given us to communicate with each other. It is time that we get creative about how to use it to communicate God’s Word and to see lives changed. The challenge is to find ways to include the joy and benefits of humor in sermons without the desperate appearance of someone who is just trying to get a laugh. Here are a few things to keep in mind when adding humor to a sermon:
- Remember the Purpose. We are not called to be comedians; getting laughs should not be the main purpose. We are ministers who desire to see lives changed by the Word of God; humor is a tool to accomplish that goal.
- Know the Audience. What works well with a youth group may not work with an older congregation. Different age groups and regions of the world respond to different types of humor, so be selective with what is used. If in doubt, it is probably best not to say or do it.
- Keep it Real. People know if someone is trying too hard. Today’s generation seeks authenticity in the church, so just be yourself.
- Connect humor to the focus of the sermon. For example, if you are preaching a sermon focused primarily on teaching people how to pray you could tell them about the little girl who prayed for her tyrannical older brother to be given up for adoption. People will laugh and then you could talk about how Jesus invites us to pray for our enemies, but not quite like the little girl prayed for her brother! When a humorous anecdote is connected in obvious ways to the main emphasis of the sermon, people not only remember the humorous story they also tend to remember the focus of the sermon.
We know the way you spell joy - J O Y - Jesus first; others second; and yourself last.
Hundreds of sermons about joy, laughter, humor and happiness.
http://www.museumofhumor.com/sermons.htm
Funny Songs about sermon topics
http://www.fatsheep.org/pastors/sermons/index.php
Humorous Mini Movies & Worship Videos
http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/mini-movies/humorous