November 25th 2007. “Fun and Laughter”
[Background Reading: Genesis 18:1-15 and Mark 5:35-42]
My wife came across this at an R.E. conference she attended recently:
Man’s 23rd Psalm.
The clock is my dictator, I shall no rest.
It makes me lie down only when exhausted.
It leads me to deep depression, it hounds my soul.
It leads me in circles of frenzy for activity’s sake.
Even though I run frantically from task to task,
I will never get it all done,
For my ‘ideal’ is with me.
Deadlines and my need for approval,
They drive me.
They demand performance from me,
Beyond the limit of my schedule.
They anoint my head with migraines, my in-basket overflows.
Surely fatigue and time pressure shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration forever.
Today’s Sermon is a sequel to last week’s on the theme of Healing and Wholeness. And I am ‘deadly serious’ about it. I believe there is a desperate need in our lives, in our churches, in our communities, and even in our world, for the GOD GIVEN GIFT of Fun and Laughter. So, for a ‘text’ to hang my thoughts upon today I choose one verse from the Book of Proverbs:
“A cheerful heart is a good medicine
But a downcast spirit dries up the bones.”
(Proverbs 17:22)
As a small child growing up in Church there were two events, each year, which I always looked forward to. The first was the annual Candle Lit Carol Service-with the robed choir and the dignified retelling of the Christmas story through readings and music. As a small child this event truly filled me with awe and wonder. (As an aside: it’s no wonder that Harry Potter is so popular. Children need awe and wonder, mystery and enchantment in their lives. As churches do we do enough to ‘enchant’ the true mystery of life for our kids?) The second event I always looked forward to was the New Year’s Party, which was usually held at the end of February. A simple event: invite all the church community, young and old alike; provide a buffet; mix them all up in teams; and play old fashioned party games for a couple of hours.
This event was as important to our church ‘fellowship’ as any celebration of the Lord’s Supper, or even the annual Covenant Service. And I am sure that the most senior members of the Church enjoyed it as much as the youngest. Their smiles, laughter and tears spoke volumes!
As individuals, as churches, as communities, as one race of people living here on planet Earth, don’t we desperately need rediscover a cheerful heart?!
A few years ago Helen and I visited a church in Durban, South Africa, with outreach work into some of the poorest townships in the area. On our return to the UK we decided to send them a financial gift to towards this work. A few months later we received a letter from the Church thanking us for the gift and explaining that they had used it to throw a ‘Christmas Party’ for some of the poorest kids in the area. That’s good medicine.
At this point you may be thinking, “well, this doesn’t sound very ‘spiritual.’” Well, this is exactly my point. Some of the stuff we deal with in church can become so serious that we forget that ‘fun and laughter’ is not only a good medicine but also central to who we are as Human Beings made in the image of God! For example, which is more important: to decide whether 9:30am or 11:00am is the most appropriate time for our Sunday Morning Worship; or to make sure, one way or another, that we are a community filled with fun and laughter?
A few years ago I had the privilege of attending an ecumenical service at a local ‘prim and proper’ Anglican church led by a visiting vicar: the Rev. Rolly Baine, who also happens to be a professional clown. His sermon was preached during a performance on a ‘slack-rope’. Not only did he have the whole congregation crying in fits of laughter he was also able to say things about our local Christian ‘dis-unity’ which even the local Bishop wouldn’t have been able to get away with.
All of this actually begins with God-in whose image we are all created. Do you remember the story of Abraham, Sarah and Isaac? God tells Abraham that Sarah is going to bear him an heir in her old age. Sarah is eavesdropping by the door to the tent. She thinks that the whole thing is so absurd that she has a good laugh. A year later she finds herself looking after a baby son called Isaac, whose name means God Laughs! Don’t we desperately need to rediscover the Spirit of Isaac in our midst today? To laugh is to know that you are created in the image of God.
And then there’s the story of Jesus raising Jairus (the ruler of the Synagogue’s) 12 year old daughter back to life. We read that when Jesus arrived at their house, and said that she was not dead but sleeping, the weeping and wailing mourners “laughed at him!” The only other place in the Gospels where I can remember people laughing at Jesus-this time filled with sarcasm-was as he hung on a cross bleeding to death for you, for me, and all the world.
But we believe, as Christians, that ultimately God has the last laugh! Jairus’ daughter was raised to life from her death bed. Jesus rose from the grave. Sickness, pain, and even death, will one day come to an end. Justice will be established and peace will come-somehow, someday! God laughs!
In the meantime remember: “A cheerful heart is a good medicine but a downcast spirit dries up the bones!”