God has a wonderful sense of humor. Some
people might consider such a statement inappropriate.
But I don’t! I think it’s wonderful. A God
with a sense of humor! And why? God knows
what’s good for us. I recently read a newspaper
article on laughter in which it said:
“If there’s plenty of laughter in your life, consider
yourself lucky. It probably means that your mental
state is in good shape and that you have a
good weapon against stress.”
The article goes on to say:
“The most important effects of laughter on the
human body are: 1) mental well-being; 2) a cathartic
effect; if you’re nervous or anxious, a
dose of laughter will give you a feeling of relief;
and 3) a positive impact on the nervous system:
it gets your heart pumping and activates your
cardiovascular system, simulating physical exercise.”
Just this past week I was reading an article on
what it takes to be physically fit and again laughter
is brought up.
“Fifteen, the number of minutes to spend laughing
throughout the day. No joke – you might be
able to smile your way slimmer. In a study from
Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville,
researches discovered that laughing for 10
to 15 minutes over a course of a day can burn
an extra 40 calories (about 4 pounds a year). A
hearty chuckle is alike a mini-workout that
causes you to use your abdominal and chest
muscles.”
To think of all the time and money I have wasted
on aerobics and workouts at LA Fitness. I could
have been laughing myself to good health. Dr.
Patch Adams, the resident that Robin Williams
portrays in the motion picture by the same name,
was really on to something.
God has known this all along. God created us
with laughter as a built-in response and as a
uniquely human phenomenon. I’ve been told
that babies begin to laugh as early as four to five
weeks after birth, and that laughter even occurs
in infants who are hearing impaired.
Laughter is God’s gift to us. Since God wants us
to use the gifts God has given, God cannot resist
the opportunity to play the comedian and give us
a good laugh once in a while. How many times
have you shaken your head in disbelief and
laughed, “O my word! I can’t believe God has
done it again!” Lloyd Ogilvie, the former chaplain
of the United States Senate and Presbyterian
clergy, calls God “the Lord of the Impossible.”
Think about it. Isn’t this why Abraham and
Sarah laughed?
I have an idea. Let’s build a scene from our
Genesis readings where all of us are participants.
Men, you’re Abraham and you’re pushing
100. I know this is easier for some than for others!
Women, you’re Sarah and you’re pushing
90. No comment! And I’m God, and I’m just
pushing it!
I’ve come to your tent with two of my messengers.
Abraham, you let me in, and although you
don’t know who I am, you are the perfect host in
the true Eastern tradition. “Thank you for your
graciousness and warmth!”
Sarah, you are listening at the entrance of
the tent because as a woman in that culture
you are not allowed to be a part of the gathering.
I begin to drop the news on Abraham
as to the purpose for my visit.
“Abraham, remember I promised that you
and Sarah would have a child? Well, Abe,
the time has come. By this time next year
Sarah will give birth to a son. My covenant
will be established with your people through
this child. Abraham, you will be the father of
a multitude of nations and Sarah will be a
mother of nations.”
What would you have done if you really were
Abraham and Sarah and someone – even
God – told you that you had to start getting a
nursery ready at the ages of 90 and 100
when you were ready to retire and move to
Sun City, Arizona or Jupiter, Florida?
That is exactly what Abraham and Sarah did.
They laughed! Abraham laughed until he fell
on his face. Sarah’s laughter was so contagious
it got all of them going. Sarah was embarrassed
that God had even heard her.
God was not angered by her laughter, however.
Not at all! In fact, God told them that
when the baby was born, God wanted them
to call the baby Isaac, which in Hebrew
means laughter. Yes, laughter! Isaac became
the Son of Laughter. God not only tolerated
Abraham’s and Sarah’s laughter, but
God actually joined in. Look at what we
have here. Here are God and humanity
laughing together, sharing a wonderful joke,
enjoying their relationship with each other.
However, the Lord asks an interesting question
of Sarah in response to her laughter, “Is
anything too hard for the Lord?” Is anything
too wonderful for the Lord? Is anything “too
difficult or out of the ordinary for God?”
Our God does not deal with the inevitable.
Our God wants to shake us out of our lethargy
and our complacency by the laughter of
incredibility. “I can’t believe you did it again,
Lord!”
God knows that with laughter something new
breaks into our darkness, something so unexpected
that all we can do is laugh in astonishment.
God’s grace given freely and generously
pops up so unexpectedly that we’re
caught short.
“Is anything too hard, too wonderful for the
Lord?” Is anything too strange or out-of-theordinary
for the Lord? Not at all! The out-ofthe-
ordinary is what makes up God’s covenants.
It is true of God’s covenant with Abraham.
It is true of God’s covenant with
Moses. It is true of God’s covenant with
David. It is true of the covenant God makes
with each of us in Jesus Christ.
In fact, Jesus’ whole life is full of incredible
impossibilities. Think about it. God comes
to earth as a carpenter’s son from the backwoods
of Nazareth and is the savior of the
world. Can’t you hear the laughter as people
questioned: “Isn’t this Joseph and Mary’s
son?”
Jesus performed miracles that astonished
people, but they quickly forgot why he did
them. “What miraculous sign then will you
give that we may see and believe you?
What will you do?” The words Jesus spoke
were not understood.
“The first shall be last and the last shall be
first.”
“I am the Bread of Life.”
“You must be born from above.”
“Destroy this temple and I will raise it again
in three days.”
At the last meal he ate with his disciples
when the death squad was practically waiting
outside the door, he said confidently, “Be of
good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Then he is hung on the cross to die.
Just as all seems to be ended, God fools
everyone by doing the impossible. God
raises Jesus from the dead. Yes, God’s incredible,
laughable actions are found
throughout scripture. We hear stories of how
a wayward son is welcomed home and forgiven
by his father who runs up the road to
greet him – even before he seeks his father’s
forgiveness.
Jesus ate with tax collectors and prostitutes,
people whom the religious leaders in his day
shunned and marginalized. Speaking of the
marginalized, Jesus even speaks to the Samaritan
woman at the well. It was trouble
enough that she was a Samaritan, a race
despised by the Israelites, but when the disciples
returned, we read that they were
shocked that Jesus was speaking with a
woman.
Then we read how Jesus forgives the criminal
who hung on the cross beside him saying,
“I tell you the truth, today you will be with
me in Paradise.” The most incredible action
of God was this - God gave God’s own son
for you, for me, for all people, for all time.
I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E!!!!!
It is even incredible how I came to sojourn
with you as interim associate pastor. I deliberately
did not send my Personal Information
Form up this way to Newton Presbytery because
it was too far away from home. You
see, my husband Richard and I did not want
to move from the home in which we expected
to retire. I did, however, send it to the
Executive Presbyter in Elizabeth. And that
fateful day in April 2005 when Dave Carpenter
called that EP, he was given my name
and phone number. The rest is history. God
knew where I needed to be and my plans
were going to include a long commute to
Morristown, where God knew I would receive
incredible blessings serving with you.
One of the most incredible things of all is that
now God is calling Richard and me even further
away from our townhouse in Ewing. In
fact, now we have to sell it because it will be
impossible to commute to Chicago where I
will be serving as Associate Executive Presbyter
for Ministry in Chicago Presbytery.
Just as God has blessed us here in Morristown,
I know God will richly bless Richard
and me as we begin our new journey with
God in Chicago. Please pray for us. I will be
praying for you.
As I close, I want to leave these thoughts
with you. When you come before God, do
not be afraid to laugh. Give a hearty chuckle
if you wish. It is incredible that God loves us
as we are, that God came to earth in Jesus,
and that God in Christ has been given for us.
Go forth rejoicing! Jesus, by means of the
Holy Spirit, will be with you as you live your
life for him and move into the future as a
community of faithful disciples. God will enable
the impossible, the incredible to happen
in your life and in mine again and again.
Let us pray: Send us forth, O Lord, to be
your people, a joyful people. May we continue
to welcome your incredible intrusion
into our lives and may we always live it with
joy and thanksgiving. In the name of Jesus
Christ, our Savior and Lord, we pray.
