"I NEED A GOOD LAUGH!"

Two young lads were seated in the sanctuary of their church one Sunday morning and as children are prone to do, they were giggling. A stern faced usher came to them and said, "Boys... no laughing in God's house." "Why," One of the boys asked, "Will we wake Him up!"

There is no question that far too many people have portrayed the Christian faith as being so serious and so somber, that indeed there is no place for laughter in church.

I recall one couple in a church I served who were quite distressed over the fact that there was a spirit of joy and much smiling and even times of laughter in our worship. The man caught me one Sunday after worship and said, "My wife and I don't appreciate jokes from the pulpit." I asked, "What is it that troubles you about that." "Church is supposed to be serious," He replied, "I was raised to believe that we should fear God."

This fellow apparently suffered as a child what many children do who are taught that they should be afraid of God in the same way they would be afraid of the neighborhood bully. Their teachers misinterpret the biblical phrase, "Fear of God." When the Bible talks about the fear of God, it means that we should have reverence for God or respect for God; not that we should literally "be afraid" of God.

// I will admit to a wee bit of an ornery streak, but the next Sunday, I this couple was in church, so I took the occasion to tell a story ... This doctor called his patient and said, "I have bad news for you." What's the news?" "You have 24 hours to live." "Wow," the guy answers, "That is bad news." The doctor then says, "Well, that’s not all, I have even worse news." "What in the world could be worse?" the fellow laments. The doctor answers, "I tried to call yesterday." The couple I spoke of is now sitting in another church on Sunday mornings -- frowning at another pastor! //

If you've ever said something like, "I need a good laugh," you were close to spiritual truth.

I. THE ABSENCE OF LAUGHTER MAY BE A DANGEROUS SIGN OF THE ABSENCE OF GOD!

Can you imagine a world without laughter --- it would have to be a world without children! C. S. Lewis wrote a delightful little book called the Screwtape Letters. In it he portrays the enemy of joy and laughter as the Devil Himself!

Screwtape (the Devil) doesn't really understand laughter that is a result of joy --- he only knows it bothers him. "We do not know the real cause of laughter," he writes, "There is something like it in that detestable art humans call music, and something like it occurs in heaven. Laughter of this kind does us no good and should always be discouraged. Besides the phenomenon is of itself disgusting and a direct insult to the realism, integrity and austerity of hell." Screwtape goes on to say that laughter and its results, "promotes charity, courage, contentment and many other evils."

When you find yourself in very serious company where there is absolutely no place for a sense of humor, it is a spiritual warning sign. On the other hand:

II. THE PRESENCE OF LAUGHTER MAY BE AN ENCOURAGING SIGN OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD!

I'm talking about that laughter which flows from the joy of life. The spontaneous laughter of children at play. The laughter of friends and family during times of reunion.

III. LAUGHTER IS A GIFT FROM GOD.

Laughter which comes from the joy of life is a part of the "Image of God" which we are created with. Absence of laughter in a child is a sure sign of psychological and spiritual disturbance. God gave us the ability to laugh. While animals enjoy themselves, you don't see them sitting around and sharing a good laugh.

Healthy laughter which comes from the joy of life can: break the tension, lift the spirits, set at ease, or build bridges of friendship.

IV. LAUGHTER IS A SIGN OF GOD'S BLESSING.

In our scripture, the children of Israel are given permission to return to their homeland after a long period of exile. The response, in verse 2, is: "Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy!" In the gospel of Luke, Jesus said, "Blessed are you who mourn now, for you shall laugh."

Laughter is one of the outward signs that we are enjoying the blessing of God.

V. FINALLY, LAUGHTER IS GOOD MEDICINE.

Proverbs 15:30 A cheerful look brings joy to the [heart], and good news gives health to the bones.

Proverbs 17:22 A cheerful [heart] is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Norman Cousins, author of, Anatomy of an Illness, told how he rented 16mm films like Laurel and Hardey and "laughed" himself into healing. In a later book, "Head First: The Healing Power of Hope", he devoted a whole chapter to the medicinal value of laughter. He documents how 10 min. of laughter brought about 2 hrs. of pain relief.

Cousins lead the way with some of this research on laughter as good medicine, but medical science has begun to catch up with Cousins and in a deeper sense with something the bible talked about ages ago!

So--- You need a good laugh!

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