“Laughing Matters”

10:30 am, Sun, June 21, 2026 (Gen 18:1-15; Rom 4:19-25) JGW, FBC Amherst

Having never been a father, I have been blessed for 17 years with step-daughters who remember me on Father’s Day. This year I got in the mail a little package from the grandkids, Dryden and Amelia. The note from their mother, in the card, said they thought this T-shirt was too funny and perfect for a hiker like me:

     ANIMAL POOPS OF NOVA SCOTIA

In the old scripture stories of Genesis 17 and 18, Father Abraham laughs. Mother Sarah laughs. And I think the Lord God laughs also. We did not read the chapter where Abraham actually falls on his face in hysterical laughter, but we did read the next chapter where it is now Sarah’s turn. The whole idea seems so silly. They are eighty, ninety years old. They will have a child? Their first child? These are the Bible stories of this month, this year, the saga of Abraham & Sarah. There is laughter & love, as well as tears & fears. 

A few years ago, I heard a lecture on radio about humour. The speaker had personal experience in both Christianity and another spiritual tradition. He decided – and declared – that Jesus and the Christian God did not laugh at all, really, and this was not very good. We beg to differ, don’t we. As we publish the painting of Jesus laughing on our bulletin cover. 

Of course, we could read the middle of the Genesis 18 story a few ways. (Sometimes reading the Bible is like reading a text on your phone, that comes without any emojis. What is the tone of voice? What is the feeling? Hmm.) 

We could read the story seriously: The LORD said to Abraham, ☹ “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too wonderful for the LORD?” 

Or read it smirking: The LORD said to Abraham, 😊 “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too wonderful for the LORD?”  😉But Sarah denied, saying “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. He said, 😉 “Oh yes, (snicker) you did laugh.”

Search for the word laugh in the Bible and you may find it is hard to find. Not common. But there is more humour here than you or I realize. I would guess quite bit of the fun here is lost on us, because we are not Jews living in the ancient Middle East. The ways they told jokes and made puns, the ways they laughed in their languages was a bit different than us in 21^st century English. But they, like us, knew the power of laughter. And there is great power in humour. 

So we must use laughter wisely. We’ve all known cruel laughter.

One of the wise old fellows in Digby when I was there was named Vince. I could tell you a lot of stories that this man told me, from his life in family and as a local businessman. No time for that today. But this dear man had a hard childhood. He suffered a bad leg injury in a sledding accident one winter, and back in that day tuberculosis actually set into his leg. From NB, he spent years of his youth in a Shriners hospital for children in Montreal. And one thing he did repeat to me was about his childhood. No one can be as cruel as a child. More than once he told me that. 

After a baby learns to laugh – and oh how wonderful is the laughter of a baby – but in childhood and growing up, we learn the limits of laughing at other people. Laughter can be so cruel.

So laughter has various purposes. It can mean a few things. It can be laughing at something. Something we find humorous.  It can be laughing at someone. Or at yourself. 

So, what was funny this week? Lots of things… plenty of people. Like my friend Terry. She is an artist. She’s the one who painted the marbles in the mug that I had on the bulletin cover a couple weeks ago. Anyway, this past week she posted a photo of her paint brushes & palette & cup with dirty water in it. But she said this: I just stuck my paint brush in my Protein Shake… have done it before with coffee as well… oh well… I still drink it and am still alive although maybe not as functional as I used to be

We all have these moments of fun. Mistakes that are funny. When we say ‘laughter is the best medicine,’ this is what we mean. 

Yet maybe we also mean to laugh at danger, and laugh it off. Be brave. Be powerful by laughing at a threat. We recently read from Proverbs 31 at a funeral here, that poetry about the virtuous woman. She rises at night to get food ready; she buys and sells land; she makes clothing for herself and her family. And at one point we read: 

Strength and dignity are her clothing, 

and she laughs at the time to come.

Whatever ‘the time to come’ is, she can laugh in the face of it. 

So, we laugh at cancer when we tackle it with all our might. We laugh at the lies someone tells about us. We laugh at the foolishness of the evil actions of leaders and the powerful.

Laughter can be criticism. This is a real power – for good or for ill. We can find other Biblical examples of this. Like Psalm 37: but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that their day is coming. 

Here is the power of political cartoons, and late-night TV hosts, and all the comedy that makes fun of our leaders and celebrities. We laugh at the wrong way. Our satire has power by naming in a sneaky way who is doing what that is off track. 

But the power of humour gets used too harshly. Comedy so often has a nasty side to it. Once in a while I look back at comedians on TV from, well, before I was born, or my early years. Comedians were nasty! Check out Don Rickles, so nasty to others, or Rodney Dangerfield, so nasty to himself: “I know I’m ugly. I went to a freak show; they let me in for nothing!”

I grew up watching ‘The Muppet Show,’ but do not really remember too much detail about it. Go back and see an episode of it now. Those cute muppets were verbally attacking one another all the time! It is all putting one another down. What did Waldorf and Statler say? The old fellows in the balcony seats at the Muppet Show? One says, ‘I finally figured out what’s wrong with this theatre.’ ‘What’s that?’ says the other. ‘All the seats face the stage!’

I notice that many comedians today are as harsh as ever. I think there is a whole genre of stand-up comedy that abuses the crowd, insults people in audience. Its harsh! But some audiences lap it up. I find some of it too cruel, and much of it too rude. It gets me reflecting upon my own humour and teasing of you. 

There is power in laughter. At best, our comedy can strengthen us against the forces of evil. C. S. Lewis quoted Martin Luther as saying, “The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flaut him, for he cannot bear scorn.”

It’s true. To be able to laugh in the face of a true enemy of life, this is a blessing that can make a difference. 

So, let’s end with some Beatitudes of Comedy.

Blessed are you who have a poor sense of humour, for at least you can laugh at someone else’s jokes.

Blessed are you who are hungry for a good laugh now, for you will start to see the funny side of everything.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. (Oh! That’s the exact same as what Jesus said.)

Blessed are you when people make fun of you, and roll their eyes about you, and make up all sorts of stories about your religion. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for the Lord is helping you be more humble.

But woe to those who have a cruel laugh at the expense of others, for the joke will be on them.

Woe to those who are full of pride and power, for they will be laughed right out of office. 

Woe to those who grin all the time and declare everything is great and wonderful, for they will be given something to cry about.

May it be so, in the name of Jesus.