Before I begin I offer a disclaimer.  I don’t know much of anything, and I know little about even less.  If what I share this morning offends you, then it is likely me that you have encountered.  If what I share amuses, then it might be me but depends on the nature of the amusement.  If some fragment of what I share speaks truth, then that is surely not me.  But already, I have assumed too much, and either way, I hope you will accept my sincere apologies for whatever shortcomings I reveal of myself, my writing, or my understanding of things of great importance.

Allow me to begin on an honest note (and now that I have your attention): I am, among a multitude of other deeply flawed character traits…a selfish man.  Thus the topic of this devotion has largely been contrived to feed my selfish needs, and today at least (or yesterday as it was), those needs center upon my need to smile and perhaps even laugh.  In doing so, I do hope my words give glory to Him, and if in some small measure you too find yourself smiling or even entertained you will at least know that it was in fact an accident and not my purpose, as I meant this for me, yet you happen to be here too, which regardless was always His clear intent.

Laughter is a powerful medicine, like unbridled joy released upon surprise…like a happy balloon that is unexpectedly popped.  Notice I said a happy balloon, not to be confused with the likes of its evil twin brethren which seek the quiet places in our rooms like a somber marching procession of saboteurs.  Who, while on their way to gang upon the inner chambers of the enemy city stop at nothing to reach their goal.  But I digress.  No, in this case, laughter is like a happy balloon, whose sudden passing merely gleefully punctuates it’s once former stable existence with a gentle, albeit abrupt passing of wind.  You see, the passing of wind is funny in itself, as we have so often learned at this table.

At this point in this devotion, I’d hoped to insert some clever scripture that attests to the healing and therapeutic values of laughter.  This is devotion after all. There is of course Ecclesiastes 3:1-4:

“There is a time for everything, 

and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot, 

a time to kill and a time to heal, 

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh, 

a time to mourn and a time to dance”

Solomon was one deep dude.  But here, now, perhaps not exactly what the doctor ordered…but as you can see I am quite desperate to now thump my big Bible’s concordance.  This reminds me of a recent event whereupon my portly Bible and its half-hearted concordance nearly enabled me to swindle others to the quality of my scriptural intellect.  As some of you already know, at last weekend’s YP I came upon a hot streak during the night’s festive Bible Hunt activity.  I had a bit of wicked revelation as to the leader’s methods for selecting the seemingly random scriptures…and must admit that I am still quite amazed at my stroke of genius.  You see, instead of hurriedly thumbing from scripture to scripture, I actually took the time to read each scripture the leader (I prefer to call her the ‘Outfitter’) referenced!  I know…the thought of doing so still confounds me!  After reading several of the selected verses I struck upon the key word she was using in her concordance (if you must know it was “Father”). I then went to my own fat Bible’s concordance, of which I usually pooh-pooh, but on this day celebrated. I experienced instant and easy gratification, successfully “hunting” consecutive verses (oh what delight it brings to be first and right, like getting the big gold-star sticker from the teacher you secretly crush on). 

The game should have been well in hand, with me running away crowned hereto after as “All-Time-King-of-Bible-Hunt” and trouncing that little boastful girl in the third row and thus relocating her genuine Bible prowess to a lower and much less praised rung of Bible Hunt achievement.  It was at that moment that my pride, as small as it is, reared its little receding hairlined-head and grumbled “more”.  The chapter of the next Bible reference had barely left the Outfitter’s lips and I stood, like a pilot in an ejection seat, and shouted the verse, reading it direct from my concordance. 

In the states, I could probably have jokingly claimed Jedi powers to defend my prophetic Bible Hunt abilities since Americans seem far less ardent about their Bible Hunts, fancying them more as a Scripture Safari that seeks photos of posing kittens rather than bagging African man-eaters, as it is here.  Immediately I knew I had violated some unspoken regulation of righteous Bible Hunting.  The Outfitter gave me a stern look and told me that I had to actually look-up the verse.  I know, imagine the nerve of her. She was after all the mother of that smarty-pants in the third row.

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

Humor aside, I think laughter in some ways is the overflow of joy that pours out from our souls.  I don’t think you’ll find that in a dictionary though.  Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes of the meaninglessness of all things under the sun and apart from God.  Joy should center on God, what He is, what He has done, and the hope we have in our future with Him. 

With these things said, I do not laugh as much as I need to.  When we do not express this joy, it is in my humble opinion that it is the result of one of two circumstances manifesting in our lives: we either lack joy to supply the overflow, or we are containing the overflow from pouring forth.  One is worse than the other, but they both deprive others of a fruit of the Spirit and likewise diminish the depth to which we can adorn glory upon His name.  My prayer for each of you, and myself, is that we will overflow with joy and let it pour out in our witness to His love and grace.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds " James 1:2

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2