Ecclesiastes 3:1-4  (written perhaps by King Solomon near the end of his life.)

I Thessalonians 5:16-19

Matthew 11:16-19

Laughter

A young woman came home and told her mom that her steady boyfriend had proposed, but she had turned him down because she found out he was an atheist, and didn't believe in Heaven or Hell. "Marry him anyway, honey. Between the two of us, we'll show him they both exist."

An atheist in Scotland was spending a quiet day fishing when suddenly his boat was attacked by the Lock Ness Monster. In one easy flip the beast tossed him and his boat in the air and was about to swallow both in his gaping mouth. As the man sailed head over heals he cried out. “Oh my God. Help me.” Suddenly the whole scene froze and the man and his boat hung suspended in mid-air over the huge mouth. A booming voice came down from the clouds, "I thought you didn't believe in me!"

"Come on God, give me a break!!" the man pleaded. "Two minutes ago I didn't believe in the Loch Ness monster either!"

There was a novel a few years back called The Name of the Rose.  It is set in a 14th Century Abby and tells the story of a Franciscan monk, William of Baskerville, who was played by Sean Connery in the movie version. The background finds William attending a convocation of theologians to debate whether or not Jesus owned his own clothes. This may seem trite to us, but that was the way of ecclesiastical ponderings of that age. During the debate, a priest dies and the story becomes a classic murder mystery - and a stern warning of how closed minds find “sinful” people at every turn.

But a most intriguing element of the movie relates to a small, but vital part of the set up for why many of the other monks in attendance dislike William: he laughs - a lot. The order to which William belongs, the Franciscans, travel with a light heart. They embrace when they meet, enjoy friendship and life, and above all - they laugh.

This would hardly seem a stigmatizing problem, until you make note of the others at the convocation. No one could ever accuse them of being overly playful. They are dour, stern, and above all - serious. One of these priests confronts William and notes no where in the Bible does it say Jesus laughs - therefore, laughter is not to be the mark of a good Christian, for laughter mocks the seriousness of life and keeps one from focusing on the mind on God - and all those other serious spiritual questions - like if Jesus owned his clothes.

I am afraid the idea of the "serious" Christian is still part of our cultural heritage. Go back to the Puritan ethic, and you'll find anything pleasurable, from a good meal to a good laugh, were suspect of being from Satan. You couldn’t even celebrate Christmas. The Salem Witch Trials grew out of all that radical sternness and rigidity. Look at many, many TV or movie presentations of the clergy or religious types: they are often stern, humorless and opposed to having "fun." There was a time when you didn't go to the movies, play cards, or throw a party on a Sunday. You certainly could never do these things in church.  Why not? Because these things were having a good time - which somehow just wasn't related to the things of God.

But why would laughter and light-heartedness get such a bad press from the Christian community? We can lay the blame on Saint Augustine - one of the most profound and powerful thinkers of the early Christian church who about 700 years ago wrote volumes about what it was to be a Christian. Augustine argued that pleasant things were distracting from the soul, and were not just to be avoided, but were deemed sinful. What would distract the soul? Well, such things as good food; non-God centered mental activities as puzzles and games; and emotional distractions such as humor. None of that is actually scriptural, though many today think it is.

From Saint Augustine’s perspective, life was serious business, and "good" Christians were to spend all their time in prayer, fasting, singing hymns, and escaping from life. The rise of monasteries and convents were an outgrowth of that philosophy. Many monasteries were—in some cases still are—places to which to go to escape from the distractions described by Saint Augustine. Not that many years ago, a "good" Christian was not much fun to be with—and you certainly didn’t expect a minister to have “fun”. If such an attitude were in control today, everything from your favorite TV program and the kid's video games to the local paper’s crossword puzzles would be in the trash – along with all the good food we share after worship at a coffee hour or that we enjoy at a local restaurant or with our families.

Unfortunately, much of our culture translated that "Dark Ages" philosophy into contemporary stereotypes of Christians. And we don't often help ourselves. We tend to formalize our "spiritual" language, as if God only understands prayers and hymns in 1600’s King James English. And some of us may remember a pastor who could give you a look that would make water run up hill if you giggled during a worship service.

But let's look at both sides. What if they are right? The Bible never does describe Jesus laughing, and the only mention of God's laughter is in ridicule over the wicked. All of us are well aware of suffering in life. If we couple that with moments where we stood in the awesome mystery of God's powerful presence and been tearfully overwhelmed by the love and grace of Jesus' sacrifice, humor can seem out of place. And in all honesty, there is nothing funny about God's Son hanging on a cross.

But perhaps that is where we are at risk. If all we focus on is the cross, we miss the broader story of the Gospel. The cross is significant because it points to the self-less love of Jesus' life. But there's more. There is the GOOD NEWS. If we spend all our time at the foot of the cross, we miss out on joy expressed in Jesus' life described well in the Gospels. We miss the celebration that is the glory and mystery of the resurrection and the joy of the early church living in the gift of God's Holy Spirit. You see, if the mark of the Christian was to continually be solemn as a heart-attack, the Bible would reflect a very different story of God revealed in Jesus Christ.

Look back to the writer of Ecclesiastes. He notes life is a blend of experiences, all a gift of God. There are times for birth and death; times for labor and rest; times to cry - and times to laugh. If we understand the message, it portrays the richness of the human experience including laughter as a gift of God.

Look closer at the passage from Matthew and what is implied there. Jesus is accused by the Pharisees of being a glutton and a drunkard because he's a party-goer. Let that sink in for a moment and follow where that logic leads. Scripture is clear. Jesus maintains moral integrity, but he hangs out with folks who know how to have a good time. And these folks listen to him and learn of the love of God through his care.

Here's the point. If Jesus were as serious all the time as some paint him, what is he doing at wedding parties or hanging out at the First Century equivalent of the corner pub or dance clubs? Ask yourself this: would the everyday folks - like tax collectors, fishermen and tent makers - be attracted to a guy who never laughed? I don't think so. I'm reminded of Billy Joel's musical line, "I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints - 'cause sinners are much more fun." If I read the Bible correctly, Jesus did.

In fact, if you read the Gospel story closely, it would appear Jesus had a good sense of humor. If I were a betting person, I'd bet if you spent time around Jesus, the laughter was loud, long and abundant - for a Christ who talks about the abundant life and the kingdom of God being like a welcome home party is a Christ who laughs often - and with a freedom and joyousness that is contagious.

Laughter has been proven to be good medicine. The author Norman Cousins wrote a book, The Anatomy of An Illness, in which he describes how he laughed his way out of an incurable disease of the spine. Clinical studies in numerous medical journals have shown 1 minute of laughter is worth 40 minutes of meditation, 100 laughs are equal to 10 minutes on a rowing machine. Heart disease, anxiety, peptic ulcers, depression, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, colds, insomnia, tension headaches, allergies are all helped by laughter. People without a good sense of humor are shown to have a 40% greater likelihood of heart disease.

The story of Jesus is called the Good News. It is something to celebrate and to be joyous about. Christ conquered death. We can now laugh in the face of death, because we have the promise of the resurrection if we believe and follow Christ. It is when we take ourselves too seriously we are most in danger of playing God, and looking down on people or condemning them because they are not like us. Indeed, if we can't laugh at ourselves in the church we are in serious trouble. 

Amen