Humor might be one of the most precious gifts in life. Sometimes it is just fun to be silly, but humor also can serve a much higher purpose. While it is true a misplaced joke can make light of a serious subject, a well-timed joke can serve to diffuse tension and free us to look at a difficult situation in a new and helpful light. English actor Peter Ustinov once said, "Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious."

I believe Jesus employed humor often in his ministry. I have no hard and fast proof for this, but there are several things that point me in that direction. For one, people were attracted to him. Even though his mission put him in the midst of conflict and danger, he had disciples who were eager to follow him. I just have a hard time imagining them getting along without being able to laugh together often.

I also think that many of Jesus' parables were intended to be funny or ironic. We often miss the joke though, because humor doesn't translate well across languages and cultures. Yet, many of his stories have the elements of jokes, such as surprises, twists and plays on words. For example, in our reading for this coming Sunday from Luke 5 Jesus riffs off Simon Peter's job as a fisherman and invites him to follow him so that he could "fish for people."

For many of us, this (or its alternate, "fisher of men") is a very familiar saying. It doesn't particularly tickle our funny bone. We think Jesus is being serious and in a way he is. But as one of my colleagues pointed out in Bible Study this week, it is actually a really bad metaphor for discipleship if we take it too literally, since the fisherman's job is to catch and kill the fish.  Clearly that is not what Jesus is inviting the disciples to do to people. He is calling them to help him set people free. The Greek verb that is actually used by Jesus, according to Luke, means to "catch them alive." Still, we might not laugh out loud reading this story, but perhaps we can imagine Simon Peter and the others chuckling at Jesus' playful use of language.

Laughter has many commonalities with the love of God, which we are all called to share. It brightens our spirits and frees our minds. It turns us from pain to joy. It makes us feel safe and gives us courage. It unites us with others, breaking down barriers that separate us from one another. It encourages and prods us to new insights, new ways of being in the world.

One of the things I love most about our congregation is that we are not afraid to laugh together. To me, this is a sign of the holy in our midst. It is one of the ways that God breaks into our lives. Just as we are called to pay attention to what brings tears to our eyes, maybe we should also pay attention to what makes us laugh. Might it be God's way of trying to catch us alive with some new insight, some new calling?

I invite you to join us Sunday for worship as we continue to explore this story and its implications for our life of faith. And don't forget about Deacons' Bingo this Friday at 6:30pm.

Until then may your week be filled with the gift of laughter!

In faith, hope and love,

Mark