The gift of humor

Did you know that a bicycle can’t stand alone? It is two tired.

Or did you hear about the guy who fell onto an upholstery machine? He’s now fully recovered.

And then there’s my favorite saying: Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.

The gift of humor is a marvelous gift from God. (I know the preceding jokes are pretty bad, but I think they are funny).

There was a time when I was down in the dumps. I had experienced personal tragedy, things in my professional life weren’t going well and my soul felt empty. I left the small town I lived in and headed off to see a movie. It wasn’t a great movie, but it was a silly one. I laughed until I cried. I left the theater exhausted, but recharged. I was ready to go home and go back to work.

By the way, I had a friend who broke into song because he couldn’t find the key. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist!)

In the Book of Genesis, we read the story of an old man named Abraham. God had promised Abraham many descendants, but he and his wife Sarah were childless. When a mysterious pair of travelers told him that he and Sarah would have a child in their old age, Abraham and Sarah laughed at this ridiculous promise of God. When their son was born they named him Isaac, which in Hebrew means “he laughs.” Laughter was the name of the ancestor of Jesus and our ancestor of faith.

Later in the Bible the preacher of Ecclesiastes tells us “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance ...” (Ecclesiastes 3: 1-1 NRSV).

This popular passage from the scriptures tells us that a balanced life is a happy one. Both work and play are important. We have times of sorrow, but they don’t last. Life moves along. When we are in the midst of despair, that feeling won’t last forever.

In the Psalms we read of a person who has had one of those very bad days, and weeks, and months.He felt like he was literally in hell. Then he sings a song of praise, and tells us: “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5, NRSV). I encourage you to read all of Psalm 30, to see this transformation to joy.

When we turn to the story of Jesus, we find that evil tried to destroy him. Jesus suffered and died a painful death. But the joke was on the power of evil that tried to destroy Jesus. On Easter, he rose and defeated even the power of death. The power of love has conquered all.

Just one more thought: I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

Rev. Thomas Hyde

First United Methodist Church