The Laughter of Life
Friday’s Verse:
From Ecclesiastes 3:4 ESV
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance
God has created us with the capacity for the entire spectrum of emotions. Some seasons in life are seasons of weeping, and others are seasons of laughter. The Christian life is no exception; we weep in Christ, and we laugh in Christ as well. We tend to come to God most readily in our mourning, but He also rejoices in our laughter. A good joke is not a waste of time, nor is laughter a denial of our Christian call to sober-mindedness. God-given humor is as much a part of the goodness of God’s creation as our being made in His image.
Abraham and Sarah laughed when they were told in their old age that they would have a son (Genesis 18:12). The disciples laughed with joy when they saw the risen Lord (Luke 24:39). Laughter acknowledges that the God who authored our lives has a plot line that is larger than all of our little anxieties, and His grace is a deeper story than all of our fears. Humor alleviates our heavy burdens, and laughter is a celebration of the joy we have in knowing that the God of life has defeated sin and death.
In the words of Luther, “You have as much laughter as you have faith.” A heart that has been set free in Christ is able to rejoice in the joys that are common and ordinary to this world as well. We live in a fallen world that causes much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, but we are also to laugh and rejoice and be a joy to others with our laughter.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Lord of joy, thank You for the gift of laughter. Help us not to take ourselves too seriously, but to rejoice in the salvation won for us by Jesus. Let our humor be seasoned with love, and our joy point others to You.. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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