"Divine Laughter"

Rev. Billy D. Strayhorn

(Psalm 150:1-6)

[1] Praise the LORD!

Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty firmament!

[2] Praise him for his mighty deeds;

praise him according to his surpassing greatness!

[3] Praise him with trumpet sound;

praise him with lute and harp!

[4] Praise him with tambourine and dance;

praise him with strings and pipe!

[5] Praise him with clanging cymbals;

praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

[6] Let everything that breathes praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD!

NRSV

INTRODUCTION:

There's a story going around now. I've seen it in several versions, each one choosing a different group as the focus of the joke. The way I originally heard it was that it took place in a Sunday School Class. It seems the Sunday School teacher had a class full of new children and she was trying to see what they knew about the Church and the faith. Since it was close to Easter she asked them: "What is Easter?"

One little boy raised his hand and said: "Oh, that's easy! It's the holiday in November when everyone gets together, eats turkey, and are thankful..."

The teacher said, "I'm sorry but that's Thanksgiving. Would anyone else like to try?"

A little girl raised her hand and said: "Easter is the holiday in December when we put up a nice tree, exchange presents, and celebrate the birth of Jesus."

Again the teacher said: "I'm sorry but that's not Easter. That's Christmas. Anyone else want to try?"

Another little boy raised his hand and said: "I know what Easter is. Easter is the Christian holiday that coincides with the Jewish celebration of Passover. Jesus and his disciples ate the last supper and later Jesus was betrayed by one of his own disciples, Judas, and turned over to the Romans. The Romans took him to be crucified. They whipped him, made him wear a crown of thorns, and then hung him on a cross with nails through his hands. He was buried in a nearby cave which was sealed off by a large boulder."

The teacher was very pleased but before she could say anything the boy continued: "Every year the boulder is moved aside so that Jesus can come out...and, if he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter".

That story has no real relevance to anything except to start us off with a laugh, a laugh that reminds us of the Good News of Easter and the resurrection of Jesus from the Dead. It's important to laugh.

I. A FORM OF PRAISE:

A. This morning is Bright Sunday, a day to stand up and laugh in the face of sin and death. A day to hear God's divine laughter and transform our laughter into divine laughter. Today we come to praise God and to claim the joy and the promise of our faith through that praise.

The word "Praise" comes from a Latin word meaning "value" or "price". When we praise God, through worship or prayer or any of the other means of praise, we are proclaiming to ourselves, to God, and to those around us how much we value our relationship with God. That's important for us to say and important for God to hear.

The word "Hallelujah" is a transliteration of the Hebrew for the phrase, "Praise the Lord."

B. As we look at Scripture and the traditions of the Church, you can see there are many forms of praise. Sacrifice is seen as a form of praise. So is physical movement like liturgical dance. Silence, music, meditation, prayer, personal testimonies, and even holy living are seen as forms of praise. In recent years we've begun to add things like clowning, mime and drama. Anything that glorifies God and lifts the heart and spirit closer to God can be seen as a form of praise.

That's why music is so closely associated with the idea and practice of Praise. Music draws us closer to God in a special and unique way. And when you combine music and lyrics together, sometimes it can make our souls and hearts soar to new heights. (1)

I believe that laughter is a form of praise, also. Humor and laughter both can be used to praise God and bring healing. Science has proven that laughter is beneficial to us physically, emotionally and spiritually. Joy, praise, laughter and a sense of humor help us keep everything in perspective. And sometimes, especially in the midst of stress or grief, we really need to keep things in their proper perspective.

A woman and her five-year-old daughter often walked through an old cemetery to reach the local playground. One day the little girl saw someone stick a rod into the dirt near a headstone and hang a wreath on it. Curious, she asked Mom, "Why did that man put a wreath on the grave?"

Mom explained that the man wanted to remember the person who had died.

The little girl asked, "Will someone do that for me when I die?"

Mom, answered and said, "I'm sure they will." She began mentally preparing herself for the next question.

They walked on in silence for a while and the little girl said: "It won't be fair. All I'll see is the stick." (2)

Laughter and a sense of humor are forms of praise that help us keep everything in perspective.

II. ORIGINS:

A. The origin of laughter is the fruit of the spirit that Paul lists in Galatians 5:22-23. "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

Laughter originates directly from the first two, love and joy. First is love. God loved us first. God created us and made us the object of God's love. When we realize and accept that love as our own, that love fills us with love and it fills us with joy. A joy like no other joy in the world. A resurrection kind of joy. A joy the starts in the heart and spirit and grows and glows in every aspect of life. A joy that knows the horrors of the cross and knows without a doubt that the tomb is empty. And a joy that knows why. That why is the eternal love of God.

Joy is a direct result of the love of God which we experience. Joy is a direct result of our relationship with God through Christ. Joy helps us rejoice. It helps us enjoy and appreciate all that our loving God has given to us.

B. One of the church's early theologians, Hippolytus, who was martyred in 235 A.D. wrote an ancient Easter Hymn:

"Join, then, all of you,

Join in our Master's rejoicing.

Rich men and poor men,

Sing and dance together.

You that have fasted

And you that have not,

Make merry today.

Christ is risen:

The world below is in ruins.

Christ is risen:

The spirits of evil are fallen.

Christ is risen:

The angels of God are rejoicing." (3)

Isn't that beautiful? The angels of God are rejoicing over the resurrection, so should we. The resurrection should fill us with joy and the love of God. Jesus said, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." That alone should be sufficient grounds for praise.

III. WAYS TO PRAISE GOD:

A. It is very clear that there are some specifics about praise here in the passage, too. From this Psalm you can see that God not only expects us to be of good cheer but that life itself is about praising God. The author says that everyone should praise God. That we should praise God everywhere possible. And that we should praise God with every means possible.

The Psalm is clear, "Let everything that breathes praise the LORD!" (Psalm 150:6) In other words, everyone should praise God.

You may not feel like it. You may not know what to say. But we are called to always praise God.

Alexander Whyte, the Scottish preacher, always began his prayers with an expression of gratitude and praise. One cold, miserable Sunday the members of his Church wondered what he would say. He prayed, "We thank Thee, O Lord, that it is not always like this." (4)

B. The Psalm also says we should praise God everywhere possible. The verse says, "Praise God in His Sanctuary, Praise him in his mighty firmament." The Sanctuary part is pretty clear. Part of our worship experience should be praise. Whether it comes through the message, through our prayers, through the hymns and special music or through the offering, a vital element of worship is praise.

That same vital element should go with us into all areas of our life. That is what is meant by firmament. The firmament was everything God created above, below and including heaven and earth. That doesn't leave out much does it?

An eight year old was saying grace at breakfast and ended by praying: "We thank you for this beautiful day. Amen." His mother glanced out the window, noticed an approaching storm and asked, "Why did you say that? This day is anything but beautiful."

The little boy replied: "Mother, we should never judge a day by its weather." (5)

We should praise God at all opportunities and in all places no matter what the weather or the circumstance.

C. And finally, we should praise God with every means possible. As you look at the Psalm, you see that there are all kinds of instruments mentioned. Dancing is mentioned. Our energies should be spent and our talents invested in praising God. Whether it's music, laughter, hard work, whatever we can do to praise God should be done.

CONCLUSION:

When we praise God, when we celebrate our faith and rejoice in our salvation, the joy of our faith comes through all we do. The joy of our faith gives birth in us to that divine laugh that was given birth in an empty tomb. That divine laugh sparks the joy of faith and laughter in us.

Laugh the divine laughter of praise. Sin and death have been defeated. We have been given the grace of forgiveness. We've been given new life. And we have been given life eternal. I can't think of anything more joyous than that. Laugh the divine laugh of praise.

Clown's Prayer

This morning I want to close with "The Clown's Prayer" of Smiles unlimited, a clown ministry to hospitals, nursing homes and prisons based in Indianapolis:

"Lord, as I stumble through this life, help me to create more laughter than tears, dispense more happiness than gloom, spread more cheer than despair. Never let me become so indifferent that I will fail to see the wonder in the eyes of a child or the twinkle in the eyes of the aged. Never let me forget that my total effort is to cheer people, make them happy and forget at least for a moment all the unpleasant things in their lives. And, Lord, in my final moment, may I hear You whisper, 'When you made My people smile, you made Me smile.'"

This is the Word of the Lord for this day.

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1. Holman Bible Dictionary for Windows, (Ver. 1, Parsons Technologies)

2. Adapted, Humor for Preaching and Teaching, Edward K. Rowell, editor (Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 1996) p. 51.

3. Cal & Rose Samra, Holy Humor (Guideposts, Carmel: New York, 1996) p. 51.

4. Bible Illustrator for Windows Vers 2.0, (1990-1997 Parsons Technology)

5. Dick Van Dyke, Faith Hope and Hilarity (Doubleday, Garden City, New York, 1970) pp. 132-133.

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