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Laughter

    I bought the soundtrack of Mary Poppins for my wife.

    While I'm more of the Amadeus, American Beauty, and Platoon type in a continuing quest to unravel the subtle incarnations of original sin, her original innocence has a balancing effect on me.

    I bought it for our anniversary; but as I paid for it, I barreled back to childhood.

    Confessionally, I liked it a lot back then; and I picked up a lot of themes which continue in a lot of what I say and do: "Just a spoonful of sugar" does help the medicine go down and word merchants like me are always looking for a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious way of explaining simple stuff.

    My favorite scene is Ed Wynn singing "I Love to Laugh":

        I love to laugh

        Ha Ha Ha Ha

        Loud and long and clear

        I love to laugh

        He He He He

        It's getting worse every year

        The more I laugh

        Ha Ha Ha Ha

        The more I fill with glee

        And the more with glee

        He He He He

        The more I'm a merrier me

    I do and I am.

    I've heard laughter releases good chemicals into the body which are even better than St. John's Wort.

    It's also easier to tell and hear the truth through humor's sugar; or as I used to tell my preaching students, "Humor loosens 'em up. That's when you can stick in the knife of truth and twist it before they know what hit 'em."

    Of course, not everyone appreciates everyone's humor.

    A friend says mine can be inciteful.

    Recently, I got a good dose of disapproval for a sarcastic analogy which equated the stability of the mainline denominations' collective mindset with Michael Jackson's relationships with children.

    I thought it was pretty funny; and so did a lot of folks around the globe.

    But one guy - a presbyter no less who is either a Jackson fan or has to attack personalities when principles are beyond grasp - wrote to one of my editors and urged him to censure me for good; which, loosely translated, means he'd like to burn me at the stake in a liberal Christian kind of way.

    Truth is I use humor as a homiletical-rhetorical preface to deeper concerns, conundrums, conclusions, and all of the below.

    Borrowing some lines from Reinhold Niebuhr's Discerning the Signs of the Times (1946), humor is a sugar-coated way of addressing life's sour realities:

          Humor is concerned with the immediate incongruities

        of life and faith with the ultimate ones...Laughter is

        our reaction to immediate incongruities...Laughter is

        a sane and healthful response to the innocent foibles

        of men; and even to some which are not innocent...We

        also prove by the laughter that we do not take

        the annoyance too seriously...People with a sense

        of humor do not take themselves too seriously...All

        of us ought to be ready to laugh at ourselves because

        all of us are a little funny in our foibles, conceits and

        pretensions...The ability to laugh at oneself is the

        prelude to the sense of contrition. Laughter is a

        vestibule to the temple of confession.

    Sadly, not everyone's got a sense of humor.

    The proverbial whatever hit the fan for me not too long ago when I tried some lame humor to make a hard point: "With our world going to hell quicker than poop through a goose, I have concluded the only things that matter anymore are faith, family, and friends...There comes a time when blaming poor potty training for bad behavior is as dishonest as blaming France for Iraq and escargot or Britney Spears for girls gone wild."

    Actually, I heard from only two people through one person; and, believe it or not, it caused me to consider more linguistic caution in the future.

    Nah.

    It reminded me of an apocalyptic moment with Tony Campolo in the lounge of Kansas City's Second Presbyterian Church during an officers' retreat in the early 80s.

    Tony used the "s" word for the "p" word during a reference to something related to total depravity and said within seconds of not slipping, "Now isn't it a shame that some of you are more upset with me saying _____ than you are about those who are hungry, poor, unclothed, unsheltered, unsaved, and being beaten, battered, and butchered by hateful and diabolical people?"

    I laughed.

    Most did.

    Some didn't.

    They didn't get the point.

    Some never do.

    I think of Psalm 2:

        Why do the nations rage?

        Why do the people waste their time with futile plans?

        The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers

            plot together against the Lord and against His

            anointed one...

        But the one who rules in heaven laughs...

    In short, God mocks those who rebel against His Word with derisive laughter because no one can challenge or change His sovereign determination of history (i.e., His story).

    Or as The Net Bible translates Psalm 2:4: "The one enthroned in heaven laughs in disgust; the sovereign Master taunts them."

    The joke is always on someone.


View my Guestbook Free Guestbooks by Bravenet.com Want to comment on a KD Column? Click below to go to our message forum! View my Message Board Free Forums by Bravenet.com Custom Search 35% of all donations will go to Christian Ministries	Up to 4% of all sales made through this link will go to KD which we will then give 35% to Christian Ministries Laughter I bought the soundtrack of Mary Poppins for my wife. While I'm more of the Amadeus, American Beauty, and Platoon type in a continuing quest to unravel the subtle incarnations of original sin, her original innocence has a balancing effect on me. I bought it for our anniversary; but as I paid for it, I barreled back to childhood. Confessionally, I liked it a lot back then; and I picked up a lot of themes which continue in a lot of what I say and do: "Just a spoonful of sugar" does help the medicine go down and word merchants like me are always looking for a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious way of explaining simple stuff. My favorite scene is Ed Wynn singing "I Love to Laugh": I love to laugh Ha Ha Ha Ha Loud and long and clear I love to laugh He He He He It's getting worse every year The more I laugh Ha Ha Ha Ha The more I fill with glee And the more with glee He He He He The more I'm a merrier me I do and I am. I've heard laughter releases good chemicals into the body which are even better than St. John's Wort. It's also easier to tell and hear the truth through humor's sugar; or as I used to tell my preaching students, "Humor loosens 'em up. That's when you can stick in the knife of truth and twist it before they know what hit 'em." Of course, not everyone appreciates everyone's humor. A friend says mine can be inciteful. Recently, I got a good dose of disapproval for a sarcastic analogy which equated the stability of the mainline denominations' collective mindset with Michael Jackson's relationships with children. I thought it was pretty funny; and so did a lot of folks around the globe. But one guy - a presbyter no less who is either a Jackson fan or has to attack personalities when principles are beyond grasp - wrote to one of my editors and urged him to censure me for good; which, loosely translated, means he'd like to burn me at the stake in a liberal Christian kind of way. Truth is I use humor as a homiletical-rhetorical preface to deeper concerns, conundrums, conclusions, and all of the below. Borrowing some lines from Reinhold Niebuhr's Discerning the Signs of the Times (1946), humor is a sugar-coated way of addressing life's sour realities: Humor is concerned with the immediate incongruities of life and faith with the ultimate ones...Laughter is our reaction to immediate incongruities...Laughter is a sane and healthful response to the innocent foibles of men; and even to some which are not innocent...We also prove by the laughter that we do not take the annoyance too seriously...People with a sense of humor do not take themselves too seriously...All of us ought to be ready to laugh at ourselves because all of us are a little funny in our foibles, conceits and pretensions...The ability to laugh at oneself is the prelude to the sense of contrition. Laughter is a vestibule to the temple of confession. Sadly, not everyone's got a sense of humor. The proverbial whatever hit the fan for me not too long ago when I tried some lame humor to make a hard point: "With our world going to hell quicker than poop through a goose, I have concluded the only things that matter anymore are faith, family, and friends...There comes a time when blaming poor potty training for bad behavior is as dishonest as blaming France for Iraq and escargot or Britney Spears for girls gone wild." Actually, I heard from only two people through one person; and, believe it or not, it caused me to consider more linguistic caution in the future. Nah. It reminded me of an apocalyptic moment with Tony Campolo in the lounge of Kansas City's Second Presbyterian Church during an officers' retreat in the early 80s. Tony used the "s" word for the "p" word during a reference to something related to total depravity and said within seconds of not slipping, "Now isn't it a shame that some of you are more upset with me saying _____ than you are about those who are hungry, poor, unclothed, unsheltered, unsaved, and being beaten, battered, and butchered by hateful and diabolical people?" I laughed. Most did. Some didn't. They didn't get the point. Some never do. I think of Psalm 2: Why do the nations rage? Why do the people waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against His anointed one... But the one who rules in heaven laughs... In short, God mocks those who rebel against His Word with derisive laughter because no one can challenge or change His sovereign determination of history (i.e., *His* story). Or as The Net Bible translates Psalm 2:4: "The one enthroned in heaven laughs in disgust; the sovereign Master taunts them." The joke is always on someone.