Communicating God’s Love

The diversity of theological positions in any given church or denomination presents a challenge in building a sense of community.  We know that Jesus said one of our most effective witnesses to the world is to demonstrate how we love each other in a manner reflective of how Jesus has loved us. I want to suggest that laughter and humor can be an effective antidote to some of the relational poison that has been affecting us.

WAS JESUS JOKING?

Can’t you just see Jesus poking someone in the ribs and saying, “Heh, Mr. Priest, you do that straining bit very well. I doubt that a gnat could ever make it through your procedure. But if you are not careful, you are going to end up swallowing that camel that has just slipped into your cup.” Jesus’ jocular comment was surely meant to puncture the pretentiousness of this activity in the temple.

I am suggesting that we take Jesus seriously enough to join with him in some laughter that can deflate our own pretentiousness. We know that we can take ourselves too seriously. I want to suggest some ways that we might make use of God’s gift of humor to strengthen the bonds of our common faith.

HUMOR AMONG CLERGY

Let’s begin with our denominational bonds and our relations with other denominational churches. I’m Presbyterian but, regardless of the denomination of which you are a part, you know that we have all suffered strains in our relationships within our denomination and among our denominations. A simple action that any church leader could take would be to have a lunch of humor. Invite several clergy to have lunch together. This could either be within your denomination or an ecumenical group of clergy. Each type of group has both its advantages and challenges. Whatever you choose, make sure that there is theological diversity among the group.

The size of the group could vary but I would suggest that a group of twenty or less would be a good beginning. When it is that size of group, all can participate and the mechanics are not too difficult. For the sake of ease of hearing and privacy, I would suggest that you have the gathering in a comfortable church building and ask for some volunteer cooks in that congregation to prepare your meal. That would surely be a gracious act that most congregations could accomplish if the group was of reasonable size.

ROUND ONE

Find someone who is good at telling jokes to open the meeting with some good humorous stories. Having informed the guests ahead of time to bring some good humorous stories, now invite each participant to share their best religious joke.

ROUND TWO

For the second round, invite them to share a humorous story that they have experienced in their own ministry. The leader should have a set of his or her jokes and stories, but the objective is to get as many clergy as possible to contribute.

ROUND THREE

For the third round, after they are in a humorous mood, remind the participants of Jesus’ experience related above about gnats and camels. Invite the participants to name some of the “gnats” and some of the “camels” that are part of their ministry. What are the things that people get overly serious about that in the larger scheme of things are not that important? What are some of the important things that sometimes can get overlooked?

BUILDING COMMUNITY

Food and laughter can be healing contributors to any community. If a judicatory were able to arrange several of these lunches across their denomination, it would build better relationships that would help when the more difficult issues arise. The same could be true for ecumenical gatherings within a given community.