AN EVENING OF LAUGHTER
Laughter can also have a positive effect within a congregation. People who share a good laugh together are more likely to treat each other with respect when they have disagreements. This is especially true when we see ourselves being able to laugh at ourselves. Too often we only experience the pleasure of a good “roast” when a person is leaving or retiring. It doesn’t have to be that way.
NURTURE OUR SOULS
Plan an evening congregational dinner. Announce well in advance that the idea would be to “roast” the congregation, the preacher, educator, musician, church board, choir, youth group, members, etc. Anyone can contribute but it will help set the tone if you identify some of the well known humorists in the congregation to prepare some material. You might also ask certain groups, such as the youth group, the choir, the men’s group, etc to prepare a specific roast. Their perspective can be very enlightening.
The purpose is to invite laughter to nurture the soul of the congregation and the individuals within it. Have a night in which we make fun of ourselves. You might even introduce a “Guess who” moment in which someone would act out some exaggerated characteristics of someone in the congregation and let the audience guess who they are portraying.
Of course you need to build in some protections against the misuse of humor that can hurt but the tone can be set in the invitation. Imagine the possibility of humor that can heal. Sometimes we can get too serious in the church and lose sight of the genuine fun of being together in community. Who do you suppose can come up with the best funny line about the pastor, the session, and the congregation as a whole? It would be a fun evening to see the results.
LIGHTEN UP A LITTLE
One final suggestion might be finding room for some intentional humor in the midst of some of our denominational gatherings. The planned interjection of some humor in the midst of our deliberations might soften the tone as we seek what is best for the larger church. Most gatherings feel the pressure of time constraints but here is one possibility that might fit into an agenda with favorable benefits.
Have the people in the meeting cluster in small groups of not more than four or five participants right in the meeting place. Ask them to spend about 15-20 minutes recalling some of the funny experiences that each have experienced in the church. Having shared their stories, they are asked to pick out one to share with the entire group. This way everyone will get a chance to share, but without taking an enormous amount of time the whole group can experience some of the classic stories. An experience like this might help people transcend ideological divides and sense a new form of community.
ENJOY GOD FOREVER
The Westminster Confession begins with the question, “What is the chief end of man (humanity)?” Its classic answer as to the purpose of our humanity is to “glorify God and enjoy God forever.” Sometimes I fear that in attempting to do the first part, we fail to participate in the second part. The result is a fractured church that fails to glorify God as we should. “Have you heard the one about . . .”
