FEATURE
13
So a priest, a rabbi and an
imam walk into a bar…
Actually let’s leave the
imam. And the rabbi. They
can laugh from within, but
as a Christian, I’m better
sticking to what I know.
So a priest walks into a bar.
And the barman says, ‘Is
this some sort of joke?’
C
hristianity has been the punchline
for so long, we’ve become suspicious
of laughter. Religion and comedy are
not happy bedfellows. Yet the world
keeps turning and laughing and making
merry. We Christians are in the world but
not of the world, but I wonder if we are in
on the joke?
Surely laughter is God-given, and his plan
for us is to be a joyful people? ‘Isaac’ was
so named because it means ‘he laughs’.
(I’ve done stand-up gigs when I’ve heard
‘You suck’ which means ‘I didn’t laugh’.)
Proverbs continually tells us that ‘a glad
heart makes a cheerful face’ and ‘a joyful
heart is good medicine’ (15:13 and 17:22,
NASB). Yet if we’re looking to the Scriptures
for advice on our humour subjects, there’s
also Ephesians 5:4: ‘Nor should there be
obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking…’
And perhaps many churches’ attitude to
the world of comedy has been more ‘a time
to weep’ than ‘a time to laugh’ – and not
weeping with laughter.
There’s a time and a place for joking.
So should we laugh in church? Well
it depends: probably not during the
prayers, maybe during the sermon if the
minister’s started with a joke (although it’s
important to laugh at the right bits), and
maybe before and after as we catch up
with friends… There’s surely a balancing
act between the solemnity of liturgy, and
worship through communal joy?