From the Pastor's Pen

Dear friends,

I have to say I found myself in a bit of a funk earlier.  So I got out facebook and turned to the page of a friend of mine who is more often than not in a positive place.  I started scrolling through her newsfeed for funny or inspiring things.  She did not disappoint.  I found this poster about having trouble falling asleep.  I laughed out load.  I suppose I found it so funny because this looks like a description of me trying to fall asleep on a pretty regular basis.  I struggle to get my brain to turn off at night.

I share it with you today, not to talk about sleep difficulties but to talk about how helpful humor is when you’re feeling a little off.  A good “funny” usually pulls me out of the grumps.  Actually many years ago the great pastor and theologian Johnathan Edwards espoused the value of humor.  Johnathan Edwards lived during the time of the Great Awakening when people were going to revival meetings and being “filled with the Spirit.”  Some of the pastors in more traditional churches asked Edwards to write about the true signs that someone was filled with the Spirit.  So he did write such a book, and in it he said one of the signs of the Spirit in our lives is humor.  That makes sense to me especially when humor is offered as a kindness to lift someone’s spirits.

Here are a couple of scriptures for your edification tonight:

“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22

“Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”  Psalm 126:2

“Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” Gen 21:6

I hope you laugh tonight.

Peace,

Pr. Sally