"Go Ahead and Laugh"

I have a good friend who has a great laugh. His laugh always turns heads. Sometimes his laugh, he says, makes some people uncomfortable. But if you know him, you know his laugh is as genuine as he is. About a year after he started attending Living Hope, he said to me, "I appreciate that LH is a church where I can be real even in my laugh." I had never thought about that, but he was right. Church should not be a place where we have to hide what we are experiencing and that includes laughter. Why do we try to contain our laughter? I can think of no better place to laugh than with the Body of Christ in worship. I have a tendency to forget that laughter can be a spiritual means of grace. The Bible says, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones" Proverbs 17:22. What would happen in our relationship with Christ and others if every day we prayed, "Father, help me to find reason to laugh today?" One thing is for sure, the Church would never again be accused of being a people that are dried up bones. Jesus resurrection has made possible an 8th day that makes possible a new day for us and our world! Suffering, loss, sin, and death need never again have the final say in our lives and in our world(see Rev. 21)! So go ahead, Church, and laugh!