Essential Laughter

Today I am deeply grateful for the Dial Hope Board of Directors and for all who give so generously of their time behind the scenes to make Dial Hope a reality.

I love the old story of a minister who went camping up in the mountains. He was enjoying hiking the mountain trails until one day he found himself face to face with the biggest … ugliest … meanest … grizzly bear he had ever seen. He saw no means of escape, and the bear was coming toward him growling. The minister did the only thing he knew to do. He dropped to his knees, closed his eyes, and began to pray. The longer he prayed, the better he felt. The bear had not attacked. So, the minister opened his eyes, and lo and behold the bear was kneeling right in front of him. The minister was overjoyed and exclaimed, “O, Brother Bear, this is wonderful. It is a comfort to my soul to know that we are praying to the same Lord.”

The bear opened his eyes, looked at the preacher, and said, “Brother, your comfort is going to be short-lived because I’m saying grace.”

My friend Roger Kunkel used to regularly remind me of the power of laughter. 

As a young pastor right out of seminary, I asked Roger for any words of advice or wisdom. He said, “Take your faith seriously – but don’t take yourself too seriously. Humor is essential. Life is so much easier when you can laugh – especially when you can laugh at yourself.”

May we all take Roger’s advice to heart.

Our prayer today is a prayer Roger wrote back in 2003. Let us pray: Loving God, who changes rivers in their course and alters the paths of the stars, infuse us and flood us today with joy and hope. Let the radiant power of your Holy Spirit destroy any negativity or cynicism in us, and fill us with positive feelings of love and affirmation. Help us to say yes to the things that are good, and no to things that devalue life. Mold us more in the image of Christ that we may hear you say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.