God as Laugher. If you have any comments - adebelak@redeemerluth.com [mailto:adebelak@redeemerluth.com]God as laughter enable us to laugh out loud at ourselves - that is a holy place
to be. It is when we laugh at ourselves - catch ourselves in the act of being knuckleheads
and war-mongerers and hate mongerers - that we are granted the courage to turn around
- repent - grab hold of the love and healing and mercifulness. When we are able
only to hate what we do - and therefore find it easy to hate what others do - we
will not laugh and we will not forgive and we will not let ourselves start anew.
God as laughter allows Stephen - right before they stone him to death - to announce
forgiveness. HA! The folks listening probably thought he was nuts. But no - he was
being as real as the Reign of God raining down upon both the good and the bad so
that the world might be transformed. The saints who are a living act of forgiveness
are able to laugh out loud even when the world thinks we are being mad - foolish
- insane. In the middle of that laughter comes a courage that drowns out the fears
and shame and hurt that makes us so easily turn to revenge and bitterness and scapegoating.
God as laughter is eternally available - like a good joke that makes us pee in our
pants - embarrassing, yes, but something we will never forget. Never forget the
laughter of God.
O God of love and new life, we long for a bit of laughter and a whole expanse of
hopefulness. Amen.
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