As I pondered what to share with all you fantastic folk, I was drawn, I believe, with God’s guidance, to a simple yet profound thought: ‘it’s good to laugh!’ Not the deepest theological subject, I grant you, but in our frantic and often stressful world we are in danger of forgetting this.
Sometimes, unrestrained laughter is just what the doctor ordered! It’s a medical fact that a good old ‘belly’ laugh helps reduce tension and it brings benefits to our mental health.
You know what I mean … the laughter that cannot be contained, sometimes inappropriate and always better when shared with a friend. Often, I forget the original context of the humour as I’m overcome with uncontrollable laughter to the point where my diaphragm is sore. I end up shouting at myself or a mate to stop, and often when I do, I let out another burst of laughter and I’m off again! You know, you’ve been there!
We sing this song at church:
‘and He walks with me, and He talks with me’, rephrased:
‘Andy walks with me, Andy talks with me.’
When you’ve heard it, you can’t unhear it.
Have you got similar examples?
‘We built this city on sausage rolls’
(Starship: ‘We built this city on rock ‘n’ roll”)
‘It doesn’t make a difference if we’re naked or not’
(Bon Jovi: ‘It doesn’t make a difference if we make it or not’)
‘Then I saw her face, now I’m gonna leave her’
(The Monkees: ‘Then I saw her face, now I’m a believer’)
‘I just died in your barn tonight. Mustard? No, mayonnaise instead’. (Cutting Crew: ‘I just died in your arms tonight, it must have been something you said”)
And finally, one where people think of me:
‘Just let me staple the vicar’
(Sister Sledge: ‘We Are Family’: ‘Just let me state for the record’)
In my house, growing up, humour was akin to Fawlty Towers with my Dad as John Cleese. What memories! TV shows that we all laughed at and interactions that were hilarious. I hope you have your own memories that make you smile with fondness.
Recently, I reminded our church family that Jesus was emotional, just like me and just like you. He enjoyed the company of his friends, he laughed, he cried, and he got angry … all held in perfect balance because of his relationship with his father in heaven.
Going forward why not give yourself permission to have a good old belly laugh, knowing and understanding that there is ‘a time for everything’. Ecclesiastes 3, in the Bible, says we have different seasons in our lives: ‘a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance’.
Thanks for reading and have a fun filled day!
Cookie
Richard Cooke (Cookie) is the senior leader of Barry and Tina’s home church, the Bridge Church, Bolton, Greater Manchester. Cookie is a friend and great support to Barry and the team.