Does God Have a Sense of Humor?

Recently, I saw series of Christian comedy sketches. They were interesting, thought-provoking, and down right funny. And they reminded me of the question that people have asked time and time again, “Does God have a sense of humor?” Here’s a sample of a classic skit by Bill Cosby about Noah…

Narrator: So Noah began to build the ark. Of course his neighbors were not too happy about it. Can you imagine leaving for the office at 7 AM and seeing an ark?
Neighbor: (enters whistling, with brief case) Hey! You over there.
Noah: What do you want?
Neighbor: What is this thing?
Noah: It's an ark.
Neighbor: Uh huh, well you want to get it out of my driveway? I've gotta get to work. Hey listen, what's this thing for anyway?
Noah: I can't tell you, ha ha ha.
Neighbor: Can't you even give me a little hint?
Noah: You want a hint?
Neighbor: Yes, please.
Noah: Well, how long can you tread water? Ha ha ha
(You can read the full text of this skit at www.skatedc.org/pipermail/skatedc/2003-May/005683.html)

Often when people say “Well, you know, God has a sense of humor,” it is usually regarding some irony. Biblically speaking, it was like the time when Sara found out that she was pregnant in her old age (Genesis 18:12). She laughed at the news—and who wouldn’t at the age of 90? But when the three visitors who brought the message from the Lord questioned Sarah about her laughter, she denied it. Did her denial indicate that her laughter was a sin?

Laughter is usually the last thing you would expect to find in a typical Sunday morning church service. Immediately, the traditionalists among us will say, “Salvation is no laughing matter!” or “Sin is serious!” Yet I have heard sermons that have been laced with humor and have been so effective that in the end, souls were saved. The saying goes, “Laughter is the best medicine.” How much more so for a soul sick with sin?

Some of the most effective ministries are those that allow people to laugh. And I’m not talking about the tight-lipped chuckle that people give when the pastor says something clever. I’m talking about good old, knee-slapping, out and out laughter. And the most amazing thing is that the membership of these ministries is often very diverse in terms of age, ethnicity, economic status, and more. Humor has a way of bringing people together.

After Sarah gave birth to her son Isaac (Genesis 21:6), she reaffirmed, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” Sarah realized that her situation, as funny as it was, would still stand as an awesome testimony to the power of God and encourage others around her.

I’m going to remember that there is a time to laugh—and that laughter can be used to God’s glory!