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Let’s be honest: sometimes church feels more like a trip to the dentist than dinner with friends—stiff, serious faces and a seemingly unwritten rule that fun must be checked at the door. But here’s a twist: what if God actually intended for us to laugh—at home, at Bible study, and even (gasp!) during church?
God Invented Laughter—And the Snort
Flip through Scripture and you’ll find God is no solemn statue. Ecclesiastes 3:4 assures us there’s “a time to weep and a time to laugh,” and if you’ve ever tried holding laughter during a silent prayer, you know it’s a lost cause. God wove laughter into our emotional DNA—right in there with hiccups, hunger and the mysterious urge to belt out praise songs wildly off-key.
Consider Sarah. The matriarch. The skeptic. When God promises her a child at ninety, Sarah laughs (Genesis 18:12). Who can blame her? But here’s the punchline: God delivers, and when Isaac is born, Sarah basically says, “Now everyone is going to laugh with me!” (Genesis 21:6). Sarah’s laughter moved from disbelief to full-on, quaking-with-joy celebration. God seems to enjoy a good twist ending.
Theology With a Smile
Theologians call it the imago Dei—the image of God. Apparently, part of that image includes the ability to find things funny. If you doubt this, remember: we were made to reflect God. And if you’ve ever giggled watching cats jump at the site of a cucumber or laughed under your breath watching people in the congregation fall asleep during the pastor’s riveting sermon on Leviticus, you know God has a sense of humor.
Jesus, also, wasn’t allergic to a little wit. His parables are sprinkled with surprise, irony and the kind of humor that sneaks up on you during a potluck dinner (this Sunday, btw). He called people out for missing the log in their own eye while they attempt to remove a speck from everyone else’s (Matthew 7:3-5). With the right delivery, that illustration is just plain funny.
Why Laugh? Because It’s Healthy, Holy, and Helpful
Proverbs 17:22 declares, “A cheerful heart is good medicine.” Translation: giggling counts as self-care. Laughter keeps the soul limber, helps us not take ourselves (or our personal pet peeves) too seriously, and reminds us that, ultimately, God’s joy is stronger than our gloom.
Laughter is resistance—rebellion against despair. Nehemiah 8:10 reminds us, “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” There’s a reason Christian community and hearty potlucks often go hand-in-hand: sharing laughter together is a glimpse of God’s great feast to come, where He promises to wipe away all tears (Revelation 21:4). Maybe, just maybe, those wiped-away tears will leave us grinning from ear to ear.
Go Forth and Giggle
So next time you laugh—at a pun, a playful moment, or even the ridiculousness of life—thank God. Laughter is a sacred gift, a little echo of the banquet table in heaven. Take a moment and imagine an eternity that includes laughter. I say this because some of you haven’t had a reason to laugh in a long time. Laughter is more than just good; it is holy. A sense of humor might just be evidence of God at work in you.
So, smile wide, crack a joke, and spread some holy hilarity. If you can avoid wetting yourself as you do, all the better.