Laughter

"I am the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep… I know my sheep and they know Me."

- Jesus, John 10:11, 14

"How is it that a baby -- the most defenseless, helpless, vulnerable creature on the planet -- can laugh? Only 1 reason… his/her fears are swallowed up and chased away by the easy laughter and strong arms of a Good Father."

- A Pastor

Do you remember the "Best Christmas Gift" you ever received?

I remember that Christmas Eve when I could not wait to wake up. I had written Santa a long note detailing the race car set I wanted and threw in lots of milk and cookies as a bribe. As the first rays of sunlight broke into my room, I jumped out of bed, and as I'm racing towards the living room…. Suddenly… I heard it… "Varooom! Varooom!" The unmistakeable sounds of a brand new race car set! WhooHoo! Mom was smiling and Dad was at the controls. As I grabbed for the controls both Mom and Dad yelled, "Wait! Wait!" They explained to me how fragile the car set was and that I had to be very careful in operating it. All morning, my car racing was interrupted with: "Slow down!" "Watch out!" "Be careful - you're gonna crash!" Finally, unable to restrain my enthusiasm any longer, I blurted out: "Mom… Dad… part of the fun IS crashing!"

If Christmas is anything at all, it has got to be this: A faith-experience that enables you and I to see beyond the tragic in our lives and still laugh!

Think about it. Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God… in diapers… cradled by his virgin mother in a stable filled with animals in a backwater town on some Judean hillside. That idea alone was enough to make any traditional Hebrew either cry… or laugh! It truly is the cosmic triumph of God's levity over Man's gravity! God's laughter is His loving act of deliverance for all His children that began at the manger and culminated at the empty tomb… and our laughter is the echo of God's hope and God's joy within us!

Last week, after a long and hectic morning of traveling, my son called me to say that his van had broken down on the side of the road and would not start. They were all hot, traffic was heavy, they were hungry, thirsty, and tired. As I listened to my son's frustration, suddenly, in the background I could hear this belly-bursting laughter. "Who is that laughing?" I asked. "Oh," Ty said, "That's Dottie (She's almost 2!). She's laughing at her brother who’s making faces." Later, after AAA replaced his battery and they were rolling down the road, everybody laughed. But only a small child had the capacity to laugh when the chips were down. Why?

She believed she had a father who was big enough and strong enough to fix what was broken. Do you believe that this Christmas?

Christmas can only be "Glad tidings of great joy" for one reason: Because the Good Shepherd, who knows us and loves us, was born in a manger as God, died on a cross as Savior, and rose from the dead as Lord of Lords, in order to fix what breaks in your life and mine… and to raise us up to experience the joy we were meant to live!

Listen…. If this Christmas, the seriousness of life is trying to steal your joy and rob you of your laughter, find a quiet place… be still…

and listen to the laughter coming from a manger - from a carseat - and remember that the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for you still rules over Heaven and Earth! AMEN!

Pastor Harry

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