Is God Funny?

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, February 29, 2008.

“Hi, I’m Pastor K, and I’m an internet joke junkie.” Chorus of “Hi, Pastor K.”

How many of you could belong to my 12-step group for Internet joke collectors? I get jokes sent to me by email. I have a collection of “favorites” – websites that post clean jokes. I even have a couple of honest-to-goodness books of jokes, too. Why am I addicted to jokes? Because I can’t tell them very well, so I need all the help I can get.

For instance, take today -- please! (cue: drum-slap) It’s February 29^th! A day that comes along only once every four years, and we’re treating it just like another day! Now I think that’s funny! Couldn’t we make Leap Day a mandatory world-wide holiday? C’mon, can’t we afford one day out of 1461 days to just have fun?

But wait a minute, Pastor K, aren’t you forgetting something? You’re a pastor – and EVERYBODY knows Christians – especially pastors – aren’t supposed to have fun! Shame on you! Show me in the Bible where God has a sense of humor. Ask the folks from Sodom and Gomorrah if God has a sense of humor! I didn’t think so…

But don’t tell that to comedian Anita Renfroe. She’s become a huge sensation in Internet-land.Some of her video clips were posted on YouTube, and word began to spread: here’s a really funny lady – and she’s a (collective gasp!) CHRISTIAN!!!! The New York Times Magazine recently wrote about Renfroe, and they couldn’t believe it either. They headlined the story” Did You Hear the One About the Christian Comedian?” And here’s one quote from the article: “ ‘I have a good time almost all the time,” Renfroe said. “But I do feel a little bit of pressure.” That’s understandable given her most important task: proving that being a Christian comedian is not an oxymoron.”

I want you to pay careful attention to that quote. Renfroe didn’t say she was under pressure to prove that a Christian comedian is not an oxymoron, that’s what the New York Times IMPLIED from her statement that she is under pressure. The Times can’t quite believe that “Christian” and “comedian” can belong together.

So that’s made me really curious. Do most people think you can’t be a Christian and tell funny stories at the same time? Am I really in trouble because I love Jesus AND I like to laugh?

I turn to my Bible and read about Jesus in the gospels. Here’s some of the ways he is described: filled with compassion, angry, indignant, consumed with zeal, troubled, greatly depressed, very sorrowful, grieved, sighed, wept, groaned… Those don’t paint a very funny Jesus, do they? But wait – there’s more: surprised, amazed, rejoiced greatly, full of joy. Hmmmmm, seems that Jesus was much more complicated in his emotions than we first thought. In fact, I would venture to say that Jesus’ humanity was complete in ALL his feelings. He knew the full range of human emotion – from deep sorrow through physical pain, quiet satisfaction through can’t-sit-still excitement.

I can imagine Jesus pulling all kinds of harmless practical jokes on the disciples as they lived and travelled together for three years. How can you live together like that and not have some fun?

I am willing to go even further in my speculations. I think God CREATED humor, and then like all of God’s good gifts, this gift was spoiled by human sin. Just as sexuality has been turned into promiscuity and lust, good food has been turned into gluttony, hard work into drudgery – humor has been turned crude and shocking.

But none of those good gifts have to be turned into bad things. We can still enjoy sex in the right context, food in the right proportion, work in the right setting, and humor in the right frame of mind. And that’s what’s so refreshing about Anita Renfroe – she’s able to see the funny side of every day life and describe it without crude language, sexual innuendo, or outrageous hysterics. She’s so good at it that ABC’s “Good Morning America” show is signing her up to be a regular contributor.

And that’s the way I think Christians ought to be “in the world, but not of the world.” Jesus’ prayer before he went to the cross was this: “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” (John 17:15) Christians should be fully engaged with our community, but engaged with a difference: showing the rest of the world what life can be like when we truly follow God. So many people think Christian comedian is an oxymoron because not enough of us have shown God’s sense of humor. But I know God has one, because God gave us an extra day every four years just to keep our clocks straight. Now that’s funny!!