Last week, I was very busy. As a result, I didn’t get to sermon writing until Thursday, which is usually my last office day for the working week. The sermon was on the parable of the prodigal son, which is a story Jesus told at the end of a series of stories about lost things, specifically a lost sheep and a lost coin. I was working hard trying to finish up before the end of the day, when my 4-year old son came into my office and asked to sit in my lap while I worked. I agreed, with the stipulation that he had to be quiet so I could focus on my work. Naturally, he ignored my stipulation and began playing with things on my desk, including a dime that was sitting amongst the clutter of my workspace. He found it and asked if he could have it to put in his piggy bank. I was fine with this as long as he stopped asking me questions so I could work. The dime kept him occupied for a little while, that is, until he dropped it. Panicked, my son scrambled from my lap to search for the coin. He quickly grew frustrated and began asking me to find it for him. I told him I’d give him another coin if he’d let it be and let me work. He would have nothing of it and became increasingly irritable. Finally, I agreed to search for the dime for him. I moved around piles of clutter and couldn’t find it. Eventually, I moved my computer and there was the dime. It had come to rest next to a piece from a game that my son had lost several of the pieces to earlier in the week. Specifically, the lost game piece was a little wooden sheep. So, while writing a sermon on the lost son parable, which comes after the lost coin and the lost sheep parables, I searched for and found a lost coin and a lost sheep that my son was looking for. I laughed about the funny intersection of events to the metaphors in the texts I was studying and since, have reflected on an interesting idea: It seems to me that God has a sense of humor. This example from my own experience is just one of many I have encountered and I suspect most folks have similar experiences. The trick is that we are often too busy or distracted to notice how God is acting in the world around us. In my case, I was so rushed and agitated over the distractions from my desk work that I nearly ignored my son’s request for help finding his coin. Another place we can find examples of God’s sense of humor is in the Bible. If you read the Bible with a little knowledge of the ancient culture and languages, it is loaded with subtle jokes, puns, and other bits of humor. Jesus’ teachings in particular often include subtle jibes at the Pharisees or puns that help make points about what he is teaching on. The challenge that comes with getting the humor is really based in the time, cultural, and language distance. Again, the solution is to take the time and effort to pay attention to and learn about what is being said. I believe that laughter is one of the most wonderful gifts God has given to his people. The trick is to learn to slow down and pay attention to Him long enough to catch what He is doing.
