SERMON SHORT FOR June 14th, 2020
God, Lighten up a little
Genesis 18:1-15, 21:1-7, Matthew 10:5-15
We like humour. Hardly a day goes by in our offices, in our schools or in our homes where some joke or other doesn’t come to play. Even the sour faced saints of our church family are made to find something to laugh at or chuckle inwardly even if their reputations suggest they keep a straight face. We like humour and we like people with a sense of humour.
From the very beginnings of our faith comes a story of matriarch Sarah laughing at what she thinks is a joke told to her by none other than angels. “Oh yes, [she] did laugh.”
God’s people can see God’s wisdom and justice in the tragedy of the world where evil exists and righteousness seems to suffer. But God asks us to look beyond the reality to the promise of joy and hope in him. Rather than give in to the sadness and tragedy of the world which we know is there, look to see the joy that God promises us. Laugh at the jokes of our frailty, and then laugh in the joy of God’s forgiveness and God’s providence and God’s love.