Christmas Laughter

+ THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Today’s Readings: 2 Sam. 7: 1–16; Ps. 89; Rom. 16: 25–27; Lk. 1: 26–38


Christmas is now just a week away! We’ve got snow outside. The lights and decorations uptown… on homes… in stores… are twinkling and festive. People all over are wishing each other a “Merry Christmas!” And now I want to make sure that you get into the Christmas spirit. Laugh and be merry!

Don’t be afraid to laugh — even at stupid things, unimportant little things. Real laughter — the kind that makes you double over and slap your thigh… the kind that brings tears to your eyes… the laughter that goes along with the very funniest jokes… this is the kind of laughter that’s an important part of being human. My dog, Maggie, is very clever, but she doesn’t laugh. Only people laugh. And the kind of laughter I’m talking about is childish and child-like — definitely not reserved or dignified or even necessarily polite.

Did you ever wonder if God laughs and enjoys himself? Does a parent laugh at the antics of his small children? You better believe it! Art Linkletter made a living out of it! So did Bill Cosby.

I know that God laughs. His laughter is care-free, confident, unrestrained — no holding back. The Lord has got to laugh over the lunacy of the world, because he knows the joyful truth. Oh yes, God definitely laughs.

I think Mary must have laughed when the Archangel got done with her. Can you imagine hearing such news? I don’t care how holy you are — to find out that God has chosen you to be the Mother of the Messiah is beyond comprehension. It’s funny. In fact, it’s a riot.

I think she must have laughed the same laughter that Abraham’s wife, Sarah, laughed on hearing that she was supposedly pregnant and expecting a bambino in her 90s.

But just remember: Who had the last laugh? — Yep, God himself… because he actually made it happen! Just the way he can actually make all good things happen to us, his precious children.

Let’s just recap what we learn from Mary today.

After Gabriel asked her if she’d be willing to be the Mother of the Christ, she answered with a prayer: “May it be done to me according to your word.”

That’s all it took to set everything else in motion.

The Holy Spirit came upon Mary… she became pregnant by the miracle of the same Spirit… she became the Mother of God… she was in danger of being divorced by her husband, Joseph… she was in danger of being stoned or strangled to death as punishment for adultery… she had her baby in a stable… she would suffer so many sorrows and even witness her Son’s execution by crucifixion… she was taken to heaven to be queen of heaven and earth.

And along the way, despite the sorrows, she had lots of happiness, too, and I have no doubt that she had many joyful laughs.

Stop for a minute and think of your own reaction when things don’t go as planned. It could be something relatively minor like getting a flat tire or getting stuck in heavy traffic or not getting the check in the mail on the day you expected it. Or it could be something major like losing a loved one or being diagnosed with a serious disease. How do you deal with that?

When Mary found herself pregnant and not quite married, she could have wept and shouted and begged God for pity. Instead, she glorified God. Joseph could have cast her aside and avoided a scandal — and everyone in his community would have backed him up — but instead, he listened to God’s voice. The scorn took care of itself but in his life, the blessings just blossomed and multiplied.

Before Christmas rolls around in just a few days, we should take a lesson from the Blessed Mother — and Joseph, too.

First and foremost, we should pray like Mary did: “May it be done to me according to your word.”

If we pray sincerely and with absolute trust in God’s great love for us, we have absolutely nothing to worry about — and here’s what will happen.

We’ll come to repent of our sins and forgive those who have sinned against us. We’ll meet Christ in a deep and personal way this Christmas. Our lives will change. We’ll tell people about Jesus and his love. And yes, we will probably be persecuted, too, since that’s often a part of the price of really loving Jesus! But we’ll also be awed by Christ’s amazing love and surprised by his works. In fact, we’ll willingly become servants — even slaves — of Christ.

And maybe best of all, we’ll laugh and be joyous and truly merry.

Over the next week, I urge you to really look for opportunities to be happy and laugh. Pray that you can love Jesus as Mary does — with a light and trusting heart. And pray that you won’t throw out the laughter and joy when it comes time to throw out the Christmas tree.

O come, most wonderful Savior. Touch us with your blessing and your most magnificent joy... at Christmas and always. Amen!