Humor in Church

I can think of few things better then a moment of unexpected humor in church.

Today's first reading is from the book of Numbers, chapter 21 verses 4-9. It is a passage about God's people who Moses lead out of slavery in Egypt. They are still wandering and they are still complaining. It is the familiar cry "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?" They are whining once again about the food and water situation. The Lord's response is that He sent "fiery serpents" and people were bitten and people die. The people also repent, they had Moses ask God to forgive them. God had Moses construct a bronze serpent that the people who were bit could look at and be saved.

Our pastor Jon Muhly then shared with us stories of vacationing with children and his own experiences as a child on vacation. The cries from the back "Are we there yet?..I need to go potty?.. and she crossed the line again." As well as the response from the front "Don't make me stop this car and come back there." I am very sure that this is a familiar scenario for most of us. Pastor Muhly then compared this time tested and true experience to the cries of the people in the wilderness and he wondered with us if God ever wanted to yell "Don't make me stop this car."

So this leads to the moment of profound humor. Pastor Muhly is sharing with us all the many, many time the people of Israel lost faith in God while they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Pastor Muhly is also sharing with us how kids have an amazing ability to know just how to whine in that perfect way that can cause a parents skin to crawl and for the parent to cry out "enough." So he is speaking about how the multitude of voices from the people are all whining and complaining that there is no food, no water and "ugh, yuck this manna, we do not want to eat that any more," and you can almost see them pushing that plate of food across the table like a petulant child. Then God responds by stopping the car and ordering everybody out as he yells "Release the snakes, you are all getting bit."

To say that this made the congregation laugh is an understatement, the congregation erupted. I myself felt the bubble of humor, that his images created, burst into the hysterical laughter of the all too familiar. It was a fantastic and relatable image.

It would be an injustice to say that everything stopped there. Even though that is a very relatable image it does make God look a bit like he lost his mind. The real "bite" of the message is God's forgiveness. When the people realize that they have sinned that they are dying they ask Moses to ask God to forgive them. More miraculous then that though is that even before we realized that we are also sinners that we are also dying, even before we thought to ask God to forgive us, He sent his Son to die for us.

So that of course was the full meaning of the message this morning. Do forgive me though if I continue to spend a few more minutes enjoying the image of God bellowing "Release the snakes."

Many blessings to you this fine, funny night.--Kate