10-11-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
October 11, 2024
When have you experienced a level of joy and excitement that spilled over into laughter? Laughter doesn’t necessarily mean something is funny, but the delight a person is feeling cannot be contained with a simple smile. In Psalm 126, we read:

When the Lord changed Zion’s circumstances for the better,
    it was like we had been dreaming.
Our mouths were suddenly filled with laughter;
    our tongues were filled with joyful shouts.
It was even said, at that time, among the nations,
    “The Lord has done great things for them!”
Yes, the Lord has done great things for us,
    and we are overjoyed.

Those words were part of a worship song offered by a people who celebrated coming out of Exile in what had once been Babylon. After years separated from the centerpiece of their faith, they were able to return to Jerusalem. They were overjoyed, and their shouts and songs were interrupted only by giggles of delight and howling hysteria. Whenever there is liberation and new-found life, the church needs to be a place filled with shouts and songs and a whole lot of laughter.

Whenever you have lifted my spirit, liberating me from the bonds of despair or hopelessness, I pray, O Gracious God, for the gift I have received to be visible in my joy, delight, and laughter. Amen.