Laughing in Church

The message yesterday was different. It was a service we call Breakfast Church. This was a more casual service, fun worship music, light-hearted message, prayers for the lost, and cards for the nursing home ministry. 

I had an older gentleman ask kindly, “Is it wrong to have fun at church?” He lost his wife three months ago, is very serious about his walk with God, and does not understand laughter’s place in a worship space. He felt guilty when he left as if we all should have been more serious. 

What the Holy Spirit brought to my mind is when the Kingdom of Heaven finally invades this earth, Jesus will prepare a banquet for us! When we sit together, eating, joking around, enjoying life, being happy, sharing stories, we are having a foretaste of Heaven. This life is difficult, it is often not fun. When we are in Christ Jesus, we can be happy and joyful even after tragedy or in the midst of heavy grief. 

“And provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor” (NIV, Isa 61:3).

Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash