JAN’S MESSAGE OF HOPE & INSPIRATION ~ StettlerLocal.com TV, May 27, 2020

Theme: Give to Us Laughter

I’m in a people profession… I serve in church ministry… if there’s one thing I miss regarding the losses within losses in this time of physical distancing (living with Covid-19) it’s being together with a family as we plan a memorial/funeral service for their loved one that will be as personal as possible. Many such gatherings – for many years now – have been called Celebration of Life. (Some falling into that category more readily than others depending on the circumstances but all pointing to the fullness of life – measured qualitatively – if not in length of years.) What I realized as I spoke on the phone, rather than in-person -- with a couple of family members grieving the recent death of loved ones -- was how often there’s laughter amid the tears.
A couple oft chosen bible readings for gathering to acknowledge the reality of both death and life include the Beatitudes and the reading of wise words from Ecclesiastes chapter 3 that begins: “For everything there is a season…”
Here’s a sample verse from each of those choices…

Luke 6:21… Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

Ecclesiastes 3:4… a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

Sharing a bible reading on the one hand can lead to sharing a joke as part of memorializing the person you’ve known and/or been told about as having a great sense of humour. So, for my message of hope & inspiration today I’ve pulled a couple well received jokes from my “funeral files”…
A tourist walked out into the street and managed to get a taxi just going by. What luck, he thought, as he slid into the cab.
"Perfect timing," the cabby said. "You're just like Bill."
"Bill who?"
"Bill Smith. Now there's a guy who did everything right," the cabby said. "Like my coming along when you needed a cab. It would have happened like that to Bill every time."
"Nah," the man said to the cabby. "There are always a few clouds over everybody."
"Not Bill," said the cabby. "He was a terrific athlete. He could have gone on to play pro ball. He could golf with the best of them. He sang like an opera baritone and danced like a Broadway star."
"Bill was really something, huh?"
"Oh, yeah," continued the cabby. "Bill had a memory like a steel trap… could remember everybody's birthday. He knew all about wine, and which fork to eat with. He could fix anything.
Not like me. I change a fuse, and the whole neighborhood blacks out."
"No wonder you remember him," the man said.
"Well, I never actually met Bill," said the cabby.
"Then how in the world do you know so much about him?"
"I married his widow," replied the cabby.
This past Sunday our worship theme at Stettler United Church was Rural Life Sunday (some call it the Blessing of the Seeds service). I put this joke on our Facebook page and it was shared a number of times. Yes, we need laughter amid our trials and tribulations…

In rural ministry it’s not surprising to meet those who’ve worked with and loved horses – as I did/do… so here are a couple that I’ve shared at Memorials… one in memory of a man who’d told me about having been a jockey for a while as a teenager – until he literally outgrew the job!... and one for another farmer/cowboy whose company I always enjoyed…
There was once a jockey who had an unbelievable winning record. Just before the end of any race, the jockey would lean way over and seemingly speak to the horse and then almost instantly the horse would have a sudden burst of energy and win the race. A reporter asked the jockey what he did that made such a difference in the horse’s speed. He replied: “I simply quote a little verse in his ear: ‘Roses are red, violets are blue, horses that lose are made into glue!”
http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/an-expectancy-of-god-ned-bartlebaugh-sermon-on-faith-134940.asp

A little joke about yoking... Everybody Pull!
An out-of-town pastor drove his car into a ditch in a desolated area. Luckily, a local farmer came to help with his big strong horse, named Buddy. He hitched Buddy up to the car and yelled, “Pull, Martha, pull!” Buddy didn’t move.
Then the farmer hollered, “Pull, Peter, pull!” Buddy didn’t respond.
Once more the farmer commanded, “Pull, Jezebel, pull!”
Nothing.
Then the farmer nonchalantly said, “Pull, Buddy, pull!” And the horse easily dragged the car out of the ditch.
The pastor was most appreciative and very curious. He asked the farmer why he called his horse by the wrong name three times.
The farmer said, “Oh, Buddy is blind and if he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn’t even try.”

When we pause to remember those who’ve gone before us, it’s good to remember how they’ve made life worth the living beyond what they did for a living. I remember adding this joke to a service celebrating a woman who professionally and voluntarily had done a lot of accounting/bookkeeping…
A person who was very rich was called to heaven.
Because they were rich, they negotiated with God and finally God allowed them to bring one suitcase of their worldly treasure along with them.
Standing at the pearly gates, St. Peter came to greet the newcomer. Looking through the gate at the view before them, they were in awe. There was the glitter from the streets of gold, and gems of perfection and proportion such that they’d never seen.
Peter saw the suitcase the person was carrying and said, "This is strange. Nobody ever comes here with a suitcase.”
The person said how they’d negotiated with God, and God said they could bring whatever of my wealth I could fit in one suitcase.
St. Peter said, "Well, I will check it out with God, but first let me see what is in the suitcase."
Peter looked in… and saw there were several bars of gold. "This is the wealth that you brought? You brought pavement!,” he was heard to exclaim!

It’s a blessing it is to have bodies that are wired to release dopamine when we laugh… helping our blood pressure to drop when we let go/laugh during grief, frustrations, anger and pain.

Here are the lyrics from a hymn called Give to Us Laughter… a sung prayer that’s been used in Funeral settings as well as “regular” worship…


Give to us laughter, O Source of our life.
Laughter can banish so much of our strife.
Laughter and love give us wholeness and health.
Laughter and love are the coin of true wealth.
Give to us laughter as sign of deep joy;
let us in laughing find Christian employ,
joining with stars and with bright northern lights,
laughing and praising and sharing delights.
Why do we worry that we will lose face?
Why act like king for the whole human race?
Often in family, and often with friend,
laughing at pride causes anguish to end.
Even in sorrow and hours of grief,
laughter with tears brings most healing relief.
God, give us laughter, and God, give us peace,
joys of your promise among us increase.
________________________________________
Words by
Walter FarquharsonCopyright © 1974 by Walter Farquharson
Administered by Hope Publishing Company
Carol Stream, Illinois • USA