Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Milford

February 26, 2012A Moment for LevityScripture Reading: Ephesians 5:1-5 — Living in the Light 1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. 3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. A preacher’s little boy inquired, “Daddy, I notice every Sunday morning when you first come out to preach, you sit up on the platform and bow your head. What are you doing?” The father explained, “I’m asking the Lord to give me a good sermon.” The little boy said, “Why doesn’t he?” Begin with a joke…if you do any public speaking, that is the oft-quoted advice. Nothing wrong with adding a little levity (defined as lack of seriousness, frivolity, flightiness, silliness) to your remarks. But what does the Bible say about telling jokes? I was a bit worried when I read Ephesians 5:4 above, but I wasn’t planning on being obscene or coarse. And you can probably accuse me of being silly at times, but that is not the kind of foolish talk to which the passage is referring. No, the reading is really discussing living in the light…being a positive force in the world by the way you live your life. Build people up instead of saying hurtful things; show love instead of sarcasm; heal people with your words or at least make them feel better by bringing a smile to their faces or a laugh to their hearts. After all, laughter is the best medicine. That saying actually comes from the Book of Proverbs (all the best ones do, you know). Prov. 17: 22 says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” If you bring joy and laughter to others, you are practicing a high calling. If your thoughts and attitudes reflect the joy of Christ, and your outlook and personality are positive, you can work healing in many lives. Do you know someone that you like to be around, someone with this type of spirit, that lifts you up just by being together? Can each of us look in the mirror and say “I’m that person”? I can’t…but I’m trying. So I’ll end with another joke… A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan, in which a man was beaten, robbed and left for dead. She described the situation in vivid detail so her students would catch the drama. Then she asked the class, “If you saw a person lying on the roadside all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?” A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence. “I think I’d throw up.”Prayer: A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. Heavenly Father, help us to spread laughter across the land. Help us to spread joy across your people and teach them about the joy of Christ. Help us to walk in the light, a life filled with love. Amen.Steve Davis