Genesis 18 1-14 eSerm

The Oil For Squeaking People
Sermon by R. Robert Cueni

Let me remind you of two biblical narratives which concern the announcement of unexpected births. In each case, the husband and wife are beyond the age when pregnancy is expected -- yet the Lord tells them that a son will be born to them.

In the New Testament book of Luke, we are informed of how an old priest named Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, were to become parents of the fellow we know as John the Baptist. Zechariah was at work in the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem when an angel appeared to him. This angel blurts out: "You are going to become a father."

As an aside, let me note that the appearance of an angel is, even under the most ordinary circumstances, a bit unsettling to anyone. The news this angel offers nearly prompts a coronary to this old man, Zechariah. For he is told that his wife of the past 30, 40, 50 years is going to have a baby. The Scripture tells us that when he received the information, Zechariah was struck dumb and remained speechless until the child was born nine months later.

That reaction should not surprise any of us. We do not appreciate hearing that we are expecting about the time we have the golden wedding anniversary. The Scripture goes on to tell us that Elizabeth is so embarrassed at wearing maternity tops she doesn't leave the house for five months. Once again, that strikes me as a very understandable response to a difficult and unexpected circumstance. The condition of Elizabeth must have given the ladies of the local Bridge and Gossip Club plenty to talk about. Those nine months of waiting for the birth of John the Baptist must have been extremely difficult for Elizabeth and Zechariah.

In the book of Genesis, we are told of another unexpected birth to an elderly couple. In this case, however, they handled the news differently. Abraham and his wife Sarah were in the midst of a grove of trees when three strangers arrived and announced to Abraham that his wife was going to become pregnant and deliver a son.

Sarah was sitting inside the tent and overheard this announcement. It cracks her up. The Bible tells us she laughed at the news of having a baby at her age. Hence the child will be named Isaac which means "one who laughs."

Two birth announcements and two very different, but understandable reactions. Zechariah is struck dumb. Sarah laughs. Neither reaction changed the outcome. In both cases, sons were born nine months later. I do believe, however, that there was a marked difference in the ways Elizabeth and Sarah experienced their pregnancies.

Personally, I believe that Sarah had a much easier time of waiting than did Elizabeth. I don't have any "proof" of that. The Bible doesn't actually say there was a difference. My conclusions are drawn from my experience of life and a firmly held conviction that people in biblical times experienced their humanness in much the same way we do. I believe it was easier on Sarah, however, because she took advantage of one of God's greatest gifts -- the gift of laughter.

In the face of an awesome surprise, she laughed. She applied laughter as an active ingredient to make things move more smoothly. As human beings we often find ourselves in very difficult, painful, squeaky-tight situations. Laughter is the God-given oil, the lubricant which reduces the friction and helps us get through tough, tight problems. Laughter is a marvelous gift of a loving God and as such it is a gift we should carefully nurture and frequently use.

Consider how this gift assists us in learning. We must all learn it is evil to manipulate people. We should be straightforward and honest in our dealings with one another. People are valuable and not toys for our personal pleasure. Also, keep in mind that when we use people rather than value them, we pay a price.

Let me cast this lesson in the form of a story. A young 16-year-old boy entered the local pharmacy. He asked the pharmacist for three boxes of candy. "I want a two dollar box, a four dollar box and a six dollar box," the boy said. When the druggist commented that this was indeed a curious purchase, the fellow responded, "I have my first date tonight with a girl. I plan to take her to the movies. On the way to the show, if she permits me to hold her hand, I will give her the two dollar box of candy. During the movie, if she permits me to put my arm around her, I will give her the four dollar box of candy. And, if she wants to do some hugging and kissing, I will give her the six dollar box." The now-laughing pharmacist sold the boy three boxes of candy and sent him on his way.

That night the young man appeared at the girl's door. Her father answered and invited him in. "We are about to sit down for dinner, Jimmy," the father said. "Why don't you join us."

When Jimmy sits down at the table, the father asks him to say grace for the evening meal. Jimmy responds with a beautiful invocation in which he blesses the family and calls for a better world in which everyone treats everyone with decency and respect.

After dinner and on the way to the movie, Suzie, the young girl, comments, "Jimmy, I didn't realize you were such a religious boy. That prayer was lovely." To which the rather embarrassed Jimmy responds, "And I didn't realize your father was the town's pharmacist."

The lesson to be learned, of course, is that it is evil to manipulate people. We should be honest and straightforward. We should value one another. When we don't, it always catches up with us. It is an important lesson, but when given with a dose of laughter, it is medicine which goes down much easier.

Of course, laughter can be abused and abusive. Any of the gifts of God can be wrongly used. If we laugh to hurt people or as a way to avoid facing the issue, we abuse this gift. We should not, however, lose sight of laughter as a marvelous gift which strengthens and eases us through tough times.

For centuries people have recognized that, more than a pleasant pastime, laughter is good for us. Aristotle called it "bodily exercise precious to health." Carl Sandburg said, "Laughter is medicine for the soul." In keeping with the Reader's Digest feature, "Laughter Is The Best Medicine," scientific evidence has been added to the claims of psychology and philosophy for the beneficial effects of laughter. Apparently, laughter actually stimulates secretions from the endocrine system which reduce pain and stress.

In his well-known book, Anatomy Of An Illness, Norman Cousins tells how he treated a very painful illness by reading joke books and watching funny movies. He claimed that ten minutes of Laurel and Hardy film provided sufficient release from pain to get two hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Unusual? Exaggerated? Perhaps. Even probable, but still sufficiently true to make the point. Laughter is good for you. It improves the health and makes it possible to get through some tough times.

I am also aware that there is a darker side of human nature that hates laughter. Some people believe laughter sinful. Many humorless church folks claim it is frivolous. I contend, however, laughter is a gift our Lord Jesus Christ understood and practiced. Jesus, like Sarah, knew laughter can help ease us through an otherwise tight problem. Jesus frequently used humor to make a point or to lessen tension. When the Master spoke of such things as "a camel passing through the eye of a needle" or the need to "take the log out of your eye," his audience laughed. These words of immense exaggeration were spoken in tense situations. Laughter, properly applied, is the God-given lubricant to squeaky human relationships.

Some of what I say runs against the populist wisdom of the day. The experts currently encourage us to be confrontational with our problems. When angry with others, let them know. Be honest about your feelings. Tell it like it is. There is much to commend leveling with one another.

On the other hand, there is something downright demonic in thinking that we always have to confront every problem; discuss every difference of opinion; communicate to others every single negative emotion which flitters through the mind. God did not give us life as a problem to solve. Living is intended to be a joy to experience. One of the great aids for doing that is this capacity to see the humor and to laugh about some of the unfairness, the inequalities, the injustices that come to us.

Couples in troubled marriages usually spend an enormous amount of time and energy trying to solve problems and not nearly enough time and energy finding a few moments each day to laugh together. Maybe marriages are troubled simply because they have so many problems. Maybe people in troubled marriages don't laugh much because there is nothing humorous in their relationship. On the other hand, maybe couples who make a point of laughing together have just as many problems, but don't notice them as much. Maybe their laughter energizes them through the hurts.

Now I realize that sometimes things don't seem funny. It may hurt too much to laugh. Let me suggest, however, that may be exactly the time you need something to laugh about. To laugh when nothing seems particularly funny does not mean you are unrealistic. Finding something a bit humorous even in the midst of a troubled time doesn't mean you are avoiding the issue. We can see the humorous even when we are facing the issue squarely. Neither Sarah and Abraham nor Elizabeth and Zechariah were planning to have children when it was announced to them. After the golden wedding anniversary, we don't usually make those plans. For that matter, we never plan unwanted surprises. They come anyway. The choice is not whether or not tough times come. They willl come. The choice we have is what we are going to do when the tough times arrive.

If you will remember, old Zechariah the priest met the problem with all seriousness and was struck speechless. His "take it all so seriously" attitude didn't change the end result. His wife delivered a nine-pound bouncing boy and they named him John. Between the announcement and the delivery, Zechariah was miserable.

Sarah on the other hand, decided to greet the news of her pregnancy with a bit of lighthearted laughter. Her laughter didn't change the end result. A son was born to her nine months later. The difference, however, was in how she experienced that wait. I suspect Sarah found the time of waiting much easier than Zechariah.

Quite frankly, that is one of the things we know about the value of laughter. It is the oil for tough, squeaky times. It is a wonderful gift of a loving God.

Tenders of the Sacred Fire, R. Robert Cueni, CSS Publishing, 1995, 0-7880-0450-6