We were living the lyrics of “Jingle Bells.”
The full moon was the brightest light in the cloudless sky. But it wasn’t alone. Countless stars glittered around it, gilding the winter night almost down to the mountaintops. For a while, all we could hear were the swish of the sleighs runners through the powdery snow and the faint rhythmic jingle of the bells on the horse’s collar.
Yes, we were actually “dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh.” It’s one of the main reasons we chose Franconia, New Hampshire for our winter weekend getaway. Cushioned in the back of that sleigh, snuggled under a heavy blanket against the biting cold, we just couldn’t help ourselves. We started singing:
“Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh.
O’er the fields we go
Laughing all the way!”
We have a lot of good memories from our years of living and working in New England, mostly of times spent with friends. But this memory incorporates the entire New England winter experience: freezing cold, snow, brilliant night sky, and trying to be warm. Plus (it probably should come as no surprise) there was lots of laughter on that ride, too. How could we sing “Jingle Bells” and not end with laughter?
That’s how I have always thought of that song, especially at Christmastime. Long before I ever left my Old (West) Kentucky home, long before I had ever laid eyes on a one-horse open sleigh, my thoughts would dash to “Jingle Bells” as soon as the Christmas season began. And if ever there was a season for laughter, it’s Christmas.
There are those, however, who disagree.
You have, no doubt, met these folk: They don’t dislike celebrations, per se. It’s just that they don’t like having all that Fa La La La La associated with Jesus. These humbugs don’t seem to understand why Scrooge had to change in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, or what any of it has to do with the true meaning of Christmas, anyway. They are a lot like the dwarfs in C. S. Lewis’ The Last Battle: too grumpy to see that joy is the perfect response to “the reason for the season.”
In Robert Darden’s wonderful little book, Jesus Laughed: The Redemptive Power of Humor, he touches on this situation, noting that “There are people who claim that laughter, or humor of any kind, isn’t Christian.” He then leads the reader into an exploration of all the joy, mirth, humor, and laughter in the Bible (great read). If you know Bob, then you know just how serious he is about humor, that it is one of the keys to a joyful spiritual journey.
Not every part of scripture is joyful, of course, and rightfully so. But there are four in this week’s scripture selections that are: Isaiah, Psalms, Luke, and Matthew. Some people call this season Advent. It’s about anticipating the coming of Jesus; and having a “countdown” to Christmas Day provides a joyful way to do that.
If you are not engaging in the fun parts of this season, let me encourage you to jump in. It’s the perfect time to recognize the joy and happiness we should have in knowing that God chose to come into our world and reconcile with us. Now is the perfect time to celebrate with joy, humor, mirth, and—yes, laughing—all the way.
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PHOTO: Steve Orr (laughing)
Link to interview with Bob Darden about humor, satire, and The Wittenburg Door:
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Friday mornings during Advent are a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the companionship of like-minded folk at DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. We gather at 8:00 at Our Breakfast Place to eat, read, discuss, and laugh. We laugh a lot. You should join us.
Many Blessings,
Steve
**Contact me for the Zoom link
NOTE: Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.
READINGS FOR
THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT (DECEMBER 11, 2022) AND THE COMING WEEK
Find them here:
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=3
Print them here:
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/pdf//Ax_ThirdSundayofAdvent.pdf
Isaiah 35:1-10
Psalm 146:5-10
Luke 1:46b-55
James 5:7-10
Matthew 11:2-11
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