Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Now Sarah said, ‘God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, September 20, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Laughter is such a beautiful thing. I grew up in a home absolutely full of laughter. We shared a bizarre, absurdist sense of humor, a love of puns, an arsenal of references from movies, memories of hilarious things had that happened to us—we spoke of and shared these things with one another regularly. Family dinners often dissolved into helpless laughter to the point of tears. As we added to our family with spouses and grandchildren, the laughter grew exponentially. Even in my own home, which is just myself and my two adult kids, we laugh so hard we cry on a regular basis. I wouldn’t trade it for anything!
When God told Abram Sarai would have a child, Abram laughed. When Sarai heard the angels tell Abram she would have a child, Sarai laughed. And when that child was born, Sarai named him “laughter,” in honor of her own laughter, but also in an acknowledgment of the utter joy a child brings into the world, and a lifetime of laughter at their antics as they grow and develop.
I believe God has an incredible sense of humor, and that being created in God’s image means that we do, too. I believe God finds human beings hilarious and laughs heartily with us, even to the point of wiping tears. This laughter is for you today. May you find it and enjoy it to the fullest.
What makes me laugh the hardest? When did I last laugh so hard I cried?
![Jonah 1:1-17; 3:1-10 [4:1-11], Jonah and God’s Mercy](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b39b61ab48de92d991a40a/6bbb490e-4992-4659-a8be-02d8397d68af/24-11-10.jpg)
