Laughter makes the way for the gospel! In this letter to Young Life friends and family, hear from senior staff member Mike Ashburn on what humor does and how to do it well — a must-read for anyone and everyone who wants to learn how humor is actually a God-given gift and tied to presenting the gospel!
… Come and see,
… Come worship the Lord with laughter,
… and bring a teenager.
Dear Friends,
Two of my favorite quotes are:
“Laughter is the Holy Spirit.” (Anne Lamott)
“Laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God.” (Karl Barth)
I love that! Don’t you? 😊
They both lift up the premise that laughter is serious business to the gospel — and to Young Life. I’m so proud that Young Life laughs! Our humor is essential in introducing adolescents to Jesus Christ, and helping them grow in their faith.
In Young Life, our message is Jesus.
Our method is friendship.
One of our many strategies is this simple and beautiful endeavor, and calling: humor.
In the month of April there is a day we all set aside to take part in a “fool’s day.” We get to focus on the silly, the court jester part of all of us, and the creative ways we might “prank,” or “get” someone.
I don’t think “April Fool’s Day” is the kind of humor that Young Life is striving for. We should never use humor to “get” anyone. Rather, it is to capture or captivate a teenager to consider the One who created them.
So, it is imperative we take the 364 other days to be “Fools for Christ.”
“We are fools for the sake of Christ.” (Paul)
With our humor and laughter, we take kids from …
Boredom to abundance,
Darkness to light,
Fearful hiding to an appropriate Spot Light.
Resistance to curiosity,
A life spent in and around turmoil and trauma to the best week of their life.
Those beat down get lifted up, and the invisible become seen.
We take kids from death to life with humor, so we must always be careful with it and cherish and nurture it. Laughter should never humiliate, degrade, embarrass, or victimize. It should always lead to safety.
STANDING ON THE “WHY” OF LAUGHTER
Jesus himself seemed to relish humor. He gave people nicknames. He used puns and wordplay. And that was certainly the attitude about him — that he spent time eating and drinking (and we can presume, laughing) too much.
His good news isn’t dour. It’s life-giving, exciting, and makes you want to belly laugh.
We should stand on the “why” of laughter. In Young Life, we pray over our delivery of humor before we ever take the stage. Our program directors pray over every skit, every sketch, camp, and club … everything.
The “why” of humor in Young Life is grounded in the idea that we are taking, leading, presenting, and placing kids at the feet of Jesus. Many in the world believe that the “why” or reason is just to be funny. May it never be only funny in Young Life. May we lift up the principle that our programs should be … godly first; fun second; and funny third. (In that order and priority.)
I have seen many funny things that were not godly. I have seen many godly things that weren’t that funny … godly is the goal.
If you can imagine a diamond ring analogy, the diamond is the gospel message. It is “just Jesus.” Humor and program (the humor routines in Young Life) are the prongs that lift up, and hold it in place, the beautiful diamond. We lift it to the light so kids can examine its brilliance and experience the amazing love story of Jesus.
MOVEMENT, MOMENTUM, AND MESSAGE
On a practical level, may I lift up what I see as the “Three M’s” of humor in Young Life; Movement, Momentum, and Message.
Movement
Movement is giving lots of extravagant things to see. It’s “eye candy” that involves them. It’s a crazy adventure. It’s using the entire stage and exaggerating our physical movements. It’s over-the-top uniforms and costumes. It’s even getting kids from one place to another.
Momentum
Momentum is constantly keeping in mind that we are taking and leading kids somewhere with our laughter. It’s pointing kids to where we want them to go: the feet of Jesus. We need to keep things moving quickly. Lights and sound; being unprepared can be momentum killers.
Message
Message is grasping and praying up the idea that everything a kid sees says something about Christ.
If someone was to receive a pie in the face at club, how would Jesus do that?
- Shaving cream, not whipped cream.
- Towels available on impact.
- The person would know in advance they were gonna be part of something fun.
- There would be a cheer: “Let’s hear it for ____!”
In closing, I lift up to you excerpts from 1 Corinthians 15 …
“Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye … the dead will be raised imperishable and we will be changed.”
“The perishable puts on imperishable.”
“The mortal puts on immortality.”
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“Thanks be to God, who gave us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
I have seen this mystery firsthand thousands of times in Young Life, especially at camp. You see a kid get off the bus skeptical and resistant. Then, in the twinkling of an eye, you see something different. Perhaps in the middle of a volleyball tournament, square dance, hoe down, ropes course, etc., a kid gets lost in the fun and takes a step toward Jesus.
“The perishable took on imperishable.”
“The mortal took on immortality.”
We are court jesters for Jesus my fellow “fools for Christ.” Every day!
Hi Ho, Away We Go!
Warmly in Him, Ash
Do you have a memory of Young Life humor “in action”? What was that moment like? What did it accomplish in that setting and your life? We would love to hear your thoughts at ylcommunity@sc.younglife.org.
