We’ve titled this issue of The Lookout “Laugh Out Loud!” to underscore the positive role joy and laughter play in the Christian life.

The articles in this issue remind us that Jesus used humor—especially hyperbole—in his teaching. You’ll read about funny things that happened in ministry and funny things that were said in churches. You’ll read one author’s take on irony and humor in God’s dealings with humankind.

We hope this issue reminds you that it’s OK to laugh. That being a Christian is serious business, but that it’s also a lot of fun. Think with me for a moment. If you’re a Christian and have been involved in the church for some time, where have you recently had the most fun? If you’re like me, you’ll probably think about recent experiences in your church with Christian friends.

The church I serve is a fun place to be. We’re serious about salvation and committed to the Great Commission. We mean business when it comes to worship, outreach, and the pursuit of holiness. But we also enjoy one another’s company and have a great deal of fun together.

I’m writing this editorial midway through the month of June. Just now our congregation is engaged in a series of five consecutive Sunday night events designed to attract families in our community to our church and give them an opportunity to rub shoulders with members of our congregation. We call our program “Spectacular Summer Sundays.”

The members of our congregation have worked hard to make these events possible. Many have sacrificed a great deal of their time, resources, and energy to make sure these events exceed the expectations of families in our community.

We’ve worked hard on this ministry, but we’ve also had fun. We laugh together, poke fun at each other, and simply enjoy spending time together. In some ways our work environment helps us stay on task and focus on the projects at hand, knowing any mistake—from the smallest error to the most noticeable gaffe—is potential fodder for the church humor mill.

I stood in our church parking lot after one of our recent outreach events talking to two church members who had worked very hard to make the event a success. It was late at night and we were tired. Even so, we took time to recall some of the highlights of the evening. We laughed at unexpected occurrences—humorous moments we couldn’t have staged. We talked about the joy and enthusiasm we witnessed among the members of our church as they saw unchurched families come into contact with Christian families. We recalled the laughter of children as they jumped in an inflatable gym and sent their preacher plunging into the ice-cold water of a dunking machine. (I argued I was too old for this, but no one seemed to listen!)

Before we left for home, we joined hands in the moonlight and prayed together. We thanked the Lord for a wonderful day and for the joy, enthusiasm, and unity the members of our church displayed. We expressed gratitude for the many new families we contacted, for the laughter of the children, and for the blessings of belonging to Christ. We asked his blessing upon the outreach events still to come. We prayed for the lost in our community.

I continued our prayer as I drove home that night. I thanked the Lord for the joy of ministry, for the joy of Christian fellowship, and even for the joy of laughter itself. I asked him to use our outreach events to bring unsaved families to Christ, drawn to him—at least in part—by the joy they see in the lives of our people.