×

Pastor’s Corner Rev. Barb Muhs, pastor, Salem Church of Lincoln Lincoln, Iowa

Before I began writing I asked a wise, older woman what I should write about. Her answer was short and simple. “write about mowing grass in the snow.” I smiled and then laughed…part of her yard had snow in it when it was mowed last week. We have all had a laugh about that. During this time in our history and with each new day that we are givenI think that it is important for us as Christians to find some reason to laugh. Many of us find cartoons something to laugh about. Laughing is good for us. Genesis 21:6 Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” These are Sarah’s words after giving birth to Isaac. You remember the account…Old Sarah and even older Abraham were able to parent a child in their old age. Trusting in God to lead them they even names their son Issac which means, “to laugh”. Many churches celebrate humor Sunday the Sunday after Easter. So I share some (hopefully) humor with you this week. There once was a very rich man who“wanted to take it with him” when he died. He prayed and prayed until finally the Lord gave in, but on one condition – he could only bring one suitcase of his wealth. The rich man then began to worry, “What kind of currency should I bring – the dollar, the pound, the yen, the mark?”He finally decided that the best thing to do was to turn it all into gold bullion. The day came when God called him home. St. Peter greeted him, but told him he couldn’t bring his suitcase with him. “I have an agreement with God that I can take it with me,” the man explained. “That’s unusual, “ St. Peter said. “This has never happened before. Mind if I take a look?” The man opened the suitcase to reveal the shining gold bullion. “Pavement!” the amazed St. Peter exclaimed. “Why in the world would you bring pavement?” Rev. Warren Keating Billy talking to Dolly while they are planting the garden says,“If you want them to grow, you haft say a prayer to your gardening angel. And finally A Clowns Prayer from Smiles Unlimited based in Indianapolis “Lord, as I stumble through this life, help me to create more laughter than tears, dispense more happiness than gloom, spread more cheer than despair. Never let me become so indifferent that I will fail to see the wonder in the eyes of a child or the twinkle in the eyes of the aged. Never let me forget that my total effort is to cheer people, make them happy and forget at least for a moment all the unpleasant things in their lives. And, Lord, in my final moment, may I hear You whisper:“When you made My people smile, you made Me smile.” Have a blessed week and find a reason to make someone smile. God did!