Humor in Sermons

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He proves his point too much. It is obvious he is Scottish, which is not synonymous with Reformed. He sets up his point by explaining (after a fashion) what Scots are like, and why we should be like them. His point is very correct with respect to telling stories (humorous or not) instead of preaching the text. But it is not true that preaching is devoid of humor - the Bible is full of humor in the sense of mockery of those who rebel against God, showing the foolishness of sin, etc.

One obvious and classic example:

And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”
(1 Kings 18:27 ESV)
Was Elijah a bad "Johnny Carson" preacher? I think not. In fact, the entire episode is hilarious.

Fred, thanks for your comment. What did you think of Dr Murray's remark concerning that passage: "I can’t see many people laughing on Mount Carmel." (p. 336)? To my mind, that seems a bit hard to believe.
 
He proves his point too much. It is obvious he is Scottish, which is not synonymous with Reformed. He sets up his point by explaining (after a fashion) what Scots are like, and why we should be like them. His point is very correct with respect to telling stories (humorous or not) instead of preaching the text. But it is not true that preaching is devoid of humor - the Bible is full of humor in the sense of mockery of those who rebel against God, showing the foolishness of sin, etc.

One obvious and classic example:

And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”
(1 Kings 18:27 ESV)
Was Elijah a bad "Johnny Carson" preacher? I think not. In fact, the entire episode is hilarious.

Fred, thanks for your comment. What did you think of Dr Murray's remark concerning that passage: "I can’t see many people laughing on Mount Carmel." (p. 336)? To my mind, that seems a bit hard to believe.
If he is talking about the Baalites, then absolutely he is correct. But I would think that true Israelites would have guffawed at the statement in 1 Ki 18:27
 
If he is talking about the Baalites, then absolutely he is correct. But I would think that true Israelites would have guffawed at the statement in 1 Ki 18:27

:agree: With all due respect to the venerable Dr Murray, I think this is a case of reading too much Highland culture into scripture.
 
I am still new so I hope I don't ruffle any feathers, but this is something Ive heard a lot about recently. I sometimes get the impression in some churches that in an effort to show distance between the charismatic movement, the use of any humour is shunned. Its as if enjoying oneself is somehow a slippery slope. A Dutch church I attended for a while had a guest pastor speak on serving others and how we shouldn't give out the bare minimum. At that pooint he made a joke about the Dutch being cheap. I cracked a smile, but I saw a number of people in the congregation gasp and then frown (although I saw others trying to stiffle a giggle which was amusing). It saddened me because I don't think it was anything other than a dry remark that helped the message be memorable. It wasn't stand up comedy, it was a rhetorical device.

While we obviously know that we should reverently praise our God, enjoying oneself or smiling doesn't neccisarily mean we are somehow "relying on feelings" or "using man made devices for worship." I fully expect there to be laughter and joy in heaven, and I think these are things gifted to us from God. Its like food having a taste, it doesn't need to, but God in His great love and mercy made it so for us.

My two cents, I hope it is received well.
 
I can't help but think that when Jesus in Matthew 7 gave the illustration about the man walking around with a beam in his eye, picking specks out of another's eye, that it caused a chuckle or two.
 
I, too, appreciate what David is saying with respect to our culture, given over largely, as it is, to frivolity, flippancy, absurdity, and the like.

And we must deliver the Word of the Lord in an appropriate way. It is indeed a solemn and weighty thing.

But it is also a profoundly joyful thing, which prompts smiling and even laughter.

Because our age is a particularly flippant one does not mean that we should reject humor altogether in the pulpit. It is a very natural part of the fabric of our lives and there is a natural movement from the very grave to the more lighthearted and back again. Unrelenting gravity is as unattractive, and unnatural, as ceaseless humor and a refusal to take anything seriously.

We need, as Spurgeon said, men who most live in the pulpit and who are their truest selves. Our truest self is not a humorless one.

Peace,
Alan
 
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Alan, you make an excellent point, and perhaps that is what Dr. Murray is saying - frivolity is to be avoided in our culture. Frivolity is not humor, however.
 
One of the things I appreciate about Lloyd-Jones book Preaching and Preachers (actually a set of lectures turned into a book) is the reminder that the work of preaching is serious business. This does not mean that the sermon may always be devoid of the humorous but I am "allergic" to anything that tends to detract from the gravity of what is being preached.

I don't find humor to be out of bounds but I find it often used at times when it's not appropriate. There are times when the weight of our sin and the need for repentance and turning to Christ is at hand and I've seen some blow it by lightening the situation with poorly placed humor.

I agree with much of the wisdom here by Ben, Fred, Alan, and others. I'm not trying to detract from anything said. I think there is tremendous drama in the good preaching that, used by the Spirit, causes everything to stop around it. A minister of 45 years described moments when "...everyone stops coughing." That is, the issue is so weighty, the moment is so pregnant.... I fear that some don't ever develop the weighty drama of a particular text because thy keep lightening things up.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a somber person. The humor of parts of Scripture is not lost on me. That said, I want the drama of the Scriptures to be taking my thoughts and emotions captive and not ill-placed humor.
 
I remember an article by Carl Trueman where he laments that Protestants aren't funny when compared to Catholic writers such as Chesterton. His point which I agree with is that the use of humor and a command of irony is a powerful rhetorical tool. Many times a witty way of tying something together is the most powerful way to make a point. Of course plenty of evangelicals feel that they need to be their own opening act when they get on "stage." The Lord Jesus has a tremendous grasp of irony and I find plenty of the things he said poignantly funny. He perfectly mocks the sinfulness of sin in a way that can invoke more sorrow than a dry exposition could. I know a feel have mentioned his discussion of the blank in one's eye which I think is a good example of this. I think if a minister is able to use humor, wit, and satire to the benefit of his sermon and in driving home a point it is very appropriate.
 
One of the things I appreciate about Lloyd-Jones book Preaching and Preachers (actually a set of lectures turned into a book) is the reminder that the work of preaching is serious business.

Yes Lloyd-Jones is very helpful on this and few preaching books can match this for the important emphasis on preaching. Another is John Carrick's "The preaching of Jonathan Edwards" which also emphasises that the work of preaching is serious business. Lloyd-Jones modeled his ministry on Edwards.
 
Sometimes a piece of humor in a sermon has made the message itself more memorable, and made the point stick. I one time heard a preacher say that you ask most people what they think Samson looked like they almost always describe a Jewish Arnold Schwarzeneggar. I remember the main points of the message and why it fit so well, so it was profitable. Another man, who is a very serious preacher, talking about being in a church where maybe half are converted and half are converted made the remark, "I suppose the Lord could give me great grace if I have to look at the butts of the goats for a while." (He might have said "deal," but that is how I heard it). It was very difficult to not laugh when I heard that, but in no way did it break the power in his message, and I'd say the line contains a sermon in itself. Sobering night.

I agree! I actually believe the best sermon ever preached, by the world's greatest preacher, includes irony that's meant to be humorous. See Matthew 6:27, for example.

I've heard sermons that use humor needlessly, such as beginning with a joke that has nothing whatsoever to do with the sermon. But I also think it can be quite helpful.

Take, for example, my pastor's sermon on the account of poor Eutychus (whose name ironically means Lucky). His main take-home point was that, even with Eutychus being restored after his accident, the focus in Luke's account was on the worship of God. It was a part of his series on Acts, and we happened to be in this text on what the world calls "Super Bowl Sunday." He began by saying, "Well, today's the big day, isn't it? It's the day when millions in our nation and even around the world have been anticipating all week long. Today, gatherings will take place in public buildings, and in homes, and even outdoors. Families and friends and sometimes even complete strangers are going to come together, and they will eat, and they will drink, and they're going to focus their attention upon that one compelling event. I'm speaking of course about the corporate gathering of God's people on the Lord's Day for the worship and commemoration of Christ's death in the Lord's Supper. What'd you think I was talking about?" We all laughed.

Another time, my pastor was talking about how we can have this idea that there are two types of lost sinners, "mostly dead" and "really dead." He likened it to, if he were preaching and had a heart attack, we would just need to go get the defibrillator. But if he were preaching and his head exploded (kaboom!), "we wouldn't be getting the defibrillator." His point was that all lost sinners are of the "exploded head variety."

Now, the overall tenor of my pastor's ministry is not humorous. But he does use humor to make a valid point. And he knows there are times it shouldn't be used. So I think it's more complex than saying, "A sermon should not include a joke."

That's also a great way to magnify the significance of the Lord's Table. Was he referencing the Princess Bride in the second line?
 
Because mostly dead is partly alive. Let me guess. He owed you money.

:)

I preached an evangelistic sermon this morning from Acts 17.16-34. In one part of the sermon, I briefly referenced the scene from Talladega Nights where they're about to pray, and they discuss how they like to think about Jesus. A couple of our people snickered but I didn't laugh about it (I don't think it's funny at all, and I didn't reference it as a humorous thing). I made the point that though the actors intend the scene to be funny, it exposes in unintended fashion the truth about how our society -- and too often, we in the church -- think about Jesus after our own imagination (v. 29). We don't bow before him as he is, as Scripture reveals him to be, in his sovereign majesty and saving glory.

So perhaps this may contribute to the discussion an example of using a "humorous" / contemporary thing in a way that exposes underlying idolatry.

(For the record, 2 disclaimers: 1. I've not watched the movie. A friend sent me that clip a while back and said "you need to see this because I'm sure you'll use it in a sermon somehow, and 2. I didn't use the video clip as part of the sermon!)
 
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