Using Humor in the Pulpit...Continued from page 1
V. Neil Wyrick
There is no doubt that if a decision is made to tickle the funny bone on the way to inspiring the soul, one needs to have carried a sense of humor throughout the week. Take advantage of resources that can give you a chuckle as well as modeling ways to use humor effectively. Enjoy a joke book or a collection of humorous stories; watch some of the talented Christian comedians now available on television or via DVD. Observe the examples of humor that get your attention; there’s a good chance such an approach will also be a useful tool as you try to gain and hold your congregation’s attention.
Of course, we need to make sure that humor we use is appropriate to the setting. And be aware that all preaching is not done from the pulpit. Therefore, when we tell a joke -- whether it’s in the pulpit or with a friend on the golf course -- it needs to fit our calling and role or else it may well make us unfit by the telling of it.
There are certainly those who will continue to argue that something funny does not belong in sermons and that anything less than serious is superficial. But the purpose of the pulpit is to cause people to listen, think and respond. When individuals laugh, they are more apt to listen. So, pure and simple, one question must be asked concerning our preaching: is anybody listening?
If listening to our preaching becomes a grudging obligation that is poorly fulfilled because too many in the congregation are half asleep, something has been lost. Illustrations can be inspirational, motivational and educational, but there is nothing wrong with a little entertaining satire or well-placed joke to make a theological point
As we use humor, however, we need to evaluate our own efforts. Am I telling this joke to gain personal attention or to gain attention for the point I am trying to make?
And effective use of humor requires preparation. Practice telling a humorous story to gain the desired impact. (In fact, it’s not a bad idea to practice preaching your entire sermon in private before presenting it in public.) Try doing so in front of a mirror and check out your facial expression. Is there a smile hidden there trying to get out, or do you need to think to remember how long it has been since you smiled on a Sunday morning?
Our ultimate example as preachers knew how to use humor. (If you’re not sure about that, check Elton Trueblood’s book The Humor of Christ or Earl Palmer’s book on The Humor of Jesus.) In teaching and in response to questions, Jesus knew that sometimes humor drives the point home better than anything else. Remember when He asked why we worry about the speck in a neighbors eye as against a plank in your own? Did you get the joke? If humor does the job, then use it.