Dr. Oss and I were talking the other day about the use of humor when preaching. It seems some preachers have the humor thing nailed down, while others could try using a dose of it.
In my preaching experience--the kind of humor that works (for me) is using illustrations that are completely true and yet so completely unbelievable they are funny simply by default. While I have been known to make funny sounds and mimic the occasional funny face, those have to be completely unscripted moments for them to work. It seems any attempt I make at putting humor into my script flies like a lead balloon.
(I came across this video short of a comedian making fun of 'over-saved Christians.' It is funny simply because we can all relate!)
PreachingToday has an article on using Humor in Sermons. What are your experiences? What works for you? (Or does it work for you?) Also, what kind of humor to you find funny when listening to sermons?
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The kind of humor I find funny in a sermon is when it is off the cuff. I like to think that perhaps most pastors do not prepare a sermon with purposefull humor assocaited with it; but more so that humor is found in perhaps their sharing of a story. I think humor is very important and really shows the minster as being real and approachable.
Unfortunately, humor has never been a strong asset of mine.
One of my homeletics professors at AGGS said my exegesis was good, my hermeneutics were good, and my delivery was good, but because I am so intense I should put some humor into my sermons to lighten them up a little. When I try to do that, it usually falls flat.
It's embarrassing to try to be funny and no one reacts.
There have been times when a congregation has laughed at something I've said. It usually takes me by such surprise that everybody gets a second chuckle at my surprised expression and the moment it takes me to recover from wondering why everybody laughed.
Sometimes I've made the mistake of realizing why they laughed and then for some stupid reason I try to repeat it (right away) and then it falls flat. It usually isn't funny the second time around.
How's that for some self revelation...tee hee
John, you did make me laugh here. Ha thanks for you honesty. I find in my own experiences that sometimes the best humor can be from things that carry over during the service. A holistic approach! I just hope that we don't become comedians or just make jokes all the time instead of having a goal. Besides on a side note here John, I go to church right now and they just preach the word and I don't remember there stories as much as I do there sermons. So it's not all that it is cracked up to be~
i don't fault people out of touch with humor and clever anecdotes. many of the preachers i listen to never get a laugh out of me. in fact, i rarely laugh when i read scripture.
preachers who use humor, i think, probably have difficulty separating it from their temperament or personality. it comes natural for them. if i say something funny, it may not be intentional, and if the humor is deliberate than i only included because it was funny to me. people joining in on the laugh is another story. i'm no comedian nor entertainer.
sermons that give too much time to humor does irk me because it feels like too much focus is then given to the messanger and not the message. if i sense the preacher feels obligated to be liked, of self-promotion or self-aggrandizement, then it's a turn off for me who understands preaching to be an occupation of self-renunciation and of a legacy of martyrs. nothing funny about that.
First, to tackle the question regarding my experiences of using humor in preaching--there simply does not exist a track record for preaching. Yeah, I preached during undergrad for my Homiletics classes, but have not preached while here in seminary bc of my night job. Second, to imagine that I could drum-up something that would be believable to those who do this blog-thing would be incredulous. Simply stated, I do not have a consistent track record that allows me to reflect on moments when I have preached, not to mention the specific experiences I had while infusing humor into my sermon--intentionally or unintentionally. Third, speaking to the type of humor that tickles me I avow immediately to humor found within story-telling. To me, as the story is being told, I can simply and readily weave that stint of humor into the flow of thought or contradictions/tensions/irony of the story. In summary, I affirm that an effective use of humor among present-day preachers can still hone insights into how creative a story can be told--that of course including humor as a means of such communication.
I love a good joke or story that makes me laugh during a sermon. It helps me relate more to the speaker, most of the time by understanding how he is just a big of a dork as I am. I learned early to never make fun of another person who is in the audience without their permission-and even this should be used cautiously. If I tell a joke, it is more than likely something about me personally that I have done that is totally stupid...(which does happen more than I like it to...) Some people are just funny preachers and I have no problem with that...as long as their personality doesnt take away from the message.
I think that humor has to be subtle. It can be planned and should always be purposeful, but telling jokes can be considered fake and I just dont believe that an audience today wants to hear a comedian. I think that good humor that keeps a heavy sermon light is always good. I think that using humorous stories to connect with the audience is always appropriate. But I am not a fan of a bunch of jokes in sermons. Maybe thats just me.
I am not a big fan of adding humor to a sermon (at least me adding humor to my own sermons). I worked in ministry under a guy who was naturally funny and he had humor in his sermons all the time. I was actually encouraged to try to add humor to my sermons. After I tried it once, I never tried it again. It went over like... (I won't go there).
What I did discover is that when I did not try to add humor to my sermons, it sometimes naturally showed up. I think part of the fact was that my listeners were laughing at me. Either way, it revealed an aspect of my dorkiness and broke down some walls between me and some of the hearers.
So to take some advice from the book 360 Degree Preaching, if you are funny, your trouble will be holding it in. For those of us who are not funny, don't try to be.
Do you know how I know that God loves coffee?
Because He-brews! (Sorry Justys, I had to throw a joke in).
In Umberto Eco's great novel "The Name of the Rose" monks debate whether or not Jesus ever laughted. Interesting. The gospels never record him laughing, but indeed, Jesus was fully human and laughter is human. Humor is human. IMO humor absolutely has a place in preaching the gospel, but we should be careful about how we use it and what we say.
Anyone for some coffee?
I'm only funny in small, relatively intimate settings. I am not accustomed to having to "amaze the whole room," as Elizabeth said to Mr Darcy or to having to "recommend myself to strangers," as Mr Darcy said to Elizabeth. I've just done a sermon on reaching out to the rejected, and now I'm doing one about God's plan in our pain, and I can't for the life of me think of anything funny or even slightly amusing to put in.
I love to laugh, so I like it when there is something appropriately humorous in a sermon, but often what most others consider funny I don't.
And of course Jesus laughed! Would people really have been so attracted to him if he were dour? I always thought maybe he rose from the dead laughing.
Personally, I like humor in a sermon. Sometimes I think we take ourselves too seriously and that is always a turn-off. Humor shows that we are real people, and removes the barrier that can exist between us and our audience. One of the keys to using humor in a sermon is not just what you say but how you say it. Facial expressions are just as important as what you say. Being able to laugh at yourself always helps too.
Humor, yeah, so I think it is great. Some of the preachers/ communicators I have heard and enjoy the most are hilarious! You know, I think it just depends on a person's style, because there are different types of humor. Mr. Bean is different than Jim Carey, is different than Jessie Duplantis, is different than Jackie Chan, is different than (well the list goes on) but to me they are all hilarious. I have heard some funny preachers at AGTS and AGTS is replete with people who are funny. I think it is important! Sometimes you plan these things, other times they just come out. I don't know if I have an opinion as to which is the best humor. But I do believe humor is like the anesthesia that lets people relax and allows you to bring in the knife of the Word to let the Holy Spirit do surgery.
I don't how much or little humor I like in a sermon. I enjoy witty probably more than silly. Sometimes the "youth pastor" entertainment approach sneaks in to sermons and lowers the level of communication to the point of distraction. I agree with other posters who recognize the pulpit is not an entertainment platform. We have all experienced preachers who deliver sermons intended to solicit approval and acceptance more than the proclamation of truth and the gospel. Humor can be one of the pitfalls of that pathology.
However, I recognize in my own style the tendency to be too intense, too often. (I know all of you who know me are agast at that statement.) So I would love to be able to lighten things up regularly without feeling like I'm soft pedaling the gospel or skirting the truth. In that regard I appreciate those who can spin a situation around and see the comical, human and ridiculous side of life. It is a gift to encourage people to laugh at themselves and the banality of our crazy existence. To do so effectively I think one has to start with transparency and humility. Laughing at oneself is always safe. Being comfortable in one's own skin becomes a requirement.
I think laughter is often one of the true signs of holistic health. We need it and it is a blessing.
I agree with most of the other posters - if you're not naturally funny - don't try to be necessarily. Even so, if one isn't funny at least some of the time, people won't listen too much. I was in a church for about a year before coming to the canyon and the pastor there wanted fun and funny - I can be, but didn't open up enough to him (he said to my face I wasn't a fun person - so I just closed up), and he would have not let me behind his pulpit for nothing - in his perception, I wasn't funny enough. He wanted funny, expressive, energetic.
I have to admit that having watched and reviewed my last couple of sermons, I tend to be a very serious preacher. I don't think that there is anything wrong with this, but it may help the enjoyment of the audience if I could lighten the sermon up a bit. Further, I find it difficult to be light even when preaching on something encouraging. This is an area of preaching that I have to be very intentional about.
I enjoy humor in a sermon and so would like to be able to emulate a lighter style of preaching without compromising my own personality. The humor that I find works best for me is not a joke or funny story, but short quips or comments about my own quirks or experiences.
you know, I think some sermons lend themselves towards humor while others don't. With some texts, a steady serious tone might be what's most appropriate. Other passages might lend themselves more easily toward humor, parady, etc.
I always found it interesting that God was the one who invented baseball: you know, "in the big inning."
A lot of people say that there are no references to smoking in the Bible. I think they're wrong. It says that when Rebecca saw Isaac she "lit off her camel." (KJV)
How many people can you get into a Japanese car? The book of Acts says that on the Day of Pentecost there were 120 in one Accord.
OK I'll quit now...
nathaniel, i will throw hot coffee in your face! :P
I think humor does work well especially for seekers service.
Newcomers might feel easy to hear some kind of joke from pulpit.We can expect they open their hearts.
I would use humor in the begging of my sermon or for getting attention of the congregation. I hope my humors have some connection with central theme of my sermon.That must be effective for my congregation to remember the preaching contents.
There are different ways to connect with an audience. Some can draw in a crowd with their sweet spirit, others with a thought-provoking statement, and still others with humor. Our responsibility is to be true to who we are. If we are funny, it will be obvious in our sermons. If we aren't funny and we try to be, it will be obvious that we are trying too hard to be something we are not. To each his own.
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