Just for Laughs – Tell a Joke Day

JUST FOR LAUGHS – TELL A JOKE DAY

CONNECT - for mid-week/Home League groups

Fellowship Session - Special Days

01 July: International Joke Day.

Summary

Enjoy sharing jokes
Play a game of 'Guess the punchline'.
Explore what the Bible says (or doesn't) about joke telling!

Ask members to come ready to share their favourite jokes
Ask a member to prepare to tell a funny story (if someone in your group is gifted in this way)
Source a joke book, search the internet for some jokes or order some copies of The Salvation Army’s children’s comic Kids Alive! which is renowned for its ‘Giggle in the Middle’ jokes
Choose a funny clip to begin the session:
- Search for well-known Christian stand-up comedians Tim Vine and Milton Jones on YouTube and share appropriate clips
- Alternatively show clips from Dry Bar Comedy, a clean online comedy club based in the United States

International Joke Day is on 1 July, a day to celebrate laughter and tell jokes.

Everybody enjoys a good laugh – well, most people do. This session will (hopefully) provide members with the opportunity to enjoy a right-good belly laugh, whether that’s through telling some rib-tickling jokes or sharing some ripping yarns. We’ll also see what the Bible has to say about laughter.

WATCH

Enjoy a giggle together while watching a comedy clip or two.

Encourage your members to:

Share their favourite jokes
Talk about their favourite comedians, sitcoms or comedy films
Discuss the sort of comedy they like: slapstick, good old-fashioned gags, life observation comedy (for example, the kind of insightful comedy that Michael McIntyre might deliver)?

Perhaps someone in your group is great at telling stories, or they’re just one of those people to whom funny things happen – ask them to share one of their funny stories.

GAME

Split your group into teams and play a game of ‘Guess the punchline’. Read out a number of set-ups from well-known jokes and ask the teams to guess the punchline. For example: Why did the chicken cross the road? Punchline: To get to the other side. (It’s hoped you can choose better jokes than this!)

Award two points for the correct punchline (the answer you were expecting) and one point for a near-enough punchline (one that works but isn’t the one you were expecting). Use your discretion to award bonus points for genuinely funny and original alternative answers.

Most of us enjoy a good laugh. And different people find all sorts of things funny – good jokes, silly noises, funny stories, people falling over … OK, perhaps we shouldn’t laugh at people falling over, but sometimes it’ is just funny. On occasions, some of us are even able to laugh at ourselves – usually when we’ve done something daft like putting the milk in the cupboard and trying to put the cereal in the fridge.

When it comes to telling jokes, the Bible doesn’t say an awful lot, and when it does it’s not altogether positive. For example, the NIV translation of Ephesians 5:4 says:

‘Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place.’

Other translations specify ‘vulgar’ or ‘crude’ jokes’.

Meanwhile Proverbs 26:18-19 says:

‘Like a maniac shooting flaming arrows of death is one who deceives their neighbour and says, “I was only joking!”.’

Not much encouragement for sharing jokes there – though it’s the deception which is condemned, rather than the joking.

No doubt God does like a good laugh, though. After all, he did create the blobfish, the blue-footed booby bird and the bone-eating snot flower worm. And us! And in Proverbs 17:22 we’re reminded laughter is good for us – it says:

‘A cheerful heart is good medicine …’

It doesn’t specifically mention joking, but surely that suggests enjoying a good laugh is OK.

So enjoy International Joke Day and having a good giggle. We’re sure God doesn’t mind (he might even laugh with you) – and remember, laughter is good for you!

‘Laugh out loud’ by Jason Gray

Watch the lyric video. This might not be a song that you know well enough to sing along with, but you can enjoy listening to the lyrics, and maybe have a go at whistling (in the dark!?)