Isaac: a song of laughter

Today is Holy Humor Sunday, and when I mentioned the idea of singing “They Called Him Laughter” by Michael Card to Pastor Gary he thought it was a neat song, and did a sermon on the story of the birth of Isaac called “The Beginning of Laughter.”

I don’t have a tape of the sermon itself, which was a good reflection on laughter and joy in our lives, but I do have these two embedded videos of the song (as sung in the 8:30 and 10:50 worship services). Below see the words. Michael Card, the composer, chooses his words very carefully, and I tried to clearly enunciate every play of words that he put in the song, but if you are unable to catch any for sure, I trust the text of the words will allow you to contemplate the mystical joy found in the story of Isaac.

A barren land and a barren wife made Abraham laugh at his wandering life.

A cruel joke it seemed them to call him the “father of nations.”

A heavenly prank? A celestial joke? ‘Case grey hair and babies leave no room for hope.

But hoping was something this hopeless old man learned to do.

Chorus

They called him “Laughter,” for he came after

The Father had made an impossible promise come true;

the birth of a baby to a hopeless old lady,

so they called him “Laughter,” ’cause no other name would do!

A cry in the darkness and laughter at night, an elderly couple sit holding him tight:

an improbably infant, a punchline, a promise come true.

They laughed till they wept, then tehy laughted at their tears. This miracle baby they’d wanted for years

would make a Messiah who’d give us impossible joy.

Chorus

Repeat Chorus

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Update: Here is today’s lunch time report on the all season dining plan experiment.

Second Update: Here is today’s Dinnertime report: