Laugh a Little

While a senior in college I appeared before the Michigan District Presbytery to answer questions about my calling to preach and how I prepared for a life in ministry. My pastor arranged for me to attend the District’s annual council at the church’s expense and at that meeting I was immersed into the new world of my future vocation.

At that event I discovered that preachers often tell stories and yarns that only preachers can fully appreciate. Sitting in a corner booth at East Lansing’s Elias Brothers Big Boy, four pastors and their spouses shared events and observations about church life until near midnight. I listened and wondered why "men of God" bantered, teased and laughed when surrounded with serious troubles, trauma, and troubles.

That night one of the stories I heard for the first time was about a group of pastors who told about their favorite preacher. (Variations on the story are still repeated when preachers get together.) In the story each explained why they preferred their favorite and supported their opinion with anecdotes and quotations from sermons. Finally, the last of the men of the cloth was urged to tell what preacher he enjoyed most. With some hesitation he said, "Well, when I am really anointed, there is no one I would rather hear than myself!"

A few days ago I was introduced to the sermons of Fred B. Craddock. I have never heard the native of rural Tennessee. He was ordained by the Christian Church and is professor emeritus at Candler School of Theology. Dr. Craddock has become one of my favorite preachers of all time. Craddock’s word picture of John the Baptist follows.
"He was no beautiful candle burning softly in a sanctuary. He was a prairie fire, the very fire of God scorching the earth. He was no diplomat trying to make yes sound like no and no sound like yes to please everybody. He just said, ‘The Judge is coming and I’m here to serve subpoenas.’ And still the people came." (The Collected Sermons of Fred B. Craddock, page 151)
After reading just a few sentences it is easy to see that Fred Craddock is a master of the pulpit and highly qualified to teach fledgling preachers.

The evening I spent in East Lansing, May 1966, I began to learn the importance of wholesome laughter. The pivotal story told by a preacher about preachers in the corner booth at Big Boy I have used to spur myself toward becoming a good preacher. Over the years many would have been blessed if I had been introduced to Dr. Craddock much earlier in my vocation. Some day I will get the hang of it. Some day I may become the one whom I enjoy hearing most!