Almost everything about being a Christian can be faked. But there is one thing I’ve found that can’t be faked, and that’s laughter—free, childlike, infectious laughter.

Going to church used to be such drudgery to me until I found out that drudgery was a sign that I had not gone to church. Real church is worship, praise and adoration manifested in celebration and very often laughter. If that isn’t happening, it simply isn’t the real thing.

Of course, our corporate worship is serious because it is about God. If it were only about us, it would be silly. It does, of course, contain the elements of self-examination, confession, and lament. But, dear friend, it doesn’t stop there, and if it does, it isn’t real worship.

The ultimate definition of worship is celebration. It is a time when the people of God remember who they are, whose they are, what he has done, who he is, and where they are going. Then they shout and laugh and sing and pray because of that memory.

from Approaching God: Accepting the Invitation to Stand in the Presence of God

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Gender-neutral version:

Almost everything about being a Christian can be faked. But there is one thing I’ve found that can’t be faked, and that’s laughter—free, childlike, infectious laughter.

Going to church used to be such drudgery to me until I found out that drudgery was a sign that I had not gone to church. Real church is worship, praise and adoration manifested in celebration and very often laughter. If that isn’t happening, it simply isn’t the real thing.

Of course, our corporate worship is serious because it is about God. If it were only about us, it would be silly. It does, of course, contain the elements of self-examination, confession, and lament. But, dear friend, it doesn’t stop there, and if it does, it isn’t real worship.

The ultimate definition of worship is celebration. It is a time when the people of God remember who they are, whose they are, what God has done, who God is, and where they are going. Then they shout and laugh and sing and pray because of that memory.

from Approaching God: Accepting the Invitation to Stand in the Presence of God