“and Sarah laughed”
God came and shared her hospitality
Promised her a son
“and Sarah laughed”
not the healed, glorious, golden laugh
we sometimes imagine
not a laugh filled with joy and fulfillment
“Sarah laughed”
and the laugh was filled
with hurt and ridicule
surely this was a cruel joke.
Her thought
‘you can’t be serious’
echoed so loudly
it could almost be heard
it was almost solid there before him.

And we laugh
God comes to us and invites us in
Offering us food and life
And we laugh
He challenges us
Offers us opportunities beyond our imaginings
Calls us to him
And we laugh
As Sarah laughed
As Moses laughed by the burning bush
The mocking harsh laugh
Of disbelief and se;f-ridicule
‘you can’t be serious’
echoes in our thoughts
Waiting as Sarah’s did
To be turned golden
By the fulfillment of God’s promises