Three Benefits of Using Funny Church Christmas Plays for Outreach

If you’re searching for funny church Christmas plays, there’s a reason you’re doing so. You know that the art of humor can reach behind the masks people often wear and help deliver important Biblical truths that change lives.

“When I wrote ‘Christmas at Bethlehem Inn’, I used humor to help break barriers between hardened hearts and the truth of the Gospel,” says Jeffrey Gates Slaughter, whose play tells the Christmas story through the eyes of the Bethlehem innkeeper and family.

“When people watch my play, I want them to identify with the main character’s doubts and fears, internalize their own emotional struggles, and see how Jesus redeems and changes people. Humor breaks down the wall between audience and stage and opens a door into the heart to do just that.”

Here are three benefits of humor that make using funny church Christmas plays a great outreach tool for your church.

#1: Humor bonds
Humor has a way of bonding people together in a shared experience. The mere act of laughing acts as an emotional bonder across audiences, breaking down invisible barriers and preparing hearts for Biblical truths and the work of the Holy Spirit.

In a way, humor sneaks truth into hearts and challenges their ‘status quo’.

Humor also shows unbelievers that Christians aren’t sticks-in-the-mud and that we enjoy life. Humor is an expression of the ‘joy of the Lord’ and is part of what makes us human. That shared experience in a darkened church or theater helps unbelievers identify with the humanity of Christians. And that helps forge a bond and opens doors to discussion.

#2: Humor lights up the brain
Researchers have studied the effects of humor on the brain and found that radiological scans show that when people laugh – or think something is funny – various areas of the brain ‘light up’. This shows that the brain is active when engaged by humor, which maximizes learning and even strengthens memories.

This is important because humor can become a gateway to help people not only learn important Biblical truths but also remember them.

#3: Humor is an escape
Life can be hard and unbelievers living with hopeless hearts often look for an escape. That escape can come in the form of negative behavior such as addictions or emotional outbursts.

But humor can help ease the tensions of life and offer a temporary escape into a far different reality. In fact, just being around believers and witnessing the hope that life in Christ brings is a window into the freedom that Jesus offers – a permanent escape, if you will.

If you’re looking for funny church Christmas plays to use an outreach tool at your church or school, click here to learn more about ‘Christmas at Bethlehem Inn’.