When I was in college, I read a cute article that consisted of the punchlines of what the author felt were the ten best jokes.  My roommate and I were very successful, both in reconstructing nine of the jokes, and in avoiding homework for two days. Almost sixty years later I have no memory of any of the jokes, but just for fun I tried to come up with a new list of my own.  Here it is: (1) They’ve never heard that one before. (2) St. Francis Xavier or St. Francis Assisi? (3) Stop!  They’re for the funeral.  (4) Philately will get you nowhere. (5) It took him two hours to pass me the salt. (6) Buy a ticket! (7) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. (8) No, I told her I was 90. (9) Publish or parish.  (10) All I have to worry about is outrunning you. Each punchline instantly brought back the joke, and I couldn’t help but chortle a few times just typing them out.

            There are phrases from the Bible that jostle our memories in a fashion to that of the joke punchlines.  For example, just hearing the phrase “The Lord is my shepherd” brings the entire twenty-third Psalm to mind together with its message of calm assurance.  Here are ten others that I find do the same for me: (1) Isaiah 41:10; Do not fear, for I am with you. (2) Psalm 46:10; Be still and know that I am God. (3) Philippians 4:13; I can do all things. (4) Matthew 25: 31-40; Unto the least of these. (5) John 3: 16-17; For God so loved the world. (6) Micah 6:8; Walk humbly with your God. (7) Psalm 118:24; Rejoice and be glad. (8) 1 Corinthians 13:4-13; Love is patient  .  .  .  the greatest of these is love. (9) Isaiah 9:6; For unto us. (10) Ephesians 3:20-21; who is able to do immeasurably more.  How do you react to these phrases?

            Now, for me, these short expressions do not bring back the passages verbatim, and I had to look up the Biblical references. I do not have them memorized, but nevertheless, they do bring back the meaning. In fact, I have never been able to memorize – neither Bible verses in Sunday School, nor school material; that’s probably why I went into math, you don’t have to memorize anything. In high school I did very poorly on an assignment which involved memorizing the poem Thanatopsis (it was a deadly experience – pun intended) even though I spent considerable time trying.  That’s another reason I’m grateful that these phrases do bring back the meaning and the same feeling of calm and assurance that comes from reading the full passages, without having them memorized.

            It is not too hard to reconstruct my jokes, and I think you would have fun doing so.  I think you would find it even more fulfilling, however, to assemble your own list of personally important Biblical phrases.  They will remind you of God’s unconditional love for YOU and me.

            Jim