Voice: Doreen
Today is Monday, 2nd of February. As another day starts, take a moment to be still in His presence.
We pray:
Almighty and everlasting Father,
we thank you that you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day.
Keep us from falling into sin or running into danger;
order us in all our doings;
and guide us to do always what is right in your eyes:
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
We read Psalm 1:
Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But his delight is in the Law of the Lord,
And on His Law he meditates day and night.
3 He will be like a tree planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season,
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.
Genesis 18:1-15
Now the Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 When he raised his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed down to the ground, 3 and said, “ My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not pass Your servant by. 4 Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and make yourselves comfortable under the tree; 5 and I will bring a piece of bread, so that you may refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have visited your servant.” And they said, “So do as you have said.” 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quickly, prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it, and make bread cakes.” 7 Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and choice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. 8 He took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree as they ate.
9 Then they said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” 10 He said, “I will certainly return to you at this time next year; and behold, your wife Sarah will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have become old, am I to have pleasure, my lord being old also?” 13 But the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I actually give birth to a child, when I am so old?’ 14 Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” 15 Sarah denied it, however, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
Laughing into eternity?
“Sarah will have a son.”
Sarah heard this from inside the tent.
And she laughed — quietly, to herself.
Why wouldn’t she?
As the text explains with stark honesty:
“Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing.”
So Sarah laughed and said inwardly,
“After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”
A mature woman like Sarah knows her body too well. The Hebrew carries the sense of being used up, spent, depleted. As we might say colloquially: “closed shop already.”
Her laughter was not sarcasm, but resignation.
For many years now, Sarah had come to terms with her childlessness. She had borne the quiet shame of barrenness. She had also considered Abraham’s age. No — to hope again, only to be disappointed once more, felt far too painful.
Better not to hope.
So she laughed quietly to herself.
God’s response
The Lord did not reprimand her.
He did not shame her laughter.
Instead, He restated the promise.
“Is anything too difficult for the LORD?
At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
God answers resignation not with explanation, but with promise.
Laughter redeemed
When Isaac was born, Sarah herself testified:
“God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.”
(Genesis 21:6)
What once sounded like a cruel joke came gloriously true.
The laughter of sadness, weariness, and quiet cynicism was turned into joy.
Private laughter became communal laughter. What was once hidden in a tent was now proclaimed for all to hear.
Others would laugh too — not in disbelief, but in astonished delight at such a reversal.
Is anything too hard for the Lord?
No.
And as if to seal the matter, the child is named Isaac — “he laughs.”
Sarah’s laughter is enshrined in the covenant itself, echoing through generations.
Will this laughter continue into eternity? Scripture invites us to look ahead to the promise of the new creation in Revelation 21:4:
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Won’t that be a time for tears of sadness to be transformed into joy?
The miracle of a renewed womb points beyond itself — to a renewed world. The God who opens what seemed forever closed is the same God who will one day make all things new.
The laughter will continue. For nothing is too hard for the Lord.
We pray the Collect of from Sunday, which was the Feast of the Presentation of Christ at the Temple:
Almighty and ever–living God,
clothed in majesty,
whose beloved Son was this day presented in the Temple,
in substance of our flesh:
grant that we may be presented to you
with pure and clean hearts,
by your Son Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen
Be inspired by this song They called him Laughter by Michael Card
A barren land and a barren wife
Made Abraham laugh at his wandering life
A cruel joke it seemed then to call him the father of nations
A heavenly prank, a celestial, all joke
‘Cause gray hair and babies leave no room for hope
But hoping was something this hopeless old man learned to do
They called him laughter, for he came after
The Father had made an impossible promise come true
The birth of a baby to a hopeless old lady
So, they called him laughter, ’cause no other name would do
A cry in the darkness and laughter at night
An elderly couple sit holding him tight
An improbable infant, a punchline, a promise come true
They laughed ’til they wept, then they laughed at their tears
This miracle baby they’d wanted for years
Would make a Messiah who’d give us impossible joy
They called him laughter, for he came after
The Father had made an impossible promise come true
The birth of a baby to a hopeless old lady
So, they called him laughter, for no other name would do
They called him laughter, for he came after
The Father had made an impossible promise come true
The birth of a baby to a hopeless old lady
So, they called him laughter, for no other name would do
The Beginning
℗ 1989 Sparrow Records
Producer: S.P. Productions, Inc.
Composer: Michael Card
Link to today’s Morning Office
About This Daily Devotion
This weekday devotion is drawn from the Morning Office and is part of a project initiated by Revd Canon Terry Wong, with contributions from clergy and members across various parishes. Each entry includes selected readings from the appointed Psalm and another Scripture passage, accompanied by a reflection and prayer. An audio option is also available, often ending with a hymn or song. We encourage you to both read and listen.
Our aim is to help Anglicans engage more deeply with our rich liturgical tradition, while meeting the devotional needs of today’s believers. This project began on Ash Wednesday 2025 and is offered on weekdays only.
For feedback, please write to us at info@mpcc.org.sg
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