In 1993, at the height of his fame as a stand-up comedian, James Gregory preached a sermon at the Unity Church in Birmingham.

For one Sunday morning, he was a stand-up preacher, spinning his homespun philosophy that laughter heals a hurting world.

“If you find something to laugh about, next thing you know you’re in a good mood,” Gregory told the congregation at Unity of Birmingham during the morning worship service on Nov. 3, 1993.

“When you laugh, there ain’t a muscle in your body that don’t get a workout.”

Gregory, advertised as “the funniest man in America,” died on Wednesday. He was 78.

Gregory said at the time he was nervous before his first church gig.

But he seemed to feel at home once he stepped into the pulpit at Unity, an eclectic, hug-happy church whose featured guest the following Wednesday night was Swami Beyondananda, who wore a multi-colored wig and wrote books titled “Driving Your Own Karma” and “When You See a Sacred Cow, Milk It For All It’s Worth.”

The musical selections that Sunday included the traditional “How Great Thou Art” mixed in with the Disney soundtrack classic “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Da” and summer camp favorite “Kumbaya.” Guitarist Jim Aycock helped set the tone for Gregory by singing the country novelty song “Drop-kick Me Jesus Through the Goalposts of Life.”

Gregory, then 47, talked about growing up in the rural South in abject poverty east of Atlanta.

“Life is a matter of perspective,” he said. “There’s people that don’t have a dime to their name tickled to death all the time. You got millionaires jumping out of windows.”

Gerald Bartholow, then the minister at Unity, said a couple in the church saw Gregory at the Comedy Club and wanted to bring him to speak to the congregation.

“He was basically saying a lot of the things we teach,” Bartholow said. “Life is designed to be fun.”

“We are all about love, laughter and healing,” said Bartholow’s wife, Jane.

Gregory, covering subject matter generally untapped by other preachers, said his family was so poor his mother used to patch up the holes in his underwear, which made him vow never to wear holey underwear again.

“You know how many pairs of underwear I got at home?” Gregory said. “Last count, about 80, 85 pair.”

Gregory, long a popular draw at the Comedy Club, shared his enthusiasm for a positive outlook on life.

“We’re supposed to have bad days,” Gregory said. “Don’t let it linger.” Gregory said he made a habit of praying about 15 to 20 times a day.

“It don’t take me long,” he said. “It takes 15 to 20 seconds. I don’t ask God for much. I don’t need much.”

He said he usually asked God to live to perform another night and for God to watch out for his audience members, who had written many inspirational letters about how Gregory’s humor touched their lives and helped them laugh their way through hard times.

Gregory said he got aggravated about people who lead privileged lives taking up God’s valuable time praying that Delta doesn’t lose their luggage again.

He said he avoided airlines, preferring to drive even though people tell him more people die in car wrecks than plane crashes.

“That’s the way I want to go,” Gregory said. “At least they can retrieve the body. I need that ‘cause I’m Baptist. If you give us something to embalm and some ‘tater salad, we can have a funeral.”