Holy Humor Sunday

It seems that there was a little old church out in the countryside: painted white and with a high steeple. One Sunday, the pastor noticed that his church needed painting. He checked out the Sunday ads and found a paint sale. The next day, he went into town and bought a gallon of white paint. He went back out to the church and began the job. He got done with the first side. It was looking great. But he noticed he had already used a half gallon. He didn't want to run back in town and being the creative person that he was, he found a gallon of thinner in the shed out back, and began to thin his paint. It worked out great. He finished the remaining three sides with that last half gallon of paint. That night, it rained: it rained hard. The next morning when he stepped outside of the parsonage to admire his work, he saw that the first side was looking great, but that the paint on the other three sides had washed away. The pastor looked up in sky in anguish
 and cried out, "What shall I do?" A voice came back from the heavens saying, "Repaint, and thin no more!"

A goofy, and silly joke. But, in telling it, and perhaps enjoying it on some level we actually are participating in an old and often forgotten church tradition.

It began hundreds of years ago. A monk, whose name has been lost in history, was pondering the meaning of the events of holy week, with its solemn observances of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the astonishing, earth-shaking events of Easter. "What a surprise ending," he thought. Then suddenly, like a bolt of lightning, he had a new insight. His hearty laugh startled his fellow monks, breaking the silence of their contemplation.


"Don't you see," he cried, "It was a joke! A great joke! The best joke in all history! On Good Friday, when Jesus was crucified, the devil thought he had won. But God had the last laugh on Easter when he raised Jesus from the dead."


The monks called it "the Easter laugh." The idea spread rapidly, and the day after Easter became known as a "Day of Joy and Laughter" in Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant countries. In homes and churches, it became common to celebrate God's great joke on the devil with joke-telling sessions. It became the custom even in monasteries. Especially in monasteries.


Recently, the Fellowship of Merry Christians, the publishers of "The Joyful Newsletter," began to urge churches and prayer groups to revive this very old custom and hold Easter Monday parties or to have Holy Humor Sundays the week following Easter.

So Happy Holy Humor Sunday! It’s appropriate, what a joyful time, to celebrate the joy of the resurrection! And you know, the resurrection is not just an Easter event. Jesus abided on Earth in his resurrection form for 40 days until His ascension into heaven. For 40 days Jesus walked and taught his disciples in a supernatural physical resurrected body.

I don’t know if you saw it or not, but during Holy Week and Easter, the History channel ran a new two hour show called, “Jesus, the lost 40 days”, usually I watch these shows with a real critical eye, because there are so many weird and bizarre theories being thrown about or scholars who rely upon old heretical writings from ancient history to disprove the Bible. But this show was a joy to watch. It delved into the resurrection and Jesus 40 days on earth in his resurrected body with inspiration, faith and reverence. If it is on again, I admonish you to watch it. One of the primary scriptures they explored in the special was our New Testament reading from today, the Road to Emmaus. In fact we have a beautiful picture that portrays this scripture right around the corner when you exit the sanctuary across from the sacristy. These two disciples were very sad. They had heard the testimony of the women who had the vision that Christ was raised from the dead, they heard from Peter and how he found the linens lying in the tomb. But they just couldn’t believe it. They doubted. They were depressed. But along comes a stranger to guide them through the scriptures on how it was prophecied that Christ would be the suffering servant who takes away the sin of the world. From Moses through the prophets. And their hearts burned at his words. As the resurrected Christ walked them through the scriptures, Christ opened up their minds and their hearts to understand and believe the impossible. Jesus truly was alive. Risen from the dead! They should be joyful. Rejoice! As we should do today. Rejoice, Jesus is alive, in a physical human body. Sitting at the right hand of God to intercede for us, to forgive us our sins as we confess them and to heal our wounded spirits and broken hearts. Rejoice! Be glad. God sent His only son for us! For you.

 And today’s scripture says, Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.  Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

Today as we break bread together, may our eyes be opened, and may we know Him in a new and intimate way. May the spirit of joy in the resurrection lift us up and give us hope. It will not vanish. Jesus is risen and ascended, he is in heaven in bodily form, still bearing the marks on his hand, his feet, his side. He sits on God’s right hand, the hand of authority to bring you close to God. Today as we commune with God at His table, remember His sacrifice and rejoice in His resurrection.