Holy Humor/Hilarity (alternate Easter 2-B)

(Some churches follow the ancient practice of seeing the Sunday after Easter
as a time to celebrate the great joke God played on sin and death by raising
Jesus from the dead. Bright Sunday, Holy Humor/Hilarity Sunday are occasions
for people to join in praise, laughter, and good humor in celebrating God's
love for us, with the choir singing silly songs, the members dressing
outlandishly, the preacher serving as a stand-up comic. Not for every
congregation, but it does sometimes turn 'low Sunday' into a Sunday with a
new glow. Feel free to adapt to meet your congregation's needs)

Suggested texts: Genesis 18:9-15; 21:1-6; Psalm 150
1st Corinthians 1:18-31; John 20:19-29

Call to Laughter

One: This is the time to rejoice!
All: What better time than now!
One: This is the day to laugh:
What did the cabbage pastor say to the people?
Pastor: Lettuce pray!
One: How many choir directors does
it take to change a light bulb?
Choir: No one knows, because no one ever watches the director!
One: How many Presbyterians does it take to change a light bulb?
All: Change? Presbyterians don't believe in change!
One: What's the greatest joke ever?
All: The one God played on death on Easter morning!

Prayer of the Day and our Lord's Prayer
You smiled and the sun burst
through the shadows of chaos;
you chuckled,
and the platypus splashed
in creation's fountain;
you laughed,
and all that is good and beautiful
was given shape by you,
Imaginative God.

Snickering at the feeble attempts
of the evil one,
you showed us
how to resist temptation;
giggling at sin's desperate desire
to hold on to us,
you released us by your love;
howling with laughter
at death's foolish belief
that the tomb could hold you,
you burst forth into the kingdom
as the stars pealed with joy,
Laughing Jesus.

As you fill us with new life,
may we delight in sharing it with others;
as you tell us the good news
which can never be taken from us,
may we rejoice in offering it
to the broken, the sad, the lonely;
as you tickle us with grace,
may we give it away
with laughter on our lips
and joy in our hearts,
Spirit of Easter.

God in Community, Holy in One,
our hearts overflow with wonder
as we lift the prayer Jesus has taught us,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation

None of us likes to look foolish, but which is
sillier? Chasing after the world and all its gaudy
trinkets which flatter our souls, or being a 'fool
for Christ', imitating him in service to others,
offering ourselves in love and joy to the world?
Let us admit to God the foolish choices we
make each and every day, as we pray, saying,

Unison Prayer of Confession
You know better than we do, Amused God, what
important people we believe we are. Believing we
have to be serious all the time, we miss out on
the joy of your creation. Choosing to feast on the
pain of the world, we skip the picnic offered in
paradise. Clinging to the despair which is our best
friend, we ignore Jesus. who can bring us home to
your heart.
Forgive us, Heart of Joy, and make us open to the
startling, and upside-down, ways in which you work.
Fill us with Easter's laughter; fill us with your healing
joy; fill us with the love poured into us through Jesus
Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Silent Prayers may be offered

Assurance of Pardon:
One: The Gospels tell us over and over again of
the joy which comes to us through Christ.
When Jesus was around, lives were changed,
the sick were healed, the sorrowful began
to laugh with joy. The good news is that this
joy is now given to us.
All: Through the Holy Spirit, we are gifted with
joy. We are sent forth to bring good news
to the oppressed, to bring healing to the broken,
to anoint everyone with the oil of gladness.
Thanks be to God, we are forgiven. Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
One: May the God of love and ladybugs be with you.
All: And also with you.
One: Children of joy, open your hearts to God.
All: May God fill them with laughter, wonder, and joy.
One: Heirs of pleasure and grace, sing songs of thanksgiving.
All: With banjos and bagpipes, with snare drums and saxophones,
we will praise the One who is filled with laughter.

Into the face of cantankerous chaos, God of guffaws,
you sprayed the waters of creation
from the Spirit's seltzer bottle.
you laughed out loud as you shaped
the platypus, ostrich, and catfish;
you whistled a merry tune for the songbirds
to learn for that first Easter morning.
Your joy, your laughter, your heart-full spirit
overflowed in creating from your vibrant imagination,
comets racing through the night skies,
hummingbirds darting so fast we cannot see them.
All was created for those shaped in your image,
but in our self-styled wisdom, we thought sin and death
to contain all the knowledge we would ever need.
Prophets came, the greasepaint of judgment dabbed on,
willing to speak of your hopes with what
seemed to be foolish phrases,
so we continued to learn from the sequels
penned anew each day by sin.
Finally, when it seemed our lives were too barren,
you sent Jesus, to break into our midst
with laughter on his lips and joy in his heart.

So with those far-too-wise of every time,
with those who take themselves too seriously in every place,
we sing our glad songs to you:

P: Holy, holy holy are you, creator of dandelions and komodo dragons.
All creation joins in the laughter caused by the empty tomb.
Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the who comes carrying the joy of the Lord in his heart.
Hosanna in the highest!

You are God, with a great sense of humor,
and your Son, Jesus Christ, blesses us with joy.
Taking off the resplendent robes of glory,
he put on the frizzy, rainbow hair,
the polka-dotted, baggy pants with the red suspenders,
willing to play the clown, tramping through our world
with that pair of shoes five times the size of his feet.
He was willing to look foolish,
so we might wise up to our sinful ways;
he was willing to be laughed at,
so we might hear your serious words;
he was willing to walk through death's wide open doors,
so we might find the exit marked 'salvation.'

As we remember how foolish he seemed to be to many,
as we celebrate this joyous season of resurrection,
we join with those in the glad song of faith:

P: Christ died, foolish in the eyes of the world;
Christ was raised, wise enough to trust you;
Christ will return, gathering us up and taking us to you,
laughing all the way.

Is there anything more foolish than to believe
we can be made whole by Jesus' brokenness?
Is there anything that looks more silly
than to think a common cup can hold grace?
Yet, in the wisdom of your foolish ways,
the ordinary, the everyday become the sacred,
the barren can bring forth new life,
we can reach out a finger and be grasped
by that love which will never let go.
So, as your Spirit is poured out
on the gifts of the Table,
as the bread and cup renew your foolish people,
send us forth to be bearers of joy to the broken,
to be the bread of hope to all who hunger,
to be laughter and light to all who live in shadows.

Then, when the evening of history comes,
and we awaken on the first day of eternity,
we will join our sisters and brothers around your Table,
celebrating your love, your salvation, your wonder
with clanging cymbals, steel drums, and didgeridoos,
a mighty chorus of praise to you,
God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.

(c) Thom M. Shuman