Holy Humor Sunday 2017

The congregation had paraded out of the sanctuary, shaking the pastor’s hand with thoughts of post-liturgical cookies and coffee on their mind. And as they gathered anew in the Fellowship Hall one could hear the scraping of chairs and the ruckus of laughter. And yet, not all were gathering for their small feast, for one small young boy had creeped out from his seat.

The congregation paraded out of the sanctuary, shaking the pastor’s hand with thoughts of post-liturgical cookies and coffee on their mind.

And as they gathered anew in the Fellowship Hall one could hear the scraping of chairs and the ruckus of laughter.

And yet, not all were gathering for their after-paschal feast, for one small young boy had creeped out from his seat.

Curiosity had struck the young lad as strong as pews were left empty and neat.

He crawled beneath the rows, bumping his head while pushing forward with his toes.

Finally, he revealed himself at the front of the church. He stood up, walked forward, and glanced all around.

With quiet steps he moved up by the altar and then to the pulpit. The lights were all out, the darkness enveloped.

A small tap let him know that the mic was still powered.

He looked around with a questioning eye before leaning forward and starting to speak.

A crackle of sound broke through the church—the laughing and scraping all stopped in the kitchen as the whole congregation paused to listen.

The words rang clear… their message true… the question was real, “God, are you still here?”

Holy Humor Sunday

It’s a great question, really. Especially today—the first Sunday after Easter or, as I prefer to remember it—Holy Humor Sunday. When I first heard about Holy Humor Sunday, I thought it was just an attempt to bring some extra entertainment into the church. And while it can indeed bring a good deal of laughs, there is also a richness within the theology that I appreciate.

The custom of Holy Humor Sunday was rooted in the musings of early church theologians like Augustine and Gregory of Nyssa. They expressed the idea that God played a practical joke on the devil by raising Jesus from the dead. "Risus paschalis - the Easter laugh," the early theologians called it.

The Easter Laugh… isn’t that great? And part of the joy of it for me is that the Easter Laugh isn’t ignoring the suffering and death on the cross.

Hogan’s Heroes

It isn’t like the old TV comedy, Hogan’s Heroes. There’s an episode when Newkirk, a British POW in a German POW Camp tries to make the camp commander, Kommadant Colonel Klink, think that the war is over before it really is.

Newkirk impersonates Adolf Hitler and puts out fake news on a radio message to the people of Germany telling everyone that if they hear false lies such as, “Berlin being in ruins or Hamburg being in shambles that… I order you not to believe these things.... even if they are true! And that no matter what happens we will all be together! In conclusion… I say, hide in your beds, work hard, fight dirty, and no matter what happens—keep smiling.”

For Colonel Klink, he couldn’t imagine being able to ‘keep smiling’ if all those rumors were indeed true and he hoped that perhaps Hitler had just had a bad day in Berchtesgaden.

The Easter Laugh isn’t that kind of fake, “Keep Smiling” mentality. The Easter Laugh doesn’t tell us to ignore the brokenness in the world. The Easter Laugh doesn’t tell us to ignore all the bad things in life and simply, “keep smiling.” Instead, the Easter Laugh is recognizing that just in the moment when defeat was a certainty that Christ pulls out the win.

It’s as though we were in the middle of a great baseball game with death… we’re down by three in the bottom of the third inning and we have two outs already. Then God steps up to bat and hits a home-run with the bases loaded. In the last possible moment, God wins the game that matters most—the game between life and death. And that huge upset is what inspires the Easter Laugh!

Doubting Thomas

But there is a challenge with this Easter Laugh… and that challenge is what Thomas faced when he was reunited with the disciples after they had just experienced the risen Christ. It was as though the entire team witnessed the home run.... except for Thomas.

In Verse 25, Thomas receives only what ends up being accessible to the next generation of disciples and what all of the generations to follow receive—only the word. You see, Thomas hears the good news… but unlike the other disciples he doesn’t get to SEE the good news. In verse 25, he’s like you and me.

And, to be quite honest, there are times that I would feel a good deal more confident in my faith if I were able to have Jesus stand in front of me and I too could touch the wounds. But that is the very reason why this story is in scripture—to see the reality of what it is to believe.... and to have doubts.

The writings about Christ’s journey on earth, both prior to his death and after his resurrection are so much more than just a collection of good stories to cheer us up—they express the reality of the world. They reveal the brokenness of the world around us… and the brokenness within ourselves.

And yet… this is good news. God sees you for who you are. God sees the life you live, both the good and the bad. And God walks with you and even steps in as your pinch hitter. The pressure on you to win an impossible game is gone. Now, you can stand and celebrate.

You can cheer and laugh and be filled with the Joy of Christ not because the game of life is without struggle, but because you know that God has the final say.

And so that’s what I encourage you to do on this day and in the days to come. Whatever difficulties are up against you in life right now… whatever stress you are facing—remember who is next at bat.

Do you recall that question, “God, are you still here?” The answer is that even when the joy and excitement of church is over. When you are home alone or in the car, that the answer is always a resounding yes. God is still here and God will not leave you. And so there are a few things I want you to remember.

Remember that there is ALWAYS hope for the future.

Remember that there is ALWAYS new life.

Remember that question with certainty that God is indeed still here even when the pomp and celebration grows silent.

And when you remember these things, that is indeed enough reason to keep smiling.