For centuries the week following Easter Sunday was observed by the faithful as days of joy and laughter with parties and picnics to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. Churchgoers and pastors played practical jokes on each other, told jokes, sang and dance. The custom was rooted in the musings of early church theologians that God played a practical joke on the devil by raising Jesus from the dead. They called it the Easter laugh.
Here at Fairbury UMC we are going to bring back this custom by observing Holy Humor Sunday on the Sunday following Easter. On April 23 we will have a worship filled with joy, laughter, singing, jokes and fun activities.
The “theme” for this year will be Hawaii/beach fun. We encourage you to wear flip flops, shorts, t-shirts, sun visors or anything else that reminds you of the beach that day. We will give out leis to all who attend so if you don’t have beachwear you will still fit in!
We will take some joke breaks during worship so come prepared to share humorous jokes and stories that are church appropriate. You can have someone else read them if you don’t wish to stand up in front of folks. There will be special activities all through the service and during the fellowship time that follows. Invite friends and family to join in our holy hilarity.
In the words of Cal Samra: “After all the pain of Holy Week—the crucifixion of Jesus and all the pain that led up to that—a lot of Christians feel that they should spend more time rallying around the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. A growing number of Christians feel that we should celebrate the joy of the resurrection for more than just one day.”
Let us party on in the joy of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!