Sermonstudio

Easter is a time of surprises. There was a lady who, on the Saturday afternoon before, was doing some baking for her Easter dinner the next day. There was a knock at the door. She went to find a man, dressed in shabby clothes, and looking for some odd jobs. He asked her if there was anything he could do. She said, "Can you paint?"

"Yes," he said. "I'm a rather good painter."

"Well," she said, "there are two gallons of green paint there and a brush, and there's a porch out back that needs to be painted. Please do a good job. I'll pay you what the job is worth."

He said, "That's great. I will be done quickly."

She went back to her baking and did not think much more about it until there was a knock at the door. She went, and it was obvious he had been painting for he had it on his clothes. She asked, "Did you finish the job?"

He said, "Yes."

She said, "Did you do a good job?"

He said, "Yes. But lady, there's one thing I would like to point out to you. That is not a Porsche back there. That is a Mercedes."

A pastor was giving the children's message during church. For this part of the service, he would gather all the children around him and give a brief lesson before dismissing them for children's church.

On this particular Sunday, he was using squirrels for an object lesson on industry and preparation. He started out by saying, "I am going to describe something, and I want you to raise your hand when you know what it is." The children nodded eagerly.

"This thing lives in trees ... and eats nuts...." No hands went up. "And it is gray ... and has a long bushy tail...." The children were looking at each other, but still no hands raised. "And it jumps from branch to branch ... and chatters and flips its tail when it's excited...."

Finally, one little boy tentatively raised his hand. The pastor breathed a sigh of relief and called on him. "Well," said the lad, "I know the answer must be Jesus. But, it sure sounds like a squirrel to me!"

One more for the season. What do they call an anesthetized rabbit? An ether bunny .

In many churches, the second Sunday of Easter is celebrated as Holy Humor Sunday. It builds on the good news that was celebrated last Sunday -- Jesus was dead, now alive; the women come to the tomb in despair then leave the tomb in delight. Quite a story. Lots of questions, but the bottom line is "He is risen. He is risen indeed!" Holy Humor Sunday celebrates the fact that the resurrection of Jesus is God's ultimate joke on evil and death. It is a testament to the God who, as the psalmist says, "sits in the heavens and laughs" (2:4) at the foolishness of humanity and any forces that might seek to thwart divine purposes.

Here is a five-year-old's version of John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have ever-laughing life!" Not bad. Not bad at all.

But as wonderful as Easter Sunday makes us feel, Monday dawns, and life is no longer flowers and fragrances. The work-a-day world intrudes again. There is news of war and devastation and death. There is illness and disease. There are bankruptcies and plant closings. Oh, my. Please, change the channel so I can think about the joys of family. Right. Children turned on, aging parents tuned out, relationships everywhere on the edge of being wretched. And all this following some of the best news we will ever hear.

Perhaps that is why our lectionary offers us the same gospel lesson year after year after year on the Sunday after Easter. The disciples, at least most of them, are in a locked room -- plastic film, duct tape, deadbolts, locks, whatever it took -- scared to death that the same fate that took their master on Calvary might be awaiting them as well. Yes, they had heard the story of the women and about the empty tomb, but at this point, that is all they knew -- a story. Suddenly, here is Jesus, through the plastic and duct tape, saying, "Shalom." Our scripture translates that as "Peace be with you," and that is legitimate, but it can just as legitimately be rendered, "Hi, guys," or a first-century version of "Wha'ssup?"

Can you imagine their reaction? Something akin to Fred Sanford's, "This is the big one, Elizabeth." But they must have gotten things together quickly because, once they saw that this really was Jesus, scars and all, as the text has it, "The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord" (John 20:20). I'll just bet. What a party that would become! Holy humor writ large.

And I guarantee you that Jesus joined in. In fact, Jesus himself said that he came "that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete" (John 15:11). That first Easter evening concludes with these words about the unfinished work still to be done, and the sustenance they would have to accomplish the mission: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven" (John 20:22-23). Hmm.

Now the scene changes; the next day, probably. Once again we have our annual meeting with Thomas, forever known for this one incident, this statement in response to his companions' insistence that they had actually seen the Lord. And we modern disciples, with the benefit of 2,000 years of 20/20 hindsight, want Thomas to get it right, for a change. "You have seen the Lord? Wow! You mean he didn't stay dead? Wow again!" But, you know the story, Thomas's reaction this year is the same as last: "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it" (John 20:25).

Can you relate to Thomas? There are times in our lives when it seems that everyone else is laughing and enjoying the joke, but we just don't get it. Perhaps, like Thomas, we did not give ourselves the chance to get it. We were ... elsewhere. But now, we are all here. Thomas, too. The friendly New Testament church where all are welcome, right? The doors are locked again; still on Orange Alert, just in case. Suddenly, Jesus says, "Put your finger here [Thomas]; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe" (John 20:27).

Thomas does not bother. With eyes that were probably as big as saucers he responds, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28). Now Thomas is in on the joke, too. Let the party begin.

In churches all around the world, the celebration has commenced. Each year, more and more congregations of all persuasions all over the United States, and in far corners of the world, are celebrating the Easter season in new ways. We are celebrating Christ's resurrection by resurrecting ancient ways of commemorating the momentous event. There is the Bavarian practice that has the faithful gathering back in church on Easter afternoon for a time of story-telling and practical joking. There is the early orthodox tradition of the Easter Monday gatherings for stories, jokes, and anecdotes. To this day in Slavic regions Christians gather the day after Easter for folk dancing and feasting in the churchyard. It is variously known as Bright Monday, White Monday, Dyngus Day, and Emmaus Day in one country or another. Latin speakers call it Risus Paschalis -- God's Joke, the Easter Laugh. It is Holy Humor Sunday: a time to laugh.