Holy Humour Sunday...

Earlier this week I received a phone call from a gentleman from church asking if I would be willing to read Scripture on Sunday. I agreed, but before hanging up he thought he should warn me that this Sunday would be Holy Humour Sunday. I had never heard of such and thought he must be pulling my leg, especially since he encouraged me to wear a funny hat or weird tie.

Well, this morning I went to church and I can honestly say that I have never before seen a service quite like that. People were wearing brightly coloured, mismatched outfits, unbelievable hats (there were a couple of Dr. Seuss inspired hats and even a 70 year old lady wearing a beanie with a propeller), and some of the ugliest neck ties and bow ties that you've ever seen.

As for the order of service...

• PRE-PARTY TUNES
• WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
  
• CALL TO LAUGHTER

Leader: This is the time to rejoice!
All: What better time than now?
******
Leader: What's the greatest joke ever?
All: The one God played on death on Easter morning.

• PRAYER
• HYMN: How Can We Be Silent
• LIGHTING OF THE PEACE CANDLE
• CHILDREN'S TIME which talked about how often adults take themselves too seriously and that it's okay to laugh.
• PRAYER OF CONFESSION

God of Fun, you know us better than we know ourselves. Believing we have to be serious, we miss the joy of your creation. Feasting on the pain of the world, we skip your picnic. Forgive us, God of Joy, and make us open to the startling, upside-down ways in which you work. Fill us with Easter's happiness, fill us with your healing joy, fill us with the love poured into us through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

• ASSURANCE OF PARDON

Through the Holy Spirit, we are gifted with joy. We are sent to bring good news to the oppressed and healing to the broken, to anoint everyone with the oil of gladness. Thanks be to God, we are forgiven. Amen.

• A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: John 20:19-31
• HYMN OF RESPONSE: Joyful, Joyful, we adore thee
• ANOTHER WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: 1 John 1:1-2:2, Acts 4:32-35 (the Acts passage on holding our possessions/finances in common so that no one is in need was read by a tax preparer!)
• UNATTRACTIVE ASCOT (neck wear) CONTEST (winner determined by the clap-o-meter)
• HYMN: Blessed be the tie that binds
• HIDEOUS HEAD WEAR CONTEST
• HYMN: Crown Him with many crowns
• COLLECTION OF TAX DEDUCTIONS
• SHARING OF JOYS AND CONCERNS
• CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
• HYMN: You shall go out with joy
• BENEDICTION
• POST-PARTY TUNES

The service was full of jokes about church and Anabaptism and the puns were flying. It was a great reminder that we often take ourselves too seriously and forget that God is a God of laughter as well. Apparently Holy Humour Sunday is a tradition of Hively Avenue Mennonite Church, celebrated the Sunday after Easter each year.

Here's one piece from the bulletin insert this morning:

A Clown's Prayer
As I stumble through this life,
help me to create more laughter than tears,
dispense more cheer than gloom,
spread more cheer than despair.
Never let me become so indifferent,
that I will fail to see the wonders in the eyes of a child,
or the twinkle in the eyes of the aged.
Never let me forget that my total effort is to cheer people,
make them happy, and forget momentarily,
all the unpleasantness in their lives.
And in my final moment, may I hear You whisper:
"When you made My people smile, you made Me smile."
~Smiles Unlimited Clown Ministry prayer