Mark 16:1-8 (NIV)
1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother
of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might
go to anoint Jesus' body. 2Very early on the first day
of the
week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the
tomb 3and they asked each other, “Who will roll
the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was
very large, had been rolled away. 5As they entered the tomb,
they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the
right side, and they were alarmed.
6“Don't be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking
for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He
is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell
his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into
Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ”
8Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from
the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
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Theology and Prayer, Kid Style:
1. Dear God, please put another holiday between Christmas
and Easter. There is nothing good in there now. Amanda
2. Dear God, Thank you for the baby brother but what I asked
for was a puppy. I never asked for anything before. You can
look it up. Joyce
3. Dear Mr. God, I wish you would not make it so easy for
people to come apart. I had to have 3 stitches and a shot.
Janet
4. God, I read the bible. What does beget mean? Nobody will
tell me. Love, Alison
5. Dear God, how did you know you were God? Who told you?
Charlene
6. Dear God, is it true my father won't get in Heaven if
he uses his golf words in the house? Anita
7. Dear God, I bet it's very hard for you to love all of
everybody in the whole world. There are only 4 people in
our family and I can never do it. Nancy
8. Dear God, I like the story about Noah the best of all.
You really made up some good ones. I like walking on water,
too. Glenn
9. Dear God, my Grandpa says you were around when he was
a little boy.
How far back do you go? Love, Dennis
10. Dear God, did you mean for giraffes to look like that
or was it an accident? Norma
11. Dear God, please send Dennis Clark to a different summer
camp this year. Peter
12. Dear God, maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each other
so much if they each had their own rooms. It works out OK
with me and my brother. Larry
13. Dear God, I keep waiting for spring, but it never did
come yet. What's up? Don't forget. Mark
14. Dear God, if you watch in Church on Sunday I will show
you my new shoes. Barbara
15. Dear God, is Reverend Coe a friend of yours, or do you
just know him through the business? Donny
16. Dear God, I do not think anybody could be a better God
than you.
Well, I just want you to know that. I am not just saying
that because you are already God. Charles
17. Dear God, it is great the way you always get the stars
in the right place. Why can't you do that with the moon?
Jeff
18. Dear God, I am doing the best I can. Really. Frank
19. Dear God, I didn't think orange went with purple until
I saw the sunset you made on Tuesday night. That was really
cool. Thomas
Out of the mouth of babes…comes truth and humour.
And how important both are.
This morning’s sermon is going to be a little different.
This past week I stumbled upon an old Church tradition—something
that I had never heard of before but instantly felt an
affinity toward.
I’ll let the Rev. Dr. John McCoy explain it:
“Long ago in southern Germany, in Bavaria, during
the late middle ages there was a custom in many of the Catholic
churches of that region that was quite unusual. At the end
of the Easter church service, the Easter Mass, the priest
would leave the altar and come down among the people and
lead the congregation in what was called the "Risus
Paschalis" which means "the Easter laughter." The
priest would tell funny stories and sing comical songs,
and the church would ring with laughter. Of course the
point
was obvious, the laughter echoing through the church was
a tangible testimony to the merriment born out of the tidings
of this great day, Jesus Christ alive and loose among us.
All the forces that conspired to lay him in his tomb, the
fury, the lovelessness, the violence, the vaunted powers
of kings and empires, they are made a laughing stock.”
From “RISUS PASCHALIS” Preached by Dr. John
M. McCoy at Highland Park Presbyterian Church on 04/23/2000.
On April Fool’s day in 1986 this tradition was resurrected,
for the first Sunday after Easter, by a group called the
Fellowship of Merry Christians. They also publish a wonderful
newsletter entitled “The Joyful Noiseletter”,
which is chocked full of funny cartoons, stories and jokes.
And so this morning we are having a “Holy Humour
Sunday—Risus Paschalis—Easter Laughter”!
We want to emphasize just how special and important humour
is.
Our Scripture lesson from Mark 16 is the actual original
ending of Mark’s Gospel. Verses 9-20 were added on
at a later date to emphasize the resurrected Jesus’ appearances
to His followers.
But originally Mark ended with a mystery and fear. Jesus
speaks but isn’t
yet identified. The women respond with bewilderment, fear and trembling.
That is Mark’s Easter—the power and majesty
of God. It’s awesome and frightening. But those women
and all the disciples who eventually saw, touched, spoke
with and ate with Jesus—they didn’t remain bewildered
and frightened. Filled with awe perhaps but not fear. I’m
sure they were filled with something else—joy, smiles,
laughter, humour.
What a marvellous time they must have had when they realized
Jesus was alive! What an incredible, joy-filled gift they
had received.
From fear to joy.
From tears to laughter.
I’ll bet the disciples couldn’t stop grinning
that first Easter.
Christians, particularly Presbyterians, have often been
given a rather bad rap about being sour and dour. Sometimes
we can be accused of taking our faith “too seriously”.
We want to change that right now.
We are an Easter people—people who live on this side
of the Resurrection.
We aren’t a people of fear.
We are to be a people of joy.
And what better expression of joy can there be than laughing—laughing
at jokes, at funny stories and even at ourselves.
Laughter—holy laughter—a gift we have received
and a gift that is a delight to pass on.
And so, here are a few Easter stories and one that is just a Cook family favourite:
A father took his little boy to a pet shop to pick out a
puppy for his birthday present. For half an hour he looked
at the assortment in the window.
"
Decided which one you want?" asked his Daddy.
"
Yes," the little fellow replied, pointing to one which
was enthusiastically wagging his tail.
" I want the one with the happy ending."
Easter does truly provide a happy ending for us all.
Now, you have to think carefully with this one:
There was a great loss recently in the entertainment world.
Larry LaPrise, the Detroit native who wrote the song "The
Hokey Pokey", died at age 83.
I'm told he died peacefully and that he led a full and happy
life. Still it was a difficult time for the family.
It was especially difficult for them to get the Hokey Pokey
man in the casket. They put his left foot in and...well,
that was when the trouble started.
It's been two thousand years now since they had similar
trouble in Jerusalem.
SOURCE: http://www.fff.at/fff/dance/dances/hokeypok/creator/
Three not too bright people died and are at the Pearly Gates
of Heaven.
St. Peter tells them they can enter the gates if they can
answer one simple question.
St. Peter asks the first one "What is Easter?"
"
Oh, that's easy," the first person replies, "It's
the holiday in October when everyone gets together, eats
turkey and gives thanks."
"
Wrong," says St. Peter.
He asks the second person the same question.
The second person replies. "Easter is the holiday
in December when we put up a nice tree, exchange presents,
and
celebrate the birth of Jesus."
St. Peter looks at the second person, shakes his head in
disgust, and turns to the third person. He asks, "What
is Easter?"
The third person smiles confidently and looks St. Peter
in the eye. "I know what Easter is.
Easter is the Christian holiday that coincides with the
Jewish celebration of Passover. Jesus was betrayed, made
to wear
a crown of thorns, and was crucified. He was buried in
a nearby cave which was sealed off by a large boulder."
St. Peter smiles with delight.
The third person continues, "Every year the boulder
is moved aside so that Jesus can come out...and, if he
sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter!"
This one isn’t about Easter. It just seems to tickle
the Cook funny bone:
Farmer Jones got out of his car and while heading for his
friend's door, noticed a pig with a wooden leg. His curiosity
roused, he asked, "Fred, how'd that pig get a wooden
leg?"
" Well Michael, that's a mighty special pig! A while back a
wild boar attacked me while I was walking in the woods.
That pig there came a runnin', went after that boar and chased
him away. Saved my life!"
" And the boar tore up his leg?"
" No he was fine after that. But a bit later we had that fire.
Started in the shed up against the barn. Well, that ole
pig started squealin' like he was stuck, woke us up, and 'fore
we got out here, the darn thing had herded the other animals
out of the barn and saved 'em all!"
" So that's when he hurt his leg, huh, Fred?"
" No, Michael. He was a might winded, though. Then my tractor
hit a rock and rolled down the hill into the pond I was
knocked clean out. When I came to, that pig had dove into the pond
and dragged me out 'fore I drownded. Sure did save my life."
" And that was when he hurt his leg?"
" Oh no, he was fine. Pond water cleaned him up, too."
" OK, Fred. So just tell me. How did he get the wooden leg?"
"
Well", the farmer tells him, "A pig like that,
you don't want to eat all at once!"
Not being thankful isn’t a good habit to get into.
Laughter, though, is a good habit for anyone, but particularly,
for Easter people because Christ is Risen and we are to be
people of happiness and joy, not fear and trembling.
Laughter is good medicine not only for what it does chemically
within our bodies—it’s good medicine for the
soul.
Laughter is a reminder that living in Christ means having
a good time—enjoying life and living it abundantly.
It runs deep. We are offered deep joy and peace even in
the midst of times when smiles and laughter are difficult.
Christ is Risen!
Sin has been washed away!
Satan has not won.
Death has been defeated.
God has the last laugh!
(1766)
©
The Rev. Dennis Cook, St. Timothy’s Presbyterian Church, Ajax, ON,
Canada
Let us pray:
“Lord, as I stumble through this life, help me to
create more laughter than tears, dispense more happiness
than gloom, spread more cheer than despair. Never let me
become so indifferent that I will fail to see the wonder
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, at least for the moment,
all the unpleasant things in their lives.
And, Lord in my final moment, may I hear you whisper: “When
you made My people smile, you made Me smile.” Amen.
(“The Clown’s Prayer” of Smiles Unlimited,
a clown ministry in hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons,
based in Indianapolis.)
