Pentecost 24
Holy Humor Sunday
16 November 2025
Vineville Baptist Church
Macon, Georgia
Gregory Pope
THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER
Psalm 126. Proverbs 17.22. Ecclesiastes 3.4. Luke 6:21b.
Going back to the early centuries of the church, on a Sunday after Easter, Greek Christians celebrated the defeat of death with the laughter of Easter. It was called “Holy Humor Sunday.” The service was filled with jokes. In the 17th century Pope Clement officially outlawed “Holy Humor Sunday.” Perhaps they were getting carried away. Or maybe Pope Clement was just a clergy stick-in-the-mud.
Well, Pope Gregory of Macon wants to revive the ancient tradition and celebrate Holy Humor Sunday on an annual basis because the Bible celebrates laughter as a gift from God. The writer of Ecclesiastes says: There is a time to weep, and a time to laugh.
It’s several months after Easter now, but I think having spent the past two weeks talking about the heavy issues of grief and mental illness, while continuing to live in a world where there is much to weep, perhaps today we could use a sliver of life-giving laughter.
Most of us did not grow up being told that laughter is a vital part of our faith. In fact, how many of you as a child were warned that if you laughed in worship you would be in big trouble when you got home? Not many of us were ever told of those scriptures that affirmed laughter as a holy gift of God.
One day Jesus told the outcast crowd, Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Laughter is nothing less than a sign of the in-breaking kingdom of God.
Have you ever noticed the clever sense of humor Jesus had? Think about some of the images of the kingdom he shared. Like, a camel attempting to squeeze through the eye of a needle. Or the person with a two-by-four in her eye trying to lift a speck of sawdust from a neighbor’s eye. Or the man who (perhaps in the midst of a “senior moment”) lights a lamp and puts it under the bed. And then on another occasion Jesus said, “Let the dead bury the dead.” What’s that supposed to mean? Was Jesus writing the first episode of The Walking Dead?
Laughter is good for us. It’s healthy. It releases healing chemicals throughout our bodies. Proverbs says, A cheerful heart is good medicine. And while laughter is good for us, not all humor is good for us or the world.
There are different kinds of humor. Two kinds, really. One is a cruel kind of humor where we laugh at others or tell jokes at others’ expense. And we do it in such a way that people are deeply hurt or embarrassed. It is the humor of the school bully. The other kind of humor is what we might call the humor of grace. If you watch stand-up comedians you can see both kinds of humor at work: a cruel kind of humor and the humor of grace. The humor of grace is the kind of humor that lets us laugh at ourselves and the world around us. And how we need to do that! Laughter helps us accept our humanity. Laughter let’s us lighten up a bit and not take life so seriously or take ourselves so seriously.
The Shakers believed that fits of “holy laughter” were signs of the Spirit in one’s life. (Not “spirits” but the Holy Spirit.) I think we should count “a sense of humor” as a spiritual gift.
The late preacher and comedian Grady Nutt had such a gift. Some of you may remember him from his days on the television show of high country culture Hee Haw. Growing up I remember watching it regularly on Saturday nights at my grandparents’ house. Grady was a member of the church I served in Louisville, though he died tragically some 20 years before I got there. But according to the stories I heard about him, Grady was a person of deep theological reflection and one of the kindest people you could ever meet. Grady graced this world with delightful humor. He said, “Laughter is the hand of God on the shoulder of a troubled world.” (Don’t you just love that?) And ours is a troubled world, is it not?
So what do you say we lighten up a bit this morning and experience the grace of laughter in God’s presence. Don’t worry. It’s really okay to laugh in worship. In the movie “Oh God,” George Burns played God and he said, “God was a comedian playing to an audience that was afraid to laugh.” Let’s not be that kind of audience, alright?
Let’s begin with some biblical humor. After all we are in church and I am a preacher and this is supposed to be a sermon. How well do you know your Bible? See how many of these you understand. If you know the answer, call it out. If you’re wrong, we’ll laugh at you (I mean, with you).
How were Adam and Eve prevented from gambling? God took away their pair-a-dice.
What did Adam and Eve do when they were expelled from the garden? They raised Cain.
What excuse did Adam give his children as to why they no longer lived in Eden? “Your mother ate us out of house and home.”
Why couldn’t Cain please God with his offering? He just wasn’t Abel.
Who was the greatest financial genius in the Bible? Noah. He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.
What kind of lights did they have on the ark? Floodlights.
(Now if the person beside you did not laugh at any of these, then it is clear they don’t know their Bible.)
How about some ecumenical humor? Let’s see how well you know your brothers and sisters from other faith traditions. In order to change a light bulb:
How many Lutherans does it take? None. Lutherans don’t believe in change.
How many Pentecostals does it take? Ten. One to change the bulb and nine to pray against the spirit of darkness.
How many Episcopalians? Eight. One to call the electrician and seven to say how much they liked the old one better.
How many Unitarians? They issued this written response: We choose not to make a statement either in favor of or against the need for a light bulb. However, if in your own journey you have found that light bulbs work for you, that is fine, you are invited to write a poem or compose a modern dance about your personal relationship with your light bulb and present it next month at our annual light bulb Sunday service, in which we will explore a number of light bulb traditions, including incandescent, fluorescent, three-way, long-life, and tinted, all of which are equally valid paths to luminescence.
How many Baptists does it take? At least fifteen. One to change the bulb and three committees to approve the change.
And did you hear the story of the Quaker and his milk cow? Quakers, as you may know, are anti-violent pacifists. So the Quaker says to the milk cow, “Thou hast kicked over the milk pail three times now. Thou knowest that I am a Quaker and cannot hit thee. But if thou kickest the pail over one more time, I shall sell thee to a Baptist.”
And then there’s life in the church. One Sunday a young child was “acting up” during the morning worship hour. The parents did their best to maintain some sense of order in the pew but were losing the battle. Finally the father picked up the little fellow and walked sternly up the aisle on his way out. Just before reaching the foyer the little boy called loudly to the congregation, “Pray for me! Pray for me!”
Then there was the child dedication service where the pastor asked the parents if they would promise to raise their child in a Christian home. The parents said yes. And the child began to cry. The parents asked her what was wrong. The child said, “You promised to raise me in a Christian home, but I like our home.”
And now, those infamous Church Bulletin Announcements. Some of them are a little old. You may have heard them before. But I think they’re worth repeating.
The sermon this morning: “Jesus Walks on Water.”
The sermon tonight: “Searching For Jesus.”
Don’t let worry kill you – let the Church help.
At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be “What is Hell?” Come early and listen to our choir practice.
The Senior Adult Choir invites any member of the congregation who enjoys sinning to join the choir.
For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
The eighth graders will be presenting Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
How well do you know your hymns? Again, call out the answer if you think you know it.
Do you know the Dentist’s Hymn? “Crown Him with Many Crowns”
What about the Realtor’s Hymn? “I’ve Got a Mansion Just Over the Hilltop”
Does anyone know the Gossip’s Hymn? “Pass It On”
What about the Optometrist’s Hymn? “Open My Eyes That I May See”
The Meteorologist’s Hymn? “There Shall Be Showers of Blessing”
The Electrician’s Hymn? “Send the Light”
The Shopper’s Hymn? “In the Sweet Buy and Buy”
And now a few hymns for those who speed on the highway:
At 55 mph – God Will Take Care of You
At 75 mph – Nearer My God to Thee
At 85 mph – This World is Not My Home
At 95 mph – Lord, I’m Coming Home
At 100 mph – Precious Memories
And then there is God’s gift of children. They provide us with marvelous moments of laughter, don’t they?
Sinclair Lewis once said: “Babies are bombs to blow up smugness.”
Many of you will remember the show “Kids Say the Darndest Things.” (I don’t. I’m much too young. But I hear it was funny.)
When asked, “How can you tell if two people are married?” 6 year old Karen says, “Married people usually look happy to talk to other people.” Derrick, age 8, says, “You might have to guess based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.”
On the first day of school, the Kindergarten teacher said, “If anyone has to go to the bathroom, hold up two fingers.” A little girl from the back of the room asked, “How will that help?”
Three boys are in the school yard bragging about their fathers. The first boy says, “My dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, calls it a poem, and they give him $50.” The second boy says, “That’s nothing. My dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a song, and they give him $100.” The third boy says, “I got you both beat. My dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon, and it takes eight people to collect all the money.”
One little boy asked another: “Can people predict the future with cards?” “My mother can,” said the other boy. “Really?” “Yes, she takes one look at my report card and can tell me exactly what will happen when my Dad gets home.”
A little boy was overheard praying: “Lord, if you can’t make me a better boy, don’t worry about it. I’m having a real good time like I am.”
A Sunday school teacher asked her children as they were on the way to the worship service, “And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?” One bright little girl replied, “Because people are sleeping.”
A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons: Kevin age 5 and David age 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a Christian lesson: “Now boys, if Jesus were sitting here, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.’” Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “David, you be Jesus!”
Have You Learned How to Speak About Women and be Politically Correct? (Anybody getting nervous?) She is not a BAD COOK – She is MICROWAVE COMPATIBLE. She does not WEAR TOO MUCH JEWELRY – She is METALLICALLY OVERBURDENED. She does not WEAR TOO MUCH MAKEUP – She has reached COSMETIC SATURATION.
And it’s only fair to offer Some Lessons on How To Talk About Men and Still Be Politically Correct: He doesn’t GET LOST ALL THE TIME – He investigates ALTERNATIVE DESTINATIONS. He is not a MALE CHAUVINIST PIG – He has SWINE EMPATHY.
With hunting season upon us someone said: “Shot my first turkey today. Scared the crap out of everyone in the frozen food section. It was awesome!”
And a couple other observations:
I have the body of a god. Unfortunately, it’s Buddha!
I have CDO. It’s a lot like OCD but all of the letters are in alphabetical order as they should be!
Some Questions to Ponder:
How is it that couples are waiting longer to have children, but grandparents are looking younger than ever? (That one’s original with me.)
Is it rude to toss a Xanax into someone’s mouth while they’re talking?
Why is the one who invests all your money called a “broker”?
“I am” is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that “I do” is the longest sentence? (I did NOT come up with that one! I don’t even understand that joke.)
And what hair color do they put on the driver’s license of bald men? (John Kelly, can you help us out?)
And with that one I feel like I’m moving away from the humor of grace toward a more cruel kind of humor. So I’ll stop there.
Humor is a gift of God: It helps us bear the pains of life more easily. It can help keep all of us humble if we are willing to laugh at ourselves. It can help bring joy if we recognize what a sense of humor God has in creating human beings. And it can help keep us from going crazy in this mad and suffering world.
There’s a wonderful prayer by a Scottish pastor who was once heard to pray in church, “Lord, we thank thee that it isn’t always like this.” It’s really not a bad prayer. There are some prayers I’m not always able to pray. Like the one about giving thanks in all circumstances. But even on dark days we can all pray this prayer of gratitude: “Lord, I thank thee that it’s not always like this.” There’s profound truth in the humor of that prayer. It helps us laugh at the hardness of a difficult day. It also gives us remembrance of and hope for better days.
As a people of faith we can laugh – if at times through our tears – because we know that nothing can cut us off from the love of Christ. As the apostle Paul put it: neither a host of troubles nor deep distress, neither persecution nor starvation, neither nakedness, peril, or sword, not anything in life or in death, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The psalmist sings it: Our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy . . . because the Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced. May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy.
What Jesus said is indeed true: Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
And that my friend is the word of the Lord for us this day. Thanks be to God.