Bright Sunday

The Pastor’s Page

Bright Sunday – The Sunday after Easter is typically know as Bright Sunday or Holy Humor Sunday and has it's roots in history. For centuries, in Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant countries, Easter Monday and "Bright Sunday (the Sunday after Easter) were observed by the faithful as "days of joy and laughter" with parties and picnics to celebrate Jesus' resurrection.

Parishioners and pastors played practical jokes on each other, drenched each other with water, sang, and danced. It was a time for clergy and people to tell jokes and to have fun.

The custom of Easter Monday and Bright Sunday celebrations were rooted in the musings of early church theologians (like Augustine, Gregory of Nyssa, and John Chrysostom) that God played a practical joke on the devil by raising Jesus from the dead. Easter was "God's supreme joke played on death."

Humor is the rule of the day, in good taste mind you. After all, you have to have a sense of humor to be in ministry. Last Sunday was some of our people’s semi-annual visit with us. We still consider them part of God’s Army. They just choose to serve in the covert forces.

There is the story about one of the Deacons at a Presbyterian Church who posted a sign next to the electric hand dyers in the restrooms. “Please press the button for a brief recorded message from the pastor!”

There is also the story of the Catholic priest who saw one of his elderly male parishioners walking along Main Street with a stunning young woman on his arm and a smile on his face. When the fellow came in for his appointment the next day, the priest said “You’re really going wild, aren’t you?” The guy said, “Hey, just doing what you told me to do: get a hot Mamma and be cheerful” “That’s not what I told you,” said the priest. “I didn’t tell you to get a hot Mamma and be cheerful. I said, ‘You’ve got a heart murmur. . . be careful.”

"Risus paschalis ¯ the Easter laugh," the early theologians called it.

Let the joy begin!

Pastor Craig