This Story is DYN-O-MITE!

The Holy Gospel According to St. John, the 20th Chapter

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

A pastor was assigned to a new church. He wanted to find out how much the congregation knew, so he decided to ask a simple question. He asked the members what they knew about Easter. The first guy comes up and says, "Isn't that the holiday when everyone comes over and you have this big turkey?" "Uh, no," the pastor says, "That's Thanksgiving." 

A second guy chimes in, "Isn't that the holiday where we get that big tree and..."   "Uh, no. That would be Christmas." 

"Oh. Sorry." 

Finally a young woman comes up and says, "Isn't that the holiday when they put Jesus on a cross?" 

"Yes," says the pastor, relieved. "Do you know anything else?" 

"Yes, He died, right?" 

"Yes. Anything else?" 

"They took him down." 

"Yes. Then what?" 

"Then they put him in a cave, right?" 

"Yes, then?" 

"And they rolled a stone in front of it?" 

"Yes. That's exactly right. Do you know anything else?" 

"Yeah. He woke up and...oh, now I remember, the stone was rolled away, and then he got out, saw his shadow, and went back inside for 6 more weeks."

Today is Bright Sunday or Holy Hilarity Sunday or if you want it in Latin, Risus Paschalis.  It started in the 15th century when priests would insert humorous stories into their sermons on this first Sunday after Easter.  Of course, since it was fun, the practice was eventually banned by Pope Clement X but I won’t tell the Pope if you won’t... plus, I have a feeling Pope Francis would probably approve!

I like this tradition, because one of the reasons jokes are funny is that they tell a story with an unexpected ending and Jesus’ resurrection is probably the MOST unexpected ending of a story EVER!  But like all stories with unexpected endings, not everybody gets the resurrection... or as we’ll think of it today, the biggest practical joke of all time.  The people in the first lesson, the people in Acts, they got the joke.  They believed as one.  They were of one heart and mind and everything they owned they held in common.  People don’t do that kind of stuff if they don’t get the joke.

Speaking of jokes, an atheist was spending a quiet day fishing when suddenly his boat was attacked by the Loch Ness monster. In one easy flip, the beast tossed him and his boat high into the air. Then it opened its mouth to swallow both. As the man sailed head over heels, he cried out, "Oh, my God! Help me!" At once, the ferocious attack scene froze in place, and as the atheist hung in mid-air, a booming voice came down from the clouds, "I thought you didn't believe in Me!" "Come on God, give me a break!!," the man pleaded, "two minutes ago I didn't believe in the Loch Ness monster either!"

You laughed, so I’m assuming you got that one.  But not everyone gets every joke right away.  The disciples at first locked themselves up in a room in fear.  They obviously don’t get the joke right away.  It was only when Jesus appeared to them and showed them the wounds in his hands, feet and side that they finally REALLY got the joke.

How about this one?  Did you hear about the mistake the dyslexic devil worshipper made? He devoted his life to Santa.

How about that one?  Like I said, not everyone gets every joke right away but it’s so important to get THE joke... the greatest practical joke of all time... that I’m going to break a cardinal rule of comedy and explain the joke.  We’ll start with the punch line first.  Are you ready? CHRIST IS RISEN!  Really and truly risen from the dead!  Not just woke up from a really deep sleep, he didn’t get better after being mostly dead.  He is totally and fully alive again after being totally and fully dead.  He had pulled the pin, he was pushing up daisies, he had bought the farm, he was swimming with the fish, had kicked the bucket, he was six feet under, he had bit the dust, shuffled off the mortal coil, croaked, cashed in his chips, and gave up the ghost.  Jesus was dead... BUT... NOW HE IS ALIVE!

It's the best punch line ever, but every joke needs a good set up.  The set up for this joke goes all the way back to that time when Jesus was in the wilderness being tested by the Devil.  The devil wants to give Jesus power over everything on earth…but there’s a catch.  Jesus has to bow down and worship the devil.  Jesus is pretty quick to realize that this is not a great deal after all and says no way.  After that, the devil decides that he will get Jesus the same way he has gotten everybody else…the devil will have him die!  Plot, plot, plot…scheme, scheme, scheme and then you arrive at Good Friday and Jesus is dying on the cross.  People around him laugh at him, just like the devil is laughing at him.  “Should have taken my offer" says the devil, "then you wouldn’t just be hanging around!”

You see, the devil, the Empire, sin, darkness, evil and death thought that they had won another one; one more person dead, one more victory for death and one more cosmic raspberry from the devil.  BUT WAIT!  Just when the devil, the Empire, sin, darkness, evil and death thought that they had pulled a fast one on God… THOUGHT they had killed God’s Son, it turns out the joke is actually on THEM!  With that one punch line... CHRIST IS RISEN!...  God has taken the horns off the devil, turned the world up side down, forgiven sin, banished death and shined the zillion watt light of Christ into every dark spot in every place and in every time.  With that one punch line... CHRIST IS RISEN... God not only gave Jesus life in the resurrection but also gave life to you and me and ALL OF CREATION… a life that starts now and goes on for all eternity!  And that's what makes this the biggest and best joke of all time.  Death and the devil have snatched a total defeat from the jaws of victory!

Speaking of the resurrection, do you know why didn't Jesus replace the stone from the tomb when he rose from the dead?   Well, he was born in a barn.

Once you get the greatest joke it literally changes EVERYTHING.  There may be people who still say you have to work your way to heaven.  But once you get this joke you can laugh at that!  That work’s been done!  HE IS RISEN!  There may be people who think that there is still a battle raging between good and evil, but once you get the joke you can laugh at that too because HE IS RISEN! and the strife is over, the battle is won.  The joke has been told and the punch line given.  It REALLY is the most unexpected ending and an amazing joke that changes EVERYTHING.

So, do you get it?  Because there’s one more thing about this joke (and really, it’s true of every good joke) and that is, when you hear a really good joke and you get it, you just can’t help but want to pass it on.  That’s what the folks in Acts went and did... they passed it on.  The Scripture says, “With great power the apostles gave their testimony.”  The Greek word that gets translated here as “power” has the same root as the word “dynamite.”

The best thing about the resurrection is that it is powerfully true whether you believe it or not and this joke is powerfully funny no matter who gets it and who doesn't.  But I know that our lives get better when you do get it and our lives get even better than that when you live it and we really begin to live the fully abundant life God wants for us all when we take the story of life and light and love as our own story, and tell it and share it in everything we say and do in the world.  So, on this Holy Hilarity Sunday, remember to tip your waitress, try the veal and then go out there and pass on the greatest joke ever told… because like J.J. Walker always said, this story is "DYN-O-MYTE!"  Amen.