Holy Humor Sunday Resource Index

Here’s a listing of worship resources on this blog for Holy Humor Sunday (also known as Bright Sunday, or Laughter Sunday), often observed on the first Sunday after Easter.

Hymns and Songs

Calls to Worship

Prayers

Confession

Benedictions

Miscellaneous resources


Prayers of the People: Holy Humor Sunday

Here’s a prayer for Holy Humor Sunday (the first Sunday after Easter) from the RevGalBlogPals website.

Prayer of Intercession for "Laughter" Sunday

Amid the laughter and celebration of this day, it’s good that we pause and remember that many carry burdens that need not be carried alone.

God of grace, God of love and laughter, we thank you that we are so wondrously created and that we are made for relationship with you and with one another. We thank you for laughter with friends and loved ones. We thank you for the laughter of children, and the song it creates in our hearts.

By your great unending love, you inspire in us a spirit of imagination and creativity. Help us to use that spirit to play more, to laugh more, and to create beauty in every way possible. Remind us to laugh out loud, for doing so will heal some of the wounds within us. Not all, but some.

God, we pray for those who cannot find their laughter today. For those who are grieving, or suffering illness of body, mind or spirit...for those who are lonely and in need of someone to share their time and friendship... for those who have not yet moved into the season and spirit of Easter and find themselves stuck in the gloom of Good Friday.

May these and the troubles of all your people be soothed, blessed, and comforted by your holy presence. May we each find the laughter within us that sets our spirits free, and in that freedom, may we take your love into every part of our lives. These and all the prayers of our hearts we offer now in the name of Jesus, who taught us to pray together saying/singing…

— posted by Sue on the RevGalBlogPals blog. 

For more worship resources for Holy Humor Sunday, click on Laughter / Holy Humor Sunday in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.


Confession for Holy Humor Sunday

Here’s an act of confession for Holy Humor Sunday (aka Bright Sunday, Laughter Sunday) – the first Sunday after Easter.  It was written by Thom Shuman.

Call to Reconciliation

None of us likes to look foolish, but which is sillier?  Chasing after the world and all its gaudy trinkets which flatter our souls, or being a 'fool for Christ', imitating him in service to others, offering ourselves in love and joy to the world?  Let us admit to God the foolish choices we make each and every day, as we pray, saying,

Unison Prayer of Confession

You know better than we do, Amused God,
what important people we believe we are. 
Believing we have to be serious all the time,
we miss out on the joy of your creation. 
Choosing to feast on the pain of the world,
we skip the picnic offered in paradise. 
Clinging to the despair which is our best friend,
we ignore Jesus.
who can bring us home to your heart.

Forgive us, Heart of Joy,
and make us open to the startling, and upside-down, ways
in which you work.
Fill us with Easter's laughter;
fill us with your healing joy;
fill us with the love poured into us
through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

(silent prayers may be offered)

Assurance of Pardon

The Gospels tell us over and over again of the joy which comes to us through Christ. When Jesus was around, lives were changed, the sick were healed, the sorrowful began to laugh with joy.  The good news is that this joy is now given to us.

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

— written by Thom Shuman, on his excellent Lectionary Liturgies blog. 

For more worship resources for Holy Humor Sunday, click on Laughter / Holy Humor Sunday in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.


Call to Worship: Holy Humor Sunday

Here’s a call to worship which might suit for Holy Humor Sunday (the first Sunday after Easter).  It was written by Shari Miller Wagner. 

Call to Worship for Holy Humor Sunday

O praise to the God of laughter whose humor sends ripples
through even the river of death,
who turns a mustard seed into a tree,
who conceals the meaning of life in a loaf of bread.
Like a trickster, you turn my world topsy-turvy.
When I think I am lovely, you hold up a mirror
that shows me as thin as a pencil or as squat as a toad.
Here in the Fun House the popular routes lead me in circles
but the dead-ends have doors.
O for a thousand tongues to sing the praise of One who is All,
who is as invisible as the wind, yet as firm as a rock.

— excerpted from a longer call to worship written by Shari Miller Wagner (copyright © 2000 Shari Miller Wagner).  Posted on the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference website. 

For more worship resources for Holy Humor Sunday, click on Laughter / Holy Humor Sunday in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.


Holy Humor: Prayer of Confession

Here’s a prayer of confession for Holy Humor Sunday (the first Sunday after Easter).  

Prayer of Confession: Holy Humor Sunday

You know better than we do, Amused God,
what important people we believe we are.

Believing we have to be serious all the time,
we miss out on the joy of your creation.

Choosing to feast on the pain of the world,
we skip the picnic offered in paradise.

Clinging to the despair which is our best friend,
we ignore Jesus, who can bring us home to your heart.

Forgive us, Heart of Joy,
and make us open to the startling, and upside-down,
ways in which you work.

Fill us with Easter's laughter;
fill us with your healing joy;
fill us with the love poured into us
through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

— from a worship order by the Liberty Grove United Methodist Church

For more worship resources for Holy Humor Sunday, click on Laughter / Holy Humor Sunday in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.


Holy Humor Call to Worship

Here’s a call to worship / prayer of confession for Holy Humor Sunday. It comes from the website of the Charlton United Methodist Church.

Call to Worship & Confession
 for Holy Humor Sunday

We believe in God, who made us in His image.
We live, we love, we laugh, because we are like Him.
We believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Lord and Savior.
He had the last laugh on the devil when He rose from the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
coequal and coeternal with the Father and the Son.
Our counselor, our guide, our motivator – He is our joy!
Forgive us, Lord, when we take ourselves too seriously,
when we don't claim the happiness that is rightfully ours as your children,
when we forget that you will have the last laugh in this world.
Restore to us the joy of our salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

— from the website of the Charlton United Methodist Church

For more worship resources for Holy Humor Sunday, click on Laughter / Holy Humor Sunday in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.


Contemporary Hymn: Holy Humor Sunday

Here’s a contemporary hymn for Holy Humor Sunday from Walter Farquharson.

Give to us Laughter

Give to us laughter,
O Source of our life.
Laughter can banish
so much of our strife!
Laughter and love
give us wholeness and health.
Laughter and love
are the coin of true wealth.

Give to us laughter
as sign of deep joy;
let us in laughing
find Christian employ,
joining with stars
and with bright northern lights,
laughing and praising
and sharing delights.

Even in sorrow
and hours of grief,
laughter with tears
brings us healing relief!
God, give us laughter,
and God, give us peace,
joy of your promise
among us increase.

— hymn text copyright © 1974 Walter Farquharson.  Posted on rev. stacy smith blog. To see the entire text (with music by Ron Klusmeier), visit the Musiklus website. You might also sing the text to the tune SLANE (Be thou my vision).

For more worship resources for Holy Humor Sunday, click on Laughter / Holy Humor Sunday in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.


Holy Humor: Prayer of Petition

Here’s a prayer of petition for Holy Humor Sunday from the website of Christ the King Lutheran Church.

Prayer for Holy Humor Sunday

Good and gracious God, we laugh as a sign of the joy you have brought into the world through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Help us to see light through your eyes – eyes of grace and forgiveness – and help us to laugh when the world presses in around us and we are afraid. Amen.

— from the website of Christ the King Lutheran Church

For more worship resources for Holy Humor Sunday, click on Laughter / Holy Humor Sunday in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.


Benediction: Holy Humor Sunday

If your congregation is celebrating Holy Humor Sunday (aka Bright Sunday or Laughter Sunday), here’s a benediction you might consider using.

Benediction

May the God of Isaac, that is "laughter,"
the Christ, who for the joy set before him endured the cross
and the Spirit of Joy be with you both now and forever. Amen.

— from the God is Still Laughing website.

For more worship resources for Holy Humor Sunday, click on Laughter / Holy Humor Sunday in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.


Lord's Prayer: Holy Humor Version

Here’s a version of the Lord’s Prayer used by the Oakton United Methodist Church on Holy Humor Sunday (the first Sunday after Easter). 

Lord’s Prayer
(Holy Humor Version)

Our Father in heaven,
let Your holy name be known,
let Your kingdom come, and Your will be done
on earth as in heaven.

Give us today the bread that we need,
and forgive us our wrongs, and OK,
we’ll forgive those who have done wrong to us, too.

Do not lead us into trial, but save us from evil.
For we want for You alone to rule in our hearts.
You have power to transform,
and in the light of Your smile is Your glory.  Amen.

— from an order of worship by the Oakton United Methodist Church.  

For more worship resources for Holy Humor Sunday, click on Laughter / Holy Humor Sunday in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.


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.”

— Anonymous  

For more worship resources for Holy Humor Sunday, click on Laughter / Holy Humor Sunday in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.


Holy Humor Hymn: Take Time

Here’s another song text used in some congregations on Holy Humor Sunday (the first Sunday after Easter). 

Take Time to Be Funny

Take time to be funny, rejoice in the Lord
Let laughter explode and have fun with God’s Word
For laughter is healing, gives strength to the weak
God loves to see smiles, for they lift up the meek.

Take time to be silly, it’s good for the soul
Too many are somber, grabbing control.
Let go and let God’s love wash over your soul
Heavenly transcendence can be your life’s goal.

Old Sarah and Abram – a child they lacked
But God’s angels promised and she birthed Isaac
In Hebrew that’s “laughter”, go check if you want
Genesis Seven-teen is where it is found.

For humor is holy, it sanctifies life,
Replenishes hope and oft softens advice
It undercuts sorrow, deflates haughty pride
So smile and hang on, and rejoice in life’s ride.

— authorship unknown. Suggested tune:  “Take time to be holy”

For more worship resources for Holy Humor Sunday, click on Laughter / Holy Humor Sunday in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.


Holy Humor Sunday: Affirmation

Looking for worship resources for Laughter Sunday (aka Holy Humor Sunday, Bright Sunday)?  Here’s an Affirmation of Humor from Rev. Chris Anderson, on his God is Still Laughing: Learning Theology through Jokes website. 

A Communion of Saints
Affirmation of Humor

We believe with the Bible that
“there is a time to weep and a time to laugh.”

We believe with Chrysostom that
“laughter has been implanted in our souls.”

We believe with Aquinas that there is a time for
“playful deeds and jokes.”

We believe with Luther that
“You have as much laughter as you have faith.”

We believe with Calvin that
“we are nowhere forbidden to laugh.”

We believe with Francis De Sales that
“humor is a foundation for reconciliation.”

We believe with Wesley that
“A sour religion is the devil’s religion.”

We believe with Kierkegaard that
“Humor is intrinsic to Christianity.”

We believe with Dostoevsky that
“If a person laughs well they are a good person.”

We believe with Chesterton that
“A good joke is the closest thing we have to divine revelation.”

We believe with Bonhoeffer that
“Ultimate seriousness is not without a dose of humor.”

We believe with Fulton Sheen that
“The only time laughter is wicked is when it is turned against he who gave it.”

We believe with Flannery O’Conner that
“Christianity is a strangely cheery religion.”

We believe with Elton Trueblood,
“Never trust a theologian without a sense of humor.”

We believe with Charles Schultz that
“Humor is proof that everything is going to be alright with God nevertheless.”

We believe with Krister Stendhal that
“humor, along with irony, forms a safeguard against idolatry.”

We believe with Eric Gritsch that
“Humor is thus anchored in a self-knowledge that indicates one’s limitations.”

— compiled by Rev. Chris Anderson with help from the Joyful Noiseletter, where you can find more ideas about how to celebrate Laughter Sunday / Holy Humor Sunday.

For more worship resources for Holy Humor Sunday, click on Laughter / Holy Humor Sunday in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.


Jokes for Holy Humor Sunday

Here’s an assortment of jokes for Holy Humor Sunday (the first Sunday after Easter). 

How many evangelists does it take to change a light bulb?
Only one, but the bulb must repent of its darkness and be willing to be changed.

How many liberals does it take to change a light bulb?
Ten, but they will need to debate whether or not the bulb actually exists. Even then they still may not change it, for fear of alienating those who use florescent bulbs.

How many Presbyterians does it take to change a light bulb?
None. God has predestined when the lights will be on and off.

How many Mennonites does it take to change a light bulb?
One hundred and sixty: 40 people in the light bulb selection committee; 40 people in the light bulb purchasing committee; 40 people in the light socket location committee, and 40 people in the electricity modulator committee.

How many Roman Catholics does it take to change a light bulb?
None. They use candles.

How many Pentecostals does it take to change a light bulb?
Ten: one to change the bulb, and nine to pray against the darkness.

How many Charismatics does it take to change a light bulb?
Three: one to cast it out, and two more to catch it as it falls. 
Alternate answer: Only one: hands were already in the air.

How many Baptists does it take to change a light bulb?
At least 15. One to change the light bulb, and two or three committees to approve the change. Oh, and also one to provide a casserole.

How many Independent Baptists does it take to change a light bulb?
Only one, because any more than that would be Ecumenicalism.

How many Nazarenes does it take to change a light bulb?
Six:  One woman to replace the bulb while five men review church lighting policy.

How many Anglicans/Episcopalians does it take to change a light bulb?
Three. One to call the electrician, one to mix the drinks and one to talk about how much better the old one was.

How many Methodists does it take to change a light bulb?
Undetermined.  Whether your light is bright, dull, or completely out, you are loved.  You can be a light bulb, turnip bulb, or tulip bulb.  Bring a bulb of your choices to the Sunday lighting service and a covered dish to pass.

How many Mormons does it take to change a light bulb?
Five. One man to change the bulb, and four wives to tell him how to do it.

How many Unitarians does it take to change a light bulb?
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 TV evangelists does it take to change a light bulb?
One.  But for the message of light to continue, send in your donation today.

How many Amish does it take to change a light bulb?
What's a light bulb??

How many guitar-playing worship leaders does it take to change a light bulb?
One.  But soon all those around can warm up to its glowing.

— from various online sources.

For more worship resources for Holy Humor Sunday, click on Laughter / Holy Humor Sunday in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.


Easter Call to Worship: Risen!

Here’s a call to worship for Easter Sunday morning.  It was written by Ann Siddall.

Call to Worship for Easter Sunday

Think of a moment when someone
that you least expected to see
suddenly stands before you.

A moment when something you’d lost
is found again and you
can scarcely believe your eyes.

Think of a moment when your fear
was suddenly proved unfounded
and you were surprised by joy.

This morning is such a moment.
We resign ourselves to the worst,
and suddenly life turns around.

So come this Easter morning,
to be shaken from your conviction
that nothing can change your situation.

Come if you look at the world
and feel overwhelmed by its chaos,
or disillusioned by its promises.

On this morning we remember
how Mary went to anoint a corpse,
and was greeted by a Saviour.

Come to worship prepared
to see your life and the world
through new eyes.

For Christ is risen,
he is risen indeed. Hallelujah!

— written by Ann Siddall, Stillpoint Spirituality Centre and Faith Community.  Posted on the Uniting Church SA website. 

For more worship resources for Easter, click on Easter in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.


Prayer Reflection: John 20: 1-9

Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.  John 20: 8

Alleluia!

The dark tomb lay bare.
He was not there.
John saw and
believed.

He
arose.
Alleluia!

Alive in hearts,
is here with us now.

Jesus,
You conquered your death
and ours.
Take us along with you to your Father
and ours.

Alleluia! Haleliwia! Aleluja! Alleluja! Aleluya
Aingeal ag glaoch!

— written by Anne Osdieck, on St. Louis University’s Center for Liturgy website.  

For more worship resources for Easter, click on Easter in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.

Easter Benediction: John 20

Here’s an Easter benediction based on John 20.  It comes from the Ministry Matters website.

Benediction for Easter
(based on John 20)

We have come from darkness and despair
to hope and joy.
We have been transformed by new life.
Go forth to witness and to testify to the message of hope
we have received this day.
Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia.

—adapted from The Abingdon Worship Annual 2006, © 2005 Abingdon Press. Posted on the Ministry Matters website. 

For more worship resources for Easter, click on Easter in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.


New Hymn: Emmaus Road

Here’s a contemporary hymn based on the Emmaus Road encounter (Mark 16:12-13, Luke 24:13-35).  It was written by Christopher Idle, and posted on The Jubilate Group website.  If your church has a CCLI license, this hymn is free for you to use.  For tune suggestions, see below.

O Lord, whose love designed this day
(based on Mark 16: 12-13; Luke 24: 13-35)

O Lord whose love designed this day,
you walked with us along the road;
so as the daylight fades away
stay with us when we rest our load.

Our stumbling steps were known to you
before we recognised your face;
you loved us long before we knew
your covenant of saving grace.

You spoke your word of truth to us,
bringing us gladness when we grieved;
we found forgiveness at your cross,
and yet how slowly we believed!

But now we see your wounded hands;
you share with us the broken bread:
these are your pledges, your commands,
our living Lord, who once was dead!

So through the darkness, be our light,
O Lord whose love designed this day;
we praise and bless your name tonight
for love that never fades away.

— Copyright © Christopher Idle/Jubilate Hymns Ltd. Posted on The Jubilate Group website. Be sure to visit there for many other excellent worship resources (spoken and sung). 

Tune suggestions:
CANONBURY (“Lord speak to me that I may speak”)
O WALY, WALY (“Though I may speak with bravest fire”)
MARYTON (“O Master, let me walk with thee”) 

If your congregation doesn’t know many traditional hymn tunes, you might try singing the text to one of these contemporary tunes:
“O Lamb of God” (Twila Paris) – first half only
“The Risen Christ” (Phil Madeira/Keith Getty)
“When trials come” (Keith & Kristyn Getty)

If you use this song text in worship, be sure to report it on your CCLI license. 

For more worship resources for Easter, click on Easter in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.