Here’s
a thoughtful pastoral prayer/prayer of thanksgiving for Holy Humor Sunday from
April Fiet. Holy Humor Sunday is often celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter.
Pastoral Prayer for Holy Humour Sunday
O
Lord, giver of joy and laughter,
we thank you for giving us these gifts.
For
the moments of laughter and unbridled joy you give to us:
for opportunities to laugh at ourselves,
for the belly laughs of children,
for friends and family who love us because of
our quirks,
and not just in spite of them,
for artists who give us the opportunity to
see the world
through the surreal,
for the courage to smile even when
difficulties arise,
for those who have hope
even when others
think there is no hope,
for saints in the Lord who overflow with
laughter
and spread your joy to all of us.
For
the words of Jesus that defy our logical minds;
for teaching us that we can be born again,
for the woman who finds a lost coin
and calls
her friends and neighbors to celebrate,
for the absurdity of a camel trying to fit
through the eye of a needle,
for the father of the Prodigal Son
who is
willing to look like a fool as he runs to greet his son,
for the generosity of the landowner
who will
pay workers a whole day’s wage
when they only
worked one hour,
for tiny bits of faith that can move entire
mountains,
for the reality that nothing can live unless
it first dies.
For
the great reversal of the Gospel:
that the last shall be made first,
that the rejected stone became the
cornerstone,
that those who wish to become great must
serve,
that the lost will be found,
that the small will become great,
that though you are Wisdom, you choose to
forget our sins,
that when we are weak, your strength shines
through us.
O
Lord, giver of joy and laughter,
we thank you for giving us these
gifts.
Thank
you for the gift you give us
that allows us to enjoy these things
to the full.
We
can laugh because of the most amazing thing of all –
that you
conquered death,
that the tomb is empty,
that light shone so
bright that it overcame the darkness.
Thank
you, thank you, thank you!
Amen.
~
written by April Fiet, and posted on At
the Table with April Fiet. http://aprilfiet.com/my-thoughts/laughing-church-holy-humor-sunday-resources
