Bring Humor to Sunday Liturgy

The Holy Humour Sunday Liturgy is found in the Iona Abbey book called” Fire and Bread Resources for Easter Day to Trinity Sunday” by Ruth Burgess.

It is a great liturgy that helps people to laugh and to think of God as someone who is amused, who laughs and who wants us to laugh.

Instead of a sermon I always tell a series of good, clean jokes.  Sometimes I get people to help me take turns telling the jokes.

When Joanna Miller and I did this liturgy in chapel at seminary we decorated the seminary with yellow, happy face balloons, streamers and other party decorations.  We gave everyone a Hawaiian lay to put on as they entered the chapel.

A great time to do this liturgy is after Lent and Easter.  It is light hearted and gives everyone a boost after all the work they have gone through in Lent and Easter.

This is a great joke to tell before the offering:

There is the story of a preacher who got up one Sunday and announced to his congregation:  “I have good news and bad news.  The good news is we have enough money to pay for our new building program.  The bad news is it’s still out there in your pockets.”

And of course there is the one about when a Sunday school teacher asked the children just before she dismissed them to go to church, “And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?”

Annie replied, “Because people are sleeping.”

Glenda Morrissette