Ho-Ho-Ho-Hosanna

Ho- ho- ho- hosanna!
Ha- ha- hallelujah!
He- he- he- he saved me,
and I’ve got the joy of the Lord!

Today’s Selah Saturday song is a fun one that I’m sure will get stuck in your head for a while. It may even bring you back to your Sunday school days! Yes, it’s a children’s song, but that doesn’t mean it’s only intended for children. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how sometimes we adults tend to take life too seriously (unlike children) and that can cause us to miss out on the simple things in life that bring us joy.

This week at CPC we will be celebrating Holy Humor Sunday. Holy Humor Sunday, also known as Bright Sunday, is an old church tradition of Christians celebrating the Resurrection of Christ throughout all of Bright Week by filling the days with joy and laughter. Bright Week (also called Pascha Week or Renewal Week) is the seven-day period between Easter Sunday and the following Sunday, so you may hear Holy Humor Sunday referred to as Bright Sunday.

While doing some research on Holy Humor Sunday, I found that early church theologians believed that when God rose Jesus from the dead, he was playing a practical joke on the devil. I can imagine it now…Satan laughing, believing he has won and defeated the Son of God. But then here comes Jesus, rising from the dead, conquering sin and death and shouting, “April Fools, Satan!”

Do you think God has a sense of humor? I think he does! Look at creation, for example. Take a minute to Google animals like the blobfish, the potoo bird, and the tardigrade (also known as water bears). No offense to them or anything, but they are pretty funny looking. But God created them! Speaking about animals, there is the story of Balaam’s donkey (Numbers 22) in which the donkey talked! I don’t know about you, but I just find the idea of a talking donkey to be hilarious. And we can find plenty more examples of where humor is used in the Bible.
But more importantly, you know what else God created? US! And we are a funny people. I think that God is humorous because we are humorous. Humor is not a bad thing, it is a very good thing. A good sense of humor gives joy, laughter, and happiness to others. And if we are created in the image of God, wouldn’t it only make sense that God has a sense of humor too?

After a long series on suffering, it is time to talk about something more fun and upbeat, in my opinion. Last week we celebrated Easter, when the greatest suffering in human history was followed by the greatest joy—Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Because of this we always have reason to celebrate and be joyful, even in our affliction.

In response to the joy that God has given us from his salvation, I want you to play today’s Selah Saturday song out loud without hesitation. Don’t be embarrassed to revert back to your childhood for a moment. Dance like no one’s watching and sing like no one’s listening! Allow the Holy Spirit to fill you with joy 😊 In the words of David…

I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.
2 Samuel 6:22

Sing along here!