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The Last Laugh

No one is exactly sure where or when it started. Some say Bavaria, some say it began in the middle ages, but this kind of thing seems to have gone on throughout the Church age, East and West, from time to time.

I’m talking about Risus Paschalis, a Latin phrase that means literally, “the Laughter of Pascha” or “Easter Laughter.” Risus Paschalis is the custom of celebrating, through jokes and joviality, the days and weeks which follow the Resurrection.

As I say, the precise origin is uncertain, but we do know that at certain times in Christian history, priests have been so bold as to tell jokes from the pulpit, and monks have gathered in the cloister— not for the usual austerities, but for a chance to outdo one another with hilarious tales. There is also the custom of parishioners returning to the church on Easter afternoon (or in the East, the next day, Bright Monday) for laughter: a time to engage in jocularity, clowning around, and then, of course, the accompanying festivities of dancing and feasting.

“Why?” you may be wondering. Well, it has to do with the way in which early Church Fathers described the Easter event. It was a joke, they say! It was, in fact, the greatest joke of all. For in the Resurrection, God had the Last Laugh over the devil and his cohorts: sin, death, and hell. That is, although Satan and his forces thought they had triumphed by killing Jesus, they were divinely outwitted on Easter morn. God turned the tables, showing that his was a love that could never die, and Jesus burst from the tomb with a final, cosmic Laugh! In The Theology of Joy, theologian Jurgen Moltmann writes, “Easter laughter is rooted in the wholly unexpected and totally surprising ‘reversal of all things.’...The expectation was for cosmic death, but what comes is eternal life.”

What does God’s greatest Joke mean for us? Among other things, it means we can lighten up! The time of sorrow is over. Lent’s forty days of fasting have given way to the Fifty Days of Easter feasting. Our sins are forgiven! Our foes are defeated! Christ is risen, and he has brought us up with him!

It is in this spirit of Risus Paschalis that I offer you the following bulletin misprints. Some are cute, some are corny—apparently all are bona fide typographical errors (from other church bulletins). In any case, I hope one or two bring an Easter smile to your face.

Yours in the Risen Christ,

Church Bulletin Bloopers

• Don’t let worry kill you—let the church help.
• Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our church and community.
• For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
• The rosebud on the altar this morning is to announce the birth of David Belzer, the sin of Rev. and Mrs. Julius Belzer.
• This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs. Lewis to come forward and lay an egg on the altar.
• Thursday—Potluck supper. Prayer and medication to follow.
• At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be “What is Hell?” Come early and listen to our choir practice.
• The Rev. Adams spoke briefly, much to the delight of his audience.
• The outreach committee has enlisted 25 visitors to make calls on people who are not afflicted with any church.
• Low Self-Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 to 8:30 p.m. Please use the back door.
• The third verse of Blessed Assurance will be sung without musical accomplishment.
• Stewardship Offertory: “Jesus Paid It All”
• Pastor is on vacation. Massages can be given to church secretary.
• The cost for attending the National Prayer and Fasting Conference includes meals.