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The Laughing Way
4.3.16
Holy Humor Sunday: Year C
Suzanne Adele Schmidt, Ph.D., M.Div.
Trinity UCC, Manchester, MD
Text: John 20: 19-31
Let’s reflect on today’s Gospel story using a method known as Mad Libs.
What is Mad Libs?
Mad Libs is a word game where one player prompts others for a list of words to substitute for blanks
in a story, before reading the – often comical or nonsensical – story aloud.
So here is how this works…
The congregation will be asked for a part of speech [PPT] and just say (loudly) what first comes to
mind. I’ll keep track of the words and add them to the story. After all the blanks are filled, we’ll listen to
the story of Thomas together with the words you’ve suggested. Here’s a quick review of the kind of
words we’ll be needing…
Part of speech
Meaning
Noun
Person, place or thing
Verb
Action word
Adjective
Description word
Adverb
Take an adjective and stick "ly"
on the end
Examples
George Washington
downtown
spinach
run
jump
large
green
quickly
happily
Attribution for Mad Libs Story: Rev. Leah Robberts-Mosser, Community UCC, Champaign, IL
Every year on the Sunday after Easter, we hear the story of Doubting Thomas.
He’s always called Doubting Thomas—never __________________(adjective)
Thomas or ___ ________(adjective) Thomas or even _____ _______(adjective)
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Tom.
All the disciples are together in the upper room, except Thomas, who is off
__
_(action verb ending in ing)
Jesus appears to the disciples, and they believe, and they are filled with joy. When
Thomas returns from _
experience.
__(verb—ing), the disciples tell him about this amazing
But Thomas doesn’t believe them. I mean really, would you? A man come back
from the dead. It’s as preposterous as a _
through______________________(noun)
___(noun)__
(action verb ending in —ing)
Thomas’ reaction is reasonable. The disciples’ story was unbelievable. But what must have been the
most shocking to Thomas was the change in the disciples’ mood. When Thomas left them, the
disciples were all grieving and shocked and heartbroken.
When he returned, Thomas was still grieving, but the disciples were suddenly as happy as a _
_(animal) in a ____________________(noun). Thomas must have thought it was some kind of cruel
joke.
When we tell this story today, we tend to imagine Doubting Thomas as a stern figure, like those old
portraits of
________________________(stern and serious historical figure).
If someone told us that Jesus was raised from the dead, we may have said,
“You’ve gotta be pulling my ________________(body part).”
We may have laughed too. Ha! That scoffing, cynical, bitter kind of laughter.
You know the kind of laughter I’m talking about—it’s not joyous. It’s defensive laughter—the kind that
protects us from the things that could really hurt, a laughing it off, a too-cool smug laughter, a can’tfool-me laughter.
But Thomas comes to know that God’s love triumphs over all. Thomas knows that he is loved, in spite
of his doubts.
It doesn’t matter if a __
__(noun = person) starts __
viewed as sinful-ending in -ing), God will still love them and forgive them.
__(verb which may be
Let us like Thomas, even with lingering doubts, believe in the resurrection, and experience deep and
abiding joy. Believe in the resurrection, and join in the laughter.
Laugh _
__(adverb ending ly),
laugh _
_(adverb ending in ly),
laugh _
_(adverb ending in ly), and laugh abundantly.
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Mad Libs aside…
We Christians can be a serious bunch. We can be full of rules and can act pretty
certain about who’s going to heaven and who isn’t.
Is it any wonder that Dana Carvey’s impression of The Church Lady on Saturday
Night Life was so laughable and sometimes too close to home?
It’s sort of humorous about the impressions others have of Christians, what we
should look like and how we should behave. On afternoon during my intern
chaplaincy, I popped into the hospital gift shop. There were two older men there,
brothers whose father was dying. I mentioned that
they could request a chaplain if they wanted
spiritual support and that I was on call that
evening. They said, “You don’t look like a chaplain.” Curious, I
replied, “What does a chaplain look like?” The brothers said, “Well,
very somber and serious. Not shiny like you. What kind of a
chaplain are you?” I replied, “The kind that believes in the joy of the
resurrection.”
We should be people of The Laughing Way. Doubters who in spite of our disbelief, should celebrate
the promise of baptism and the hope of the resurrection.
Many Christians, clergy and lay, saints and sinners, long time members or newly converted struggle
with doubts. Many of us don’t like to admit we have doubts. Many of us prefer to confess to sinning
before we admit to doubting. But if we are totally honest, we all have doubts.
We like to let Doubting Thomas be the scapegoat for disbelief. It’s easy to say, “Thomas doubts but
not those other disciples, and for sure not me.” Seminary president, David Lose in his Working
Preacher blog puts all this in perspective. He writes:
When you read through the resurrection accounts of all four gospels,
you quickly realize that Thomas is not alone in his doubt. In fact,
doubt isn't the exception but the rule. No one -- even after all the
predictions -- no one says, "Welcome back." Or "We knew it."
Or even "What took you so long?" No. No one anticipates Jesus
return and when he shows up, everyone doubts. Everyone.1
In today’s Gospel reading, we learn that rather than getting the word out that “Jesus is
risen indeed,” the disciples are huddled in the upper room. They all have doubts.
They do not trust the good news told to them by the first witnesses to the resurrection. They are
frightened and have locked themselves in for fear of the Jews and their lives.
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David Lose, Faith and Doubt
http://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=1607
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So there those disciples sit locked in that Upper Room, terrified, ashamed and bewildered. Enter
Jesus who reassures them by offering his peace and his wounds.2 Enter Jesus who offers those
pack of doubters a blessing.
Are we any different than those disciples in the Upper Room? Do we sit in our beautiful sanctuary
afraid and anxious, full of doubt? Wouldn’t it be better until we have less doubt, until we are really
sure and then get out in the world as People of the Joyful, Laughing Way?
In the midst of not knowing all the answers to how God works and exactly how the resurrection
happened, we demonstrate resurrection hope by:
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Feeding the guests at the Cold Weather shelter
Serving the community beyond our walls by partnering with Manchester Elementary School
And within our walls by offering moving worship services…
When we act on the Almighty’s behalf, when we are Christ’s hands, feet, and heart, we are
transformed and Jesus shows up. He shows up in spite of our fears and doubts.
Elisabeth Johnson, seminary professor offers a wonderful reminder about how Jesus appears.
Johnson writes, “he [Jesus] keeps showing up. As he came back a week later for Thomas, Jesus
keeps coming back week after week among his gathered disciples -- in the word, the water, the
bread, and the wine -- not wanting any to miss out on the life and peace he gives. And he keeps
sending us out of our safe, locked rooms, into a world that, like us, so desperately needs his gifts of
life and peace.”3
So let’s rejoice, celebrate the resurrection, knowing that the same One who blessed those doubting
disciples over 2,000 years ago also blesses us. Amen.
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PreacherRhetorica, Recognition and Trust
http://www.preacherrhetorica.com/second-of-easter.html
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Elisabeth Johnson, Commentary on John 20: 19-31
http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1991