Published: March 27, 2008 11:23 am            

Pastor with funny bone features Holy Humor Sunday

BEVERLY, Mass. — What do you get when you cross the 1960s and the New Testament?



Peter, Paul and Mary.



Who had the greatest handshake in the Bible?



Herod Agrippa.



Those are just two of the religious one-liners the Rev. Marj Stark says she'll deliver from the pulpit this week at Holy Humor Sunday, a Saturday Night Live-type service in its third year at the two Methodist churches she serves in the Boston area.



"I'm fully in favor of the joyfulness of our Christian faith," said Stark. "A lot of people focus on the sad and somber aspects of Christianity."



Stark began holding Holy Humor Sunday two years ago when she read about it in The Joyful Noiseletter, an online newsletter produced by the Fellowship of Merry Christians. She said the service stems from an ancient Greek tradition of having parties and picnics during the week after Easter to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.



"Churchgoers and pastors played practical jokes on each other, drenched each other with water, told jokes, sang, and danced," according to the newsletter. It's based on the philosophy that in the fight between good and evil, God has the last laugh.



"The greatest joke God ever played on the devil was bringing Jesus back from the dead," said Stark.



She said the first thing she reads in the Sunday paper is the comics, cutting out strips with religious overtones and saving them for her stand-up comedy routine. She also posts them on the church bulletin boards. Friends also send her jokes. So many that she has a separate e-mail address for them.



In addition to her one-liners from the pulpit, Stark hands them out to congregants as they enter the church. Then, during the service, they stand up and read them. Last year, a petite older woman peered over the pulpit to deliver this one:



Who was the shortest person in the Bible?



Bildad the Shuhite.



"She rolled her eyes and everything," said Stark. "It's poking fun at people in a nice way."



Holy Humor Sunday is not without music. The congregation sings hymns like "Deck the Halls With Easter Lilies," using "ha, ha, ha" instead of "fa, la, la" and lines like:



"Devil thought he'd won the battle ...



"Pranced around high in the saddle ...



"Did not know God's special plan ...



"Resurrect the son of man."



Cal Samara of Portisch, Mich., editor of the Noiseletter, said churches in Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey have been holding Holy Humor Sunday services for several years, but the idea has drawn little public attention from the news media.



He said that may be changing with this week's call from The Salem , Mass., News, the paper that serves a city made famous for hanging witches in the 17th century.



"It's very ironic," he laughed. "Some aspects of Christianity have progressed since those days."



Cate Lecuyer is a reporter for the Salem, Mass., News. Contact her at clecuyer@salemnews.com.

        

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