How many Baptists does it take to change a light bulb? At least 15. One to change the light bulb, three committees to approve it, and someone to bring the fried chicken and potato salad. That whenever we hear a good joke, we cannot keep it to ourselves. Laughter is infectious. Joy needs to be shared.

And there is this old tradition that goes back to the sixth century in the Greek church called Bright Sunday. That on the Sunday following Easter, the church is invited to focus on joy and laughter where there are picnics, dancing, and singing, that it is the Easter laugh. Because God played a big joke on death.

And oftentimes we lose sight of the Joy of God. As William Sloan Coffin writes, “Why are Christians so often so joyless? It is, I think, because too often Christians have only enough religion to make themselves miserable. Guilt they know, but not forgiveness.”

And Peter stands up this morning to declare the good news of Jesus Christ. It’s right after Pentecost. The wind has blown. The people have gathered. Like a good joke that has to be shared. Peter says that Jesus of Nazareth has revealed the steadfast love of God through grace and compassion despite the strain of rejection and the tragedy of crucifixion and ultimately through the surprise of resurrection, that it is the Easter laugh.

And we hear it again in 1 Peter talking about the joy of God and this good news to an early church surrounded by widespread persecution. It was a letter meant to be passed from congregation to congregation and now to ours, reminding us that the love of Christ will not fade or die.

It’s why Ann Weems says we should throw confetti in the sanctuary on Easter morning. The only reference we have to God laughing is Psalm 2. But there is widespread joy throughout the Psalms where mourning is turned into dancing, where God restores the joy of our salvation, where in God’s presence there is the fullness of joy.

And then we don’t have to look very far outside of the Psalms. Where Sarah is laughing when she discovers that she is pregnant. Miriam is singing after the people of God crossed the Red Sea. David is dancing even though Baptists don’t want to admit it. Paul calls us to “rejoice in the Lord always.” Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a wedding banquet. That on this Bright Sunday, we remember how the woman who stayed up all night looking for that one single lost coin, when she finally uncovered it, she went out, invited all the neighbors over, and threw a party. It is the Easter laugh.

And this laughter, of course, is never the cheap laughs at the expense of others. It never demeans. It will not diminish. It is also not the laughter of denial, ignoring the suffering that we find in this world. That whenever we see the hurt or heartache of another, that we acknowledge it, we lament it, we grieve it.

That this joy is more like a surprise party. Where after we leave our favorite hibachi restaurant, our friend says to us, oh, I need to drop something off at a friend’s house. And since we ate so much fried rice and we’re feeling a little sleepy, it doesn’t seem suspicious in the moment. Till we walk into that dark room and the lights quickly come on and people jump out from behind the couch yelling, “Surprise!” We first think it’s for our friend. Until everybody starts wishing us happy birthday. And we can’t believe it. Everyone went to all this trouble for us. We even feel a little foolish that we didn’t see it coming in the first place. But we could not be any happier about being the fool than in that very moment.

That alongside Bright Sunday is another tradition called the holy fool. That a fool never takes himself too seriously. He can even laugh at himself because he knows what it is to take things seriously that truly matter. Think about grandparents sitting down around that tiny little table to have a tea party or dressing up again in full costume alongside their grandchildren walking around saying trick or treat. They don’t mind being silly because they know what truly matters in this life. That we are called to be holy fools.

It’s why St. Francis of Assisi referred to himself as God’s jester. It’s why Paul says the message about the Christ is foolishness. That God has made foolish the wisdom of this world, that we are holy fools. Because we accept that we just might look a little foolish trying to love others in the same way that Christ has loved us.

And there is few things more sacred than joy within the community of faith. That it’s laughing at a committee meeting of all places. It’s a child giggling during baby dedication. It’s the smile on a person’s face when they have first emerged from the waters of baptism. And it is the joy of communion as we say to ourselves, I am included as well. That it is the Easter laugh where we are free to live and love, to serve and play, to forgive and celebrate because of the love of Christ.

Last year, our spring choir celebration, I remember sitting just down front watching our preschool choir walk up to these steps and turn around ready to sing. They were so excited, so proud of what they were about to do. And then, right before their final song, the choir directors handed out instruments, finger cymbals, and a triangle. And I remember those were my favorite songs. You can really make a joyful noise. And you have to be kind of brave or a little foolish to give preschoolers instruments. But we are holy fools.

And as they got their instruments, they stood there with such poise and excitement like racers waiting for the starting gun to go off. They were focused on their choir director waiting for that signal. And then in the middle of their song, the choir director gave the high sign. And they played that triangle and crashed those cymbals with utter conviction. They put their whole body into it. You could see passion and energy. They had this big smile on their face knowing that they were a part of something important. That it was and is conviction of joy. That we are called to be holy fools, leaning into the Love of Christ with that type of conviction, crashing the cymbals and playing the triangle, part of this sacred song, accepting that we might look a little foolish trying to love others in the same way that Christ Loves us as part of that glorious Easter. Amen.