Well, by the time you read this article it will be on or near April 1st. And if you've grown up in the South like I have, then you know that April 1st is otherwise known as "April Fools' Day". I'm fairly sure many of you have participated in an April Fools' Day joke or prank at least once in your lifetime. Telling jokes, pranking someone and/or getting pranked is part of the trickery and fun of the day (just make sure the person pranked has a good sense of humor!). So, how did April Foos' Day begin and what is it all about? Well, History.com defines April Fools' Day thusly: "April Fools’ Day—occurring on April 1 each year—has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, though its exact origins remain a mystery. April Fools' Day traditions include playing hoaxes or practical jokes on others, often yelling 'April Fools!' at the end to clue in the subject of the April Fools' Day prank. While its exact history is shrouded in mystery, the embrace of April Fools' Day jokes by the media and major brands has ensured the unofficial holiday’s long life." I believe that the best news of this day is the laughter and the joy that ensues from realizing what was once believed as truth turns out to simply be a joke. When the joke is up, people are relieved, at ease, and (mostly!) full of smiles. But what happens when a joke is told on a cosmic level--what then?
Before I address that question, I want us to think about April Fools' Day from a theological perspective. You might be thinking, "Pastor, can a person really think theologically about April Fools' Day?" And my answer to that would be a bonafide "Yes indeed'! You see, we are now in the 50-day Christian season of Easter, the time of year when Jesus' resurrection power calls the Church to hope, to joy, and to new life. In other words, we are in a season when we realize that, due to Jesus defeating sin and death on Calvary's tree, all things are possible. Now that the tomb is empty, we live in the confident expectation that new life is available to all and that the power of God's Holy Spirit lives within us. No longer do we have to weep or worry! God won the victory through Jesus Christ on that first Sunday after his crucifixion, that first Easter Sunday! What is so great about Easter is that it is truly the best "April Fools" joke ever. Let's face it--on Good Friday, Satan and his minions thought that Jesus was defeated, conquered and gone for good; the Enemy felt as though he'd wiped his hands clean of God's Son and was free to infiltrate the world with darkness. But, what the Devil didn't realize was that on Easter Sunday morning, the joke was DEFINITELY on him! The tomb was empty, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and 500 others before he ascended into heaven on Ascension Day. In fact, Willam Bausch tells this good-news-story this way:
In Storytelling: Imagination and Faith, William J. Bausch shares: "In the Greek Orthodox tradition, the day after Easter was devoted to telling jokes...They felt they were imitating the cosmic joke that God pulled on Satan in the Resurrection. Satan thought he had won, and was smug in his victory, smiling to himself, having the last word. So he thought. Then God raised Jesus from the dead, and life and salvation became the last words."
Can there be any greater "April Fools' Day" prank than this? Did God get the last word or what? Isn't it amazing to know that Satan's wisdom was no match for the foolishness of the cross (1 Cor. 1)? And so, dear friends, it's here where I want to tell you that you and I, all the Church, must consider ourselves "April Fools" for Christ! We are the ones who trust in the foolishness of Christ over the wisdom of the world! We're the ones who get the satisfaction of celebrating the cosmic joke that God pulled over on Satan on Easter morning. We are God's April Fools, and we must celebrate this title as one of grace and humility. But, even though the joke is on Satan, we still must fight daily battles using God's Word and we must be on guard for the lies of the Enemy. In fact, Paul himself told the Corinthians that he and his fellow comrades in the ministry were fools for Christ, simply because they exposed themselves to unworldly suffering out of love for the Savior: "Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you! For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment" (1 Cor. 4:8-13, NIV).
Easter is here. That means that we can live our lives as April Fools for Christ. Sin is knocked out. Death is eliminated. What else is there to fear? In fact, thanks to Easter, we can embody the truth of 1 John 4:18: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." The blessing is that the Kingdom of God is vibrant, alive and well thanks to the work of Christ in and through his body: the Church! Therefore, as Jesus' disciples, we must attach ourselves to our Teacher and share the life-changing message of a God who played the ultimate universal joke on Satan, the defeated Enemy of Christ Jesus our Lord! We are fools for Christ and we live out the wisdom of God in the ways we celebrate the joy of God's resurrected life in us. To this end, may the Easter season cause us to consider the implications of Christ's victory over death. Since Jesus defeated Satan on the cross, how must we decide to start each day? What must our attitudes be? How are we to manage our possessions? Who must we serve in loving action when called upon? Who needs the joy of the empty tomb today, and how can we ensure lonely people know that desolation and despair have no power over the Christ-follower? Who in your life needs kindness at this very moment?
Jesus told Mary, "Get up, go, and tell my brothers that I'm alive." As April Fools for Christ, let us live like fools to the world but as the wisdom of God to contemporary culture. After all, the best prank of all time was played on the Devil; tell others that the joke is on Satan! Laugh at the days to come (Prov. 31:25)! Smile in the face of struggle and setback knowing that Easter means life everlasting! We are the winners, and we can laugh at the Enemy because we have "victory in Jesus, our Savior forever"! This means that we can go all out serving Jesus through mission, study, giving generously and discipling others in Christ. At UBC, our goal is to live as Easter people, not merely coast along from day to day and week to week. Why? Well, we've got work to do! There are lives to be renewed, restored and refreshed with the Easter power of Christ's resurrection and the message of spiritual deliverance!
So...who's fired up to live as April Fools alongside me (because the joke's on Satan)? Remember--the tomb is empty, God's won the victory in Jesus and that you and I, and all those who are saved by grace through faith, are fools for Christ are the true champions...forever!
Pastor Will
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