Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This Sunday in the church calendar is historically called "Low Sunday". That is because the liturgy is 'low' in comparison to the 'high' liturgy of Easter Sunday. I think logistically it is known as low Sunday because there is low attendance in comparison to last week's worship swell. In the Scripture accounts for this Sunday, there is a rollercoaster of emotions from Mary Magdalene's time in the Garden with Christ, to the gathering of fearful disciples retreating behind locked doors, as well as the doubts of Thomas.
In contrast to referring to this Sunday as 'Low', some churches in the early centuries of the faith referred to this as "Bright" Sunday, inviting celebrations and picnics to commemorate Christ's resurrection. For some, this evolved into "Holy Humor Sunday". When serving in Greensboro, NC. a clergy friend's church invited parishioners to wear crazy hats and to take noisemakers to use during the service. Co-pastors Amy and Jeff Fiet also share this Easter emphasis with their parish. In their bulletin, they placed this note:
Bulletin, noun
1. something to read during the sermon
2. a fan used in churches without air conditioning
3. your receipt for attending church.
So, if you attend church this Sunday, congratulations! You are a faithful congregant, and you can take home your bulletin as a receipt!
Sharing the Good News with you,
Tempe'