In one of my preaching classes, a teacher said it was important to give members of the congregation a little bit of a chuckle in every sermon. It was a lesson I took to heart, and I continue to be mindful of creating opportunity to laugh on Sundays. Some of you will remember that on my first Sunday at TUUC, I declared that while I was minister, we would do three things: Laugh, Be Fantastic, and Dance. On that day we put “Happy” by Pharrell on and everyone danced.

I continue to believe that each of these is essential to not only life in a congregation, but also to each of us as people. I am writing to you from an annual gathering with my ministerial colleagues, and one of the best things that we do together is LAUGH. We tell jokes. We tell on ourselves. I’m not sure how we do it but I always come home with my sides recovering from the deep guffaws that have caused me to double over.

What makes you laugh? Do you have a favorite joke? Send them to me and we’ll share them. Send me a video and we’ll play it on Sunday morning. Small children are especially invited to tell a joke while their parent films it.

The numbers of cases in Pierce County remain in the medium category on CovidActNow.org. We’ll continue with our multiplatform worship! You’re welcome to come to in-person worship by registering, and our Zoom webinar worship is always available on Sundays. Remember that the Rev. Matt Aspin will be delivering the sermon. I’ll be back in the pulpit on Sunday, April 24^th. I look forward to seeing some of you then!