Many years ago I was having breakfast at the Seward Cafe. I haven’t been there in years but at the time they often displayed artist’s work around the cafe. The artist whose work was on the walls this morning featured brilliant colors and vivid images, almost psychedelic in nature. On an easel was a poster sized portrait of Jesus….laughing. The bright orange, red, and brown colors brought to life a Jesus we never see. Jesus, obviously having fun, throwing his head back in a moment of uncontrolled laughter.

Since then I have seen artist’s renditions of Jesus in softer poses, speaking to children with a faint smile on his face or in the midst of a crowd with what could at least be described as a pleasant expression. But the Laughing Jesus as I have come to call him continues to stand alone. I am thinking of this picture because tonight it will make its appearance at our annual Shrove Tuesday celebration. We have mounted this poster and suspended it on a banner pole so it leads our procession. Each year after consuming stacks of pancakes, we begin the parade of Mardi Gras-like music and the Laughing Jesus leads the way.

It is unfortunate that we only bring this image out once a year. Why are we so reluctant to think of Jesus having fun, laughing with his friends, playing a joke or telling one? Perhaps if we focused more on this human side of Jesus we would understand him more, feel more in step with the life he led. In the Gnostic Gospels, those texts found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, there are stories of Jesus in lighter moods, playing with friends as a younger child, even doing things "regular" people do and can give us a fuller picture of this Child of God.

Tonight the Laughing Jesus will lead the way into Lent, a journey we take each year to remember and to reconnect with the life and death of Jesus as we make our way to Easter. It is a serious story as much of life is. But even in the midst of the seriousness, I am going to remember the Laughing Jesus who gathered friends for feasts, who welcomed women and other outcasts, held children, comforted and calmed those who were ill and stood strong in the face of danger. This Jesus calls us to wholeness and I want to be a part of the story……….all of it.