Laughing matters.
There's nothing funny about so much of what's happening. That's probably true more of the time than we know, or attend to, but it's palpable these days.
So...a comedy series? At church? Kicking off on...All Saints Day?
If you're not a stand-up comedy fan, it may seem like bad timing. But this is what comedy's made for — it pokes holes in the bullshit of the powerful and lets all the air out. It looks around with eyes wide open and tells it like it is. It speaks truth in a way that makes you say "I never thought of it that way!" at the same time as "That's so true!" It's revelatory.
It's also, y'know, not to belabor it, funny. And we could use some laughter. Not the brutal, mocking laughter coming from lots of corners these days, but laughter that feels like relief, that's a reminder of what it feels like to feel good. #GoodNewsThatFeelsLikeGoodNews
We've got some excellent comics coming over the next few weeks to take on some of the hardest shit: death, mental health & illness, family, and race. And on November 18th, funny-pants and political bad-asses Myq Kaplan, Alex Kumin, and Shannon Noll are coming to Gilead for a fundraiser after church. Get ready for whatever's waiting for you at the Thanksgiving table with a fat dose of comedy. (You can get tickets here.)
And: if you're looking for a place to grieve and stand in solidarity with others (in response to the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh), head downtown on Thursday at noon. We got word of this interfaith vigil from our friends at Mishkan.
This Sunday, we're kicking off Serious Shit, Funny People and, yes, it is All Saints Day. Masood Haque will be with us and you should (if you want) bring photos of people you love who have died, and we'll fill the room with images of those we often carry with us, unseen.