Thursday Thoughts – March 26, 2026
By the Rev. Dr. Dennis E. Morey
Pastor, Faith Presbyterian Church, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
April Fool’s Plan
It is believed that April Fool’s Day began in France as the result of King Charles IX using the Gregorian calendar to move New Year’s Day to January 1st instead of the April 1st date used to mark Easter. Anyone who forgot and celebrated April 1st as New Year’s Day was called an April Fool.
Townspeople played practical jokes on them. Because it was such fun, the tradition of playing practical jokes became part of the celebrations of spring, and other nations adopted it as well.
It takes planning to pull off a really good April Fool’s joke. Not only does it have to fit the recipient, but the element of surprise is very important. The person who is set up to be the fool is led to believe something, and then when that person least expects it, BAM, the surprise happens. There is nothing like it when the plan goes well. We delight in pointing out the foolishness of another person, yet when we are pointed out to be the fool, we are inclined to think it is less funny.
There are many in our day who make foolish decisions. They take risks that are greater than the obvious anticipated benefits. Jesus taught that the ultimate fool was the one who followed the wrong plan. We read in Matthew 7:25-27 the words of Jesus: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
We can imagine it was hard work carrying the lumber up the hill and digging a foundation in the rocky soil. However, when the rains came and the flood threatened, his house stood firm.
The foolish man built his house on the sand, where the land was flat and close to the river, which brought the supplies closer to the jobsite. It was much easier carrying lumber and there was hardly any digging at all for the foundation. When the winds blew and the storms came, the house on the sand was obliterated.
The lesson is simple. Those who build their lives upon the teachings of Jesus (the rock) are those who will be able to stand during the challenges of life.
In another story (Luke 12: 16-21), Jesus told of a farmer who had such a big crop that his grain bins were about to burst. He sat down and said, “I will make a plan. I will tear down these storage facilities and I will build bigger and better barns and then I will be able to store every last part of the crop. Then I will be able to take it easy for the rest of my life for I will have it made.” That night the Lord came to the man and said, “You fool, tonight you are going to die. Then who will own all these things you have cherished so much?”
In one story, the fool uses the easy plan in building a house for himself. In the other story, the fool plans to keep all his wealth focused on himself. Both fools are surprised by what God did in their lives.
The Apostle Paul tells us that what appears to be foolishness in the eyes of the human is actually God’s wisest PLAN.
During these next few weeks, millions of Christians will celebrate God’s PLAN of sending Jesus to be the one who would die and come back to life again as the payment for the sins of any who would seek his forgiveness. This was a huge risk, one we may think foolish. What if Jesus died and no one cared? What if the PLAN did not work?
The Apostle Paul writes to the church: “What seemed to be God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and what seems to be God’s weakness is stronger than human strength” (I Corinthians 1:25).
God’s PLAN is not just good, it is the best PLAN, even if it looks foolish to those who would label themselves as “wise.”
We read in Proverbs 1:7: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
