Black Bart
There was a joke I used to tell (maybe even from this pulpit) about the cowboy who rode into town to find it empty except for the saloon’s bartender. “Where is everybody?” he asked. “They all left,” the bartender said. “Black Bart is coming to town.” Just then the ground shook, the doors flew open, and the biggest, meanest looking gun-toting scoundrel stomped in, demanded a beer, chugged it down, and started to leave. The cowboy said, “What’s your hurry?” “Gotta go,” he
Look Who's Doubting Now
If the gospel is really “good news” then sometimes I think the church should publish newspapers with big banner headlines. Today’s newspaper, if you were to pick it up at the door of the church on your way in, would have 100 pt. above-the-fold headlines announcing: “Thomas Vindicated.” Thomas vindicated. You remember Thomas from last week’s gospel. He’s the one who “doubted.” He’s the one who said, “Unless I see the mark of the nails and put my hand in the wound on his
April Fool
Today is April 1st, so …April fool! The ending to the Easter story you were expecting wasn’t read this morning. After the women found the tomb empty and after the angel told them Jesus had risen from the dead, you were expecting the women to rush forth and tell everyone else about it … just like they did in Matthew’s gospel, or Luke’s, or John’s. But Mark doesn’t tell the story that way. In Mark’s gospel, after the angel explicitly tells the women to go and announce the r