The Anatomy of a Prank

Our pastor (Chris Hawks) and his wife had thier second baby on Thursday. When I was visiting them at the hospital I asked him if there was anything that I could do for them. He replied that I could preach for him on Sunday Morning. I told him that I'd have it covered. I would just let them all watch a movie during the Sunday Morning worship service. I suggested "Homeward Bound II"

He laughed it off. He seemed confident that I wouldn't actually do something like that. I don't like for people to think they know me well enough to assume anything.

So on Sunday morning before I began my message I told the church about my conversation with Chris at the hospital and I simply asked them to tell Chris, if he asked how the service went, that I had showed them the movie Homeward Bound II.

Oh, but I under-estimated the comedic skills of my church...

That afternoon was Chris and Heather's baby shower. I had completely forgotten about it. Chris was there and when he asked how the service went they all began to describe how much they enjoyed seeing Homeward Bound II. Men, women and children alike all played along. From Middle Schooler to Senior Citizen the unified tale of Sunday morning cinema became something completely believable. It was even suggested that we watch "The Little Mermaid" the following Sunday.

Chris called me that evening. He was suprised at the overwhelmingly positive response to the film. He even mentioned that everyone seemed to remember my scripture reference for the morning (some quick-thinking person referenced the passage that I used in the actual sermon). He said that I needed to "go with my strengths." I agreed, and said that "pushing play" was definently one of my strengths. I explained to him that people have different methods of learning and some people just need a more multi-media experience for a message to effectively communicated. Sometimes a talking dog can speak to people in a way that a preacher can't.

Monday night I got a call from Debbie, one of the youth team leaders, and she said her husband had been at the Church and Chris had asked him again about Sunday morning. He continued to play the "Homeward Bound" line.

I'm completely impressed with my church. I think that just about everyone has gotten in on the joke and no one has spilled the beans yet. Apparently, they've managed not to contradict each other and, they've all delivered the story convincingly. It's truly amazing to behold.

Apparently, Chris finally got the truth out of Debbie today. He told her that I had spilled the whole story on this here blog. Very clever Chris.