The Late Show with Pastor Will!

Several years ago, David Letterman was hired to host the Oscar awards and it didn’t go well.  Actually, on an empirical level he wasn’t any more or less funny on the Oscars as he is every night.  The real problem was that on his own show his audience has a relationship with Dave and his sense of humor.  It’s the kind of relationship that comes with loyal viewership.  In other words, Dave’s audience “gets” his humor; they know what to expect, and they are tuned into his delivery and style.  The Oscar audience was not Dave’s audience and it was obvious – there were times Dave and the audience just didn’t connect.

Now that I’ve been in this parish for a year, you could probably accurately compare my first Sunday there with “Dave at the Oscars,” and Sundays now with “Dave on his own show.”  Not that I’m anywhere near that funny,  but the congregation and I get each other now.   They’ve figured out what to make of my style, my humor and my laid-back demeanor.  I know what they will find humorous, what they might find offensive, how far I can push the envelope, and we even have a few running jokes.

Now if only I were a Baptist or a D.o.C. we could play “Will It Float?” in the baptismal.