At first, I wasn’t sure whether to put this under preaching, or maybe worship, since that’s the ostensible subject matter, or humor. But of course it is about humor, both 1) the effective use of humor to make fun of ourselves and our world and invite us thereby to imagine different possibilities and 2) what can go happen when the joke goes awry. Sometimes humor fails because it’s not done well – a poorly told joke or ill-timed punch line. Sometimes it fails because the hearer doesn’t have enough context to make sense of it – the “you had to be there” humorous stories usually fall into this category. And sometimes it fails...

‘Tis the season of high school and collegiate football matches. (Indeed, my loyalties will be tested sorely this weekend as the Nittany Lions of Penn State venture to chilly Minneapolis to take on the Golden Gophers of the University of Minnesota.) And along with the contest on the gridiron is another festivity not to be missed: the half-time show countless marching bands put on each Saturday afternoon. The Unionville-Chadds Ford School where my children now attend has an awesome marching band, and it’s been fun throughout the late summer and fall to hear them practice from outside our home just a mile away and to see them whenever...