05/09/02

A preacher went to his church office on Monday morning and discovered
a dead mule (jackass to the knowing) in the church yard. He called the
police. Since there did not appear to be any foul play, the police
referred the preacher to the health department. They said since there
was no health threat that he should call the sanitation department.
The sanitation manager said he could not pick up the mule without
authorization from the mayor. Now, the preacher knew the mayor, and was
not to eager to call him. The mayor had a bad temper and was generally
hard to deal with, but the preacher called him anyway. The mayor did
not disappoint. He immediately began to rant and rave at the pastor and
finally said, "Why did you call me anyway? Isn't it your job to bury
the dead?" The preacher paused for a brief prayer and asked the Lord to
direct his response. He was led to say, "Yes, Mayor, it is my job to
bury the dead, but I always like to notify the next of kin first!"