Posts

Showing posts from July, 2017

this thing could go two ways

Image
won't be another exit for days Final sermon on the book of Revelation, Revelation 21 & 22: So let me ask you a question, “ what’s going to determine your future?” …Sure, plenty of you are well into your retirement, and maybe you think you don’t have to wrestle with questions like that anymore.  But don’t fool yourselves. And just take a lesson from Courtney, or ___________________. They have no illusions, they know they have to wrestle with this question every day… So, “who's going to determine your future?” Recently I finished up this show called “Legion.” It’s a superhero story, from the X-men, I guess. Typically that kind of show would hold little interest for me; but the creator of Fargo was involved with Legion. So I watched it. It’s about this guy, David. And David’s whole life, he’s been told he’s schizophrenic.  See, David thinks he can control things with his mind; and of course that’s crazy. So he meets with doctors, is prescribe

in measured hundredweight and penny pound

Image
when the man comes 'round Sixth Sermon from the book of Revelation: passages from chapters 17 & 19 Today’s scripture isn’t THE End , but it’s pretty darn close.  This is the Final battle. The battle that ushers in The End. The battle where Good and Evil have it out. The battle that determines what The End will look like. And honestly, it doesn’t go down the way we were expecting.  First of all, it’s no actual battling in this battle.  There’s no fighting! Jesus just shows up. The only weapon he wields is his presence, his word. And it’s enough!!! Because secondly, the battle is over before it even begins! Jesus simply arrives, and his mere presence is enough to subdue the enemies of God. This Final Battle does not go the way we would expect. Without any fighting, concluding before it can even begin. Of all the surprises, though, the biggest is something of a detail , so let me read the passage to you: “(Jesus, the Rider of the white horse)

even after death & dirt

Image
let 'em know who said it first Sermon Series on Revelation; Revelation 13 : Today’s scripture is like something straight from a horror movie… Two beasts; one rises from the sea, the other rises from the land. Wreaking havoc in service of the dastardly Dragon. They force all they encounter to worship that Dragon by hook or by crook, they method matters not… It was before the passage of scripture we read that we meet the Dragon these Beasts serve. John tells us he is the ancient serpent who is called Devil and Satan.  After the birth of the Messiah, the Dragon tried to kills the Messiah, but he was snatched away to safety in Heaven, So the Dragon tried to storm Heaven. The Dragon, however, is no match for the arch-angel Michael and his battalion. He’s unceremoniously thrown from Heaven, and lands to earth in a heap. Like a pile of dirty laundry .  Bested, the Dragon unleashes his fury on the inhabitants of earth. His cronies in this chaos are the two Bea

the priest just kind of laughed, the deacon caught a draft

Image
she crashed into the easter mass with her hair done up in broken glass Second Sermon from the Revelation Sermon-Series, Chapters 6 & 7 One of my favorite bands is The Hold Steady. They’re from the New York, rock-revival scene of the early aughts.  Really, it’s not the best scene to be identified with . But, these guys originally hail from the midwest, and they’re Catholic to boot. So they’re a cool amalgamation, midwestern Christians, trying to make a go of it in New York, with rock 'n roll of all things!  And the only way they could pull that off was by knowing a thing or two about what Paul called the scandal of the cross. The one-way street of grace. Their songs are chock-full of characters who aren’t looking for grace, only to end up tripping over it; because God planted it square in the middle of their lives.  One of The Hold Steady’s best albums, is the concept album that broke them through to a larger audience, “Separation Sunday.” It’s a epic,