RoboPreacher

i could kiss them / but the bravest make mistakes A sermon on the 3rd act of Joseph's 7 act drama: If you listen carefully , you’ll notice two stories taking place in today’s single passage of Scripture. On the one hand, there’s a tawdry passage fit for the steamiest moments of daytime television. And on the other hand, there’s the passage that soars with the wondrous work of God .   These two stories, though , of course , are one and the same . Let me tell you one of them. And as I do, chart the rise and fall of the protagonist. In this telling, Joseph has the hand of God on him.   It begins with good ol’ Joe landing a new job. And from the word go , he’s got that golden touch. Everything he puts his hand to succeeds . As such, he’s quickly promoted .   What’s more, all that success starts attracting attention . Eventually, Joseph gains the eye of his boss’ spouse . And she’s so taken with him that she puts in a word for Joseph.   This word does the trick, too. It lands J

& when the tide comes in / just let them bleed  / & wash it out, wash it out A sermon on the (not-so) strange account of Noah's ark : Boy, this is a strange passage. Isn’t it?   However , has there ever been a time when THIS wild passage seemed so darned , I don’t know, ordinary ? What I mean is, haven’t these last few years of Covid brought this passage a little too close for comfort? Hasn’t it? After all, who hasn’t felt overwhelmed by the torrent of this rotten pandemic? Who hasn’t felt as if you were drowning in all the information, misinformation, procedures, and protests of this miserable virus? And who among us hasn’t felt flooded with grief, anger, confusion, fatigue, and fear as we tried to navigate these choppy waters of life in the time Covid ? All of us, I bet.   No, if ever there was a time this passage made sense, it’s now . Unfortunately , today’s passage rings with an uncomfortable truth these days. Doesn’t it? … But the unwelcome TRUTH is,

he says, "amen & alleluia" A sermon on the ending to Galatian's that's full of new beginnings Here, as Saint Paul concludes his epistle, he finally, and explicitly , names the crux of the issue. In the end , it’s not a matter of this tradition or that. Why it’s not even a matter of flouting this convention or that! Ultimately , ALL that’s beside the point! And altogether , too!   All this talk of having to do this or that OR even not having to do that or this, it’s ALL a bunch of nothing NOW! The only thing that matters anymore , states Saint Paul, is new creation! New creation. At the end of this deeply passionate and thoroughly considered letter on the true nature of the real Gospel , Saint Paul concludes with his eyes straining past the horizon, his finger reaching beyond this thin veil, and two simple words dripping from his lips, “ new creation.” Two simple words. New creation. “ Kai - ne ktis-is,” in Greek . Rendered emphatically by Saint Paul. His