RoboPreacher

our spirits by thine own advent here A sermon on 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Passages like this one can be a little hard to bear… In this excerpt from Paul’s letter to the church he founded in Thessalonica we hear him absolutely gush over these followers. And when you hear that, it’s hard not to reckon with our own shortcoming, the rough edges of our own history as a Christian community… In these five sentences, we hear Paul just rave over these followers. We hear of Paul’s own longing to be reunited with them; we hear how he can’t stop praying for them, thanking God for them.  You hear all this, and it serves to magnify our own failings. You hear Paul write to these followers and it’s hard not to think that if Paul were going to write to us , it wouldn’t be so glowing. More than likely Paul would have more admonitions for us than praise… The occasion for Paul’s effusive letter is his companion, Timothy, has just returned with a report from his visit t...

The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew ! A happy Thanksgiving to you all.  We’re awfully close to the tipping point, right before the holiday-season falls completely into the clutches of the advertising world. After tomorrow, from Black Friday until December 24, each day will be just one more excuse to get you to buy more stuff, accumulate more goods. So how about it? On these last minutes before the season of packed parking lots, another meal with the in-laws and overpriced gadgets; let us pause and just give thanks. That’s what it seems our lessons tonight are all about, right?  Stop your worrying, and give thanks. The prophet Joel tells us not to fear, and instead to be glad and rejoice.  Jesus in the Gospel, invites us to the consider the lilies of the field, how they neither sow nor reap, and yet God provides for them…  So, go on then, stop worrying and be thankful.  That’s the temptation tonight; to take this wonderful ev...

do you ask me to Jesus told them a parable about the need to pray always and not lose heart ~Luke 18:1 While the world is gearing up for a never-ending bender of shopping from Black Friday until the eve of December 24; the church is gearing up for that odd time of the year, Advent . Advent, that season where we do something peculiar; we wait . I don’t want you to be fooled, though, sisters and brothers. Our waiting is not just sitting back and whiling away the hours. No, in Advent we wait vigilantly . Jesus’ word at the end of the Gospel passage appointed for the first week of Advent describes our waiting perfectly:  “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take p...

it takes a lot of rain in the cup The Holy Gospel according to St. John ! Christ the King Saturday/Sunday; the end of the church-year. Before we begin another trip through the expectancy of the the Christ-child, the journey to his cross, the horror of the Holy Week and the exultation of Easter; we stop and observe Christ the King Saturday/Sunday. Truth be told, though; we’re a little uneasy with this day and it’s confession… We have trouble with the central metaphor; king .  For one thing, it’s explicitly masculine . Even more troublesome, though; is the poor example we have from kings. As Martin Luther said, a good king is a rare bird. Most of the kings we know of, are either figure-heads or tyrants; inept or power-hungry. This image of Christ as a king, isn’t exactly helpful… No, this day and it’s confession, Christ as king, makes us uneasy … Honestly, though; our trouble with this day doesn’t just have to do with the ambiguity of the metaphor o...

bring you fruit of the knowledge of your heart The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark the 12th Chapter ! Well; like it or not, it’s stewardship season… And let me guess, you’re in the “ or not ” camp; aren’t you? I know, I know. You already have so many other demands placed on you. There are so many good causes already asking for a part of your time, a part of your funds. Everyone wants a piece of you … I know. It feels like there isn’t any more you can give; and perhaps you’d rather not think about it in the church. Everyone wants a piece of you.  We are an over-burdened people, spread so thin, probably too thin. What with work, raising children, volunteering and everything else, we’re lucky if we can even find the time to get eight solid hours of sleep.  Such are the demands placed upon us. Everyone wants a piece of us… And now, even the church is getting in on the action. The one place you thought you could come and get a little r...

we feebly struggle, they in glory shine A Sermon for All the Saints The Gospel for today’s Festival of All the Saints is  when Jesus raises Lazarus. It’s a relatively familiar story. The Gospel reading is only part of this story, though. The conclusion. In fact, the ending is probably the most familiar part of the story; so let me tell the whole story… In John 11 it’s noted that a certain man was ill, the brother of Mary and Martha. Now at this point the two sisters are well acquainted with Jesus, so they send for him; “Lord, the one who you love is ill,” they report. W hen Jesus gets the message, though; he just says the illness does not lead to death, but rather to God’s glory. So, although Jesus loved Martha, and her sister and Lazarus; after getting the news, Jesus stayed where he was for two more days… After those couple days, Jesus tells the disciples they need to return Judea. To which the disciples protest, of course . “Lord, they just tried to s...