RoboPreacher

use it tonight The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the 3rd chapter ! Poor Nicodemus.   So little to show for all his efforts that night he went to meet Jesus… But really, I think the reason we have sympathy for Nicodemus is because the truth is, we’re a lot more like Nicodemus than we care to admit… After all, Nicodemus was the kind of guy who, like you this morning, would show up to church on a crummy January day… And there’s more we have in common with old Nicodemus.   First, Nicodemus was a leader . In other words, he had managed to climb up the ladder a little. BUT, good Nicodemus didn’t let it go to his head. In fact, he comes across as altogether sincere . Humble even, as he meets Jesus. BecauseNicodemus lives by the very virtues we’ve been reared on! And secondly, we can’t help but admire Nicodemus for his work-ethic. Nicodemus shows up to meet Jesus by night . In other words, after the nine-to-five! Because Nicodemus isn’t afr...

reaching out to you The Holy Gospel according to St. John the second chapter ! It’s a terrible thing to be consumed by something, isn’t it? … Sure , at times, letting the passions have free-reign can serve us.   Usually, though, it isn’t long before whatever impulse we’ve given carte blanche to, turns on us. Consumes us… And it’s a terrible thing to be consumed by something, isn’t it? …That’s how it was for me this week. Like the rest of the schmucks of the world, I had my annual evaluation… And let me tell you… …Well truthfully I can’t remember much of it.   But , you know as well as I do, what I DO remember.   The suggestions for improvement . “What??? Me?!?” I wondered. I need improving? I thought that part of the evaluation was just a formality for the likes of me …   * Please feel free to laugh * Now after the eval I was asked if I had anything I wanted to say, or even, thoughtfully, if I was offended.   B...

if i could I would no longer be barren The Holy Gospel according to St. John ! January is a hard month, isn’t it? So, if you’re having a rough go of it. If everyone at work seems to be at each other’s throats. If getting through the day is a slough come noon; know you’re not alone. January is hard because there’s the hangover from the holidays. The miserable whether. And probably worst of all, no end in sight… January is a month even the best of us feel a little run ragged, a little empty … Kind of like those stone jars at the reception of the wedding in Cana… After three days of partying, all that was left was the letdown. The wine gave out… Jesus’ mom, who this isn’t her first rodeo, sees the disaster coming.   * And isn’t that how it always goes ? The more experience you accumulate, the sooner you see the disappointment coming . Well, anyway, before the disaster can make a muck of everything, Jesus’ mom intervenes and engineers a soluti...

the more i want to The Holy Gospel according to St. John the first chapter ! There’s an episode of Seinfeld, where George is at a meeting. And as his character is want to do, he’s obliviously eating an conspicuous amount of shrimp that’s been set out. One coworker though, notices; and calls George out in front of everyone.   “Hey George,” he says. “The ocean called. They’re running out of shrimp.” And everyone has a good laugh at poor George’s expense…   In the next scene, George is driving home, fuming about what happened. But then, it dawns on him! He thinks he’s comes up with what he should have said. He blurts out, to no one but himself, “why didn’t I say that .”   Why did I say that… …And I suspect we’ve all had similar experiences. Later on, when we look back on some situation; we wonder why we didn’t say something else. …Do you think Andrew and the other disciple ever felt that way? When they looked back . After they saw just...