RoboPreacher

what a spell we're all pinned under A reading from 1 Kings; chapter 12, verses 1-17 and 25-29 : A central tenet of the reformation is “ simul justus et peccator .” That’s latin for, “ simultaneously saint and sinner.”   What this nifty little phrase means is that to be a human is to be both a sinners and a saint! At the same time. All of the time! That rings true to life. Doesn’t it? I know it does for me . And not in some theoretical way, either. But in a real life kind of way. Daily I experience the tug of war of being caught between sinner and saint. Of wanting to do the right thing, and failing to. And, of experiencing the disorienting encounter of having done the right thing, but NOT when I were trying to! …We are, if nothing else, a confusing mixture of good and evil… And this description is one you can see playing itself out over and over again.   Not least of all, in scripture … Today’s scripture begins with King Rehoboam

leaving was the easy part A reading from the 16th chapter of the book of Exodus O, I know I’m not the only one!   I know I’m not the only one here thinking it it feel like we’ve been wandering in the wilderness . And for MORE than forty years, too! And the truth is, we probably have .   It’s probably been more than 40 years since the landscape in America shifted. Hasn’t it? But, all the while, we’ve been burying our heads in the sand. Trying to carry the way were .   O Lord, I know I’m not the only one. I know I’m not the only one who feels like we’ve been wandering in the wilderness for more than forty years. These are hard . They’re hard to hear, but they’re also hard to preach.   And, if I’m being honest, I’ve felt called to preach a sermon like a time or two, but I’ve shirked back.   This is hard for all of us. And if you’re not so sure, let’s do an experiment: who’s anxious about this unification stuff ? Raise you hand if you