RoboPreacher

and all for free by mayoral decree Sermon from the Gospel of John   on the 1st Article of the Apostles' Creed Today we begin our series through the Creed. And with the opening words of the Creed, the Church places a premium on belief of all things. “I believe ,” goes the opening salvo . And I chose that word, salvo, intentionally. A salvo, as you may know, is a military term. It’s a tactic. A way to coordinate the artillery fire to maximize impact and cut off opportunities for return fire. Because the truth is, we have an aversion to the Creed. A deep -seated resistance to it! One that goes all the way back to Eden . What was it the serpent dangled before Eve and Adam that got them in trouble at the Garden? And I’m not talking about the fruit. I’m talking about what the fruit represented . What did the serpent tell Eve and Adam they’d gain by eating the fruit?   …That’s right! The serpent said they would be like God . The biggest problem we have with the Creed, you s...

in the night with a sigh A sermon on the conclusion to the book of Job : The book of Job is full of surprises . But none of them bigger than this last one. And no , I don’t mean the way Job gets everything back , and in spades ! And no , I don’t mean the way Job finally quits arguing with his friends and just prays for them. And no , I don’t mean the way Job gives up making preemptive sacrifices for his children and instead gives them all a share of the estate . Including his daughters , an unheard -of act at the time! No, for as shocking as all that is, and it is shocking, none of it holds a candle to the throwaway line God makes when letting Job’s friends know they’ve tested the limits of divine patience. “…for you have not spoken of me what is right , as my servant Job has,” says God.   Job? Job spoke rightly of God?!? Job?!? Are you kidding ?!? Job said some pretty controversial things. Including accusing God of being nothing more than a tyrannically moral anarchist ...

who will arrange my great escape A sermon Job's final response to God's speeches : I have a confession to make: I have a favorite person to pastor. I know! Pastors shouldn’t have favorites. But I can’t help it! I do. Here’s the silver lining, though, it’s not a particular person who’s my favorite. It’s a particular type of person. And the bright shining sun behind the silver lining is that any of us can be this type of person. In fact, if we’re honest, we all are this type of person.   And who , exactly, am I talking about? Well, they’re the ones who stagger through the church door, looking a little haggard and yet strangely exhilarated . They’re the ones who come to church after a whirlwind of a week, gasping, “you’ll never believe what happened to me !” …Before COVID, I naively said that church works best when there’s a sense of desperation . Well, I got more than I asked for, didn’t I? I doubt  I’m the the only one who was a little more desperate this past y...

& watch the sun sink like a stone A sermon on God's reply to Job : At last, God speaks up! After 36  tortured chapters of Job pleading for a hearing from God, his petition is finally granted. And God’s rejoinder here is rightly considered the climax of the book. God’s fiery speech is as compelling as it is captivating. Like Job, it leaves us rapt . The trouble , though, is once the spell of God’s speech wears off , you find yourself in as much of, if not more of, a bind than before God spoke up! God’s speech covers literally everything under the sun and more, too! Everything that is, except Job and his claim. God’s retort never once addresses Job’s complaint or even the cause of his suffering! As far as God is interested, it would appear, Job’s concerns about law and order are totally beside the point! In fact, God seems to takes a special kind of delight in all those things that elude Job’s grasp! The cumulative effect of this speech is to cow Job, as I suspect it does...