RoboPreacher

each night as i sleep, into my heart you creep A sermon on Saul's so-called conversion Saul didn’t get more religion on that dusty road to Damascus. And he didn’t get new religion, either. No, Saul already had plenty of religion. He had it in spades . And that was the problem. …I hadn’t been a pastor long when I got one of those calls . The kind that comes out of the blue . The kind that isn’t made by a parishioner. The kind that comes from someone so far at the end of their rope, they’re willing to talk to someone they don’t even know about their personal life.   These kinds of calls are not unheard of. They come in occasionally. Although, not as frequently as one might hope.   Unsure exactly what I was getting myself into, I made arrangements to meet with the individual later that week. He didn’t want to meet that day. And he didn’t want to meet in the church, either. When we finally met up, it didn’t take long for him to launch into the litany. He had blown up a rel...

come on, baby, the laugh's on me A sermon on that time Jesus showed up after that Easter morn Glad Easter tidings to all you, you stalwarts ! You who are here today , on this Sunday after Easter. This infamously low Sunday. While the rest of the world has gone back to business as usual, you’ve turned up here all over again . Blessings. Only, over the years, I’ve learned that the Sunday after Easter (and Christmas, for that matter) are just as, if not more important than the big festival day. Last week, the music , the crowds , the finery , and the feast all created a momentum of their own. There was no time to worry if all this isn’t just a bunch of whistling in the dark during. This week, though, all that is gone . And that absence begs the question, What happened? What was that all about? What now ? Where’d everyone go? And was last week just an anomaly ? This always happens after a significant event, by the way. A loved one dies , and suddenly it feels like your world ...

you're the one, you're the one, you're the one A sermon on the Great Easter Resurrection Interruption   Of all the reports of that first great Easter, this one is my favorite. I love how John refuses to tamp down the downright chaos of it all! Everybody , from the serene Beloved Disciple to loyal Mary Magdalen, are all running around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off! That first Easter, like a first date , is full of drama and high suspense ! And that means if you just barely made it here today. If you got frustrated and barked at a loved one while you were getting ready . If you had to sit in a back pew, or more likely, a front one. If your kids didn’t cooperate. If your partner didn’t cooperate! If you’re frazzled in any way whatsoever, that just means you’re right where you need to be for Easter to really happen for you today ! If it’s not a perfect Easter yet, that just means you’re finally ready for a real one! If things haven’t c...

but you can't respond when you react A sermon on who sat on the bench for Jesus' sentencing   Today’s Scripture ends with these ominous words, “Then Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be crucified .” With these words, we are at the precipice of the denouement of Christ’s tragedy. And , ultimate, triumph . But first, there is a matter of great significance we must attend to: What kind of a verb is that third one in the last paragraph?!?   I know! You’ve been wondering the same thing, too! Haven’t you?!? I can imagine it, you got to church, hung up your jacket, silenced your phone, perused the announcements, and then gave the Scripture a once-over. And from that moment on, you’ve been on the edge of your seat, or should I say pew. No doubt you’ve been wondering, nonstop , whether that third verb in the last paragraph is transitive or intransitive !   Worse still, you’ve been on pins and needles until this very moment, wondering if your honorable Reverend would...