RoboPreacher

nothing else left to impart: A sermon on the prayers of Peter and Cornelius : We’re not told why , exactly, Peter went out onto the roof to pray that noon. Are we? However, we can guess. And if you haven’t already, let me just ask, when do you pray?   And I mean really pray, too. Like, skipping lunch to pray. Like, clamber out onto a roof to pray! When do you pray like that ? Because I’d be willing to bet you don’t pray like that for fun . Do you? No, you only pray like that when you’re at your wit’s end !   That sweet hour of prayer may sound like a nice IDEA. But it’s only that! Isn’t it? It’s just a NICE idea .   Real prayer, on the other hand, isn’t an IDEA, nice or otherwise. No , prayer, real prayer, is born where all our nice IDEAS are laid to rest ! REAL prayer is a messy affair. Real prayer is a matter of flesh and blood . And I bet you KNOW exactly what I mean. Don’t you? It’s nice to think Peter climbed out on that roof to pray over lunch out of piety . BUT that’

the more you're slip slidin' away A sermon on Matthew's conclusion that's only the beginning : The Gospel ends AS it began , with breathtaking assurances of Christ’s enduring presence. Only now, the child born Emmanuel, God WITH us , stands on the other side of the grave . And he makes a promise only someone standing there can make; he promises to be with us no matter what, come what may, even unto the end of the ages.   This, by the way, is what makes Christ’s promises unconditional . We don’t often think about it, but all of our promises are provisional , or conditional . We all regularly contend with forces beyond our control. And should any one of those powers get the upper hand, all our assurances will be sidelined . For instance, this is why we say “until death do us part” at weddings. It’s not that this a romantic phrase. No , it’s an admission of reality ! It’s making a promise you can keep! It’s promising to be faithful until DEATH does you part. Because

i am joined w/ you forever A sermon on the breathtaking Easter Scripture Everything has been leading to this .   And no , I don’t just mean those Holy Week services only church rats attend. Although , THIS is what those services have been leading to.   But, no . I am talking about so much more . Nothing less than absolutely everything has been leading to this .   And neither do I even mean the story of Jesus ! Although , this is what his story has been invariably careening toward since the very beginning of time immemorial itself! And neither am I talking about the corpus of Scripture, for that matter ! Although, this is what the entire Bible has been building toward, too.   But, no . I am talking about so much more . Nothing less than absolutely everything has been leading to this . Capital “E" everything . But don’t go and start thinking I mean everything in some generalized sense, either. I’m not . I’m talking about the actually real stuff that comprises the sum and substa