RoboPreacher

only at christmas time A sermon on St. Luke's superb Christmas Gospe l: A very Merry Christmas to you all ! You’ve done it. After a month of nonstop shopping, cooking, cleaning, wrapping, mailing, reassembling the family like a stubborn jigsaw puzzle, watching your diet, arranging your schedule like a suitcase two sizes too small , and just generally running hither and yon at a breakneck pace, you’ve finally reached the finish line! Good on ya.   You’ve made it. Take a breath of relief. Savor this moment. At last, there’s nothing more for you to do . Your to-do list is happily done !   And even if everything isn’t done, savor this moment anyway . For one thing, it’s too late ! There’s nothing more you can do now . So you might as well sit back, relax , and enjoy this moment.   We could use the reprieve , too. Couldn’t we? Yes, we're worn out. But the truth is, even the most prepared among us don’t have everything done. No, we all still have more left to do. ...

suddenly, the Lord, descending / in his temple shall appear A sermon on the laying of the 2nd temple's cornerstone While the department stores are rotating a nearly endless loop of holly jolly Christmas muzak, today’s Scripture strikes an ambiguous note. Instead of all things merry and bright , the sound of glee is mixed with the howl of grief . When the temple’s cornerstone is laid, the song of praise is counterbalanced with that of pain . The hymns are mingled with heartache . …I confess this passage speaks to me. For one thing, all the forced happiness of the holidays wears me out. To be clear, I like Christmas. I’m no Scrooge. As a person prone to get down by the colder, darker days, a little Christmas cheer does me a lot of good. And that’s especially true when the weather isn’t even kind enough to give us a little snow ! The rub , though, is that weird pressure to be festive every blasted moment of the season! For starters, it’s a tall order. This month will...

Amid the cold of winter A sermon on Isaiah's superb sermon on the rough places It’s always true, but it’s especially true this time of the year. There are a lot of voices clamoring for your attention. Aren’t there? There are all the demands , invitations, offers, updates, requests, questions, suggestions, solicitations, pleas, and general inquiries, too.   And that’s barely scratching the surface. Isn’t it? Those are just the indiscriminate voices! There’s also the voices of your dear friends and families. There’s the voices of those people who have the frustrating knack of getting underneath your skin. And that’s not to say anything of all the other voices constantly sounding off in your own head, too! Yes , it’s true . There are a lot of voices clamoring for your attention. And it’s especially true this time of the year. However . However, there is only ONE voice that speaks to your wilderness . Yes, you heard me right, your wilderness .   We all have them, to...