RoboPreacher

it's still a surprise A sermon on the time Jesus turned a tough night into a new day Well, I hate to say it, but while all of you were freezing your tuchuses off in the polar vortex, I was sporting short sleeves in sunny California. But I don’t bring this up to brag . I mention it because I wasn’t just in sunny California. No, I was in the land of affluence .   Southern California is a place of conspicuous consumption. Before I even made it to the hotel room, I saw a Porsche . And you know what? Sports cars like that were a regular sight out there.   Now, I was in there for work . I was there as a facilitator for the Iowa Preachers Project. And one of my jobs was to shuttle the participants from location to location. But the car we rented was a large SUV.   I have to admit, when I found myself idling behind one of those sports cars, I was sorely tempted . As a good boy from the Midwest , I felt it was my job to poke my finger in that kind of opulence. And I knew al...

to being delivered for the first time A sermon on that time Abraham believed a whooper Did anyone have anything unusual happen this morning? For instance, did something surprising happen this morning? Or how about funny ? Did anyone have anything funny happen on your way here? Anyone? Well, shoot! I don’t have anything, either! It’s been a pretty humdrum morning for me. I was just asking because I was looking for a little comic relief . But I guess we’ve all had a relatively normal day so far. Haven’t we? They’re not all typical, though. Are they? No, the truth is, the uncommon is relatively common. Our lives are awash in a sea of change . And while that change can be welcome , just as often, it’s not . Those are the tough times. Aren’t they? It’s no laughing matter when change comes unplanned or unwelcomed . When that happens, our neat and tidy little lives are thrown on their heads . It puts our past into question and makes the future a threat . Now, I could give examples o...

it breaks your neck, it builds you a delicate shine  A sermon on Genesis 21:1-3, 22:1-14 : The closer they get to the top of the mountain, the  more the tension mounts. I’m talking about, of course, Abraham and that child promised to him in his old age, Isaac. Isaac, that miraculous child of mirth .   Today’s passage has a way of scandalizing folks. And it’s not hard to see why. Is it? After all, what kind of a God would ask for something like that? The thing, though , is this passage is only shocking in a theoretical way. Because in the trenches of real life, this passage rings all too true . Doesn’t it? Wouldn’t you agree that we only ever make it to the altar of the Lord after a harrowing journey ? Maybe it’s that mountain of paperwork sitting on your desk. Maybe it’s that seemingly endless valley of grief you’ve been trying to make your way through. Maybe it’s that uneven terrain of family life. Maybe it’s that dense thicket of guilt you can’t seem to ...