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 pie...

am i good for nothing A sermon on Peter & Cornelius' visions This encounter between Peter and Cornelius is so important that it’s recounted three different times in Acts! And it is important. It’s the story of how the Christian church began.   And for us this story holds a special importance, it’s the story of how our inclusion in the church began… The first real question the church wrestled with, wasn’t whether jewish people could be saved. That was a given. Of course jewish people would be saved, they’re God’s chosen!   No. The real question was, could folks like us, “ gentiles by birth, aliens to the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenant of promise, having no hope and without God;” whether we could be saved. (Eph. 2:11-12) And this episode between Cornelius and Peter answers that question; “ All receive forgiveness of sins through Jesus ’ name!” (Acts 10:43) In Jesus, a new age, post partiality, has dawned! Now...