RoboPreacher

but i don't wanna die The holy Gospel according to St. Mark the 10th chapter ! This man runs to Jesus and wanting to know what he HAS to do . But , don’t you get the feeling this poor guy has been running his entire life? …Right now a few of us are reading “Seculosity,” and one of the author’s points is that you can tell when effort is being exerted in religion, in whatever the form, by looking out for anxiety .   Which, sadly , seems to be the case all too often. It certainly rings true for this man.   Eventually we will be told he had a lot . But, as it turns out, none of that was enough to allay his anxiety about the future . He runs up to Jesus, desperate to find out what he needs to do to make sure his future is in order .   “ What MUST I DO to inherit eternal life,” he asks. Jesus, though, doesn’t seem too interested in discussing such questions.   First, he takes issue with the designation the man uses to a...

where we show a little mercy A sermon from Luke 10:25-42 : A lawyer stands up. Testing Jesus with a question he thinks already knows the answer to. “Teacher, What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus tosses the question right back. “You seem like the kind of guy who got perfect attendance in Sunday School. I bet you know. What have you year in the Bible?” And like the know-it-all the guy is, he gives the textbook answer. Word for word…  Turning to leave, Jesus shrugs . “You obviously have your answer. Do that.” But not to be put off so easily, the lawyer asks his now infamous follow-up; “And who , exactly, is my neighbor?” And you know the rest, don’t you? Why, this parable is so popular, it even has laws named after it. You too figure you already know the moral, the point of this parable… But does it ever bother you? That disconnect between what happens here and the rest of your life? The way the moral, the point never actually carries over in...

as the darkness clears away The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke! Before Jesus begins his ministry he heads out ; to the wilderness. Alone with only the elements and animals, he prepares himself for the trials and tribulations he will face in his ministry. He doesn’t eat during those days. After the 40th day, the devil shows up and tries to derail the whole thing… Lent, if you don’t count Sundays, is approximately 40 days. Over the ages The Church has found it wise to do like Jesus, to set apart a tenth of each year’s days for some holy use.  And like Jesus, the devil seems to be especially on the prowl during these 40 days… “What’s another cookie?” whispers the devil. “No one will know. You’ve been good all week. You deserve that cookie.” Or ,  you miss the nail and strike your thumb instead. This time the devil doesn’t whisper. He comes in a fiery rage. “Say it! Ooooohhhh that looks like it hurt. Just say it, say that word you gave up....

The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark! Lent; that time of the year when we contend with all the evil within us and the evil out there in the world.  It can be a pretty harrowing thing, all in all… Because I don’t know about you, but when I face up to this daunting task, I get the strong suspicion I’m no match for these forces of evil.  After only a few moments of examining my motives, I’m ready to throw in the towel; ready to join St. Paul in crying out ‘oh, who will save me from this body of death.’ And it takes even less time of scanning the newspaper to give up this lenten discipline. It was just this week that another young man was shot, for seemingly little motive.  Honestly, it appears that those forces of evil all around us are just too great for humans like us to contend with… We’ve got a problem, though.  Or, more accurately, as your preacher, I’ve got a problem. For as formidable as those forces we are to contend against duri...

where the people come apart There’s a a brilliant television show that aired on HBO a while back; “The Wire.” “The Wire” is a police drama; you know, cops and criminals. The way “The Wire” tells this familiar story of the good-guys versus the baddies, though, is a little unsettling… The show is so disquieting because as you watch the cops pursue the criminals, you’re given a glimpse into the ambiguities that cling so close to this life.  The camera is unflinching as the police make unethical decisions. And not only that, but as the camera follows the criminals, you get glimpse into their lives .  The story “The Wire” tells isn’t necessarily one you’d expect. The cops behave illegally, and these criminals are not morally bankrupt villains, but rather humans - humans with hopes and aspirations. At the end of the day “The Wire” is so compelling because it fiddles with our simplistic notions of “good and evil.” As the series progresses there are moment...