RoboPreacher

forever cursed to live unrelaxed A sermon on Jesus and the rich man who was poor in life : Here’s a guy who has it all . And he really has it all, too. He’s devout . Plus , he’s well -off, to boot.   And yet ! And yet , for all that, this fellow doesn’t feel like he’s got it all. Quite the contrary , he lives with—No, that’s not quite right. He’s not " living with .” No , he’s dying of—he’s dying of a constant, nagging sense that it’s all about to slip through his fingers. Instead of assurance , he feels anxiety . His life of means is not one of satisfaction. Rather , it’s a desperate one with a gnawing sense of having had , and forever lost , something of infinite value. Have you ever felt that way? I bet you have . I bet you have because, and here’s the bad news: I bet you have because that’s how it works! This rich man, as exceptional as he is, is not the exception in this regard. No , he’s the rule . Not the ruler, the rule . Sure, you and I may not tend to think o...

this love isn't crazy A sermon on stewardship from the Gospel of Mark : As far as I know, this is the only account of someone turning down Jesus’ invitation to follow him. For as surprising as this is, and it is surprising, it’s an even bigger surprise who it is that can’t answer Jesus’ call. Because this is a fellow who never met a challenge he can’t meet. He’s motivated , scrupulous , and he’s got plenty of resources behind him, too. Picture the scene, Jesus is going along, minding his own business, when all of a sudden this man runs up to him and lays himself out before Jesus. Now, this kind of thing is not entirely uncommon where Jesus is concerned. However , this chap isn’t seeking healing or anything like that. Most people who throw themselves before Jesus are at the end of their rope. This man, however, is at the top of his game! He’s got it all together . He’s managed to keep the finer points of the law. And as we learn later , he’s also managed to attain a degree of ...

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...

out of nothing but the rafters The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark the 10th chapter ! I remember one day after cross-country practice, my freshman year in high school, I saw a sight to behold; the intricacies of dating in high school… A senior from the football team, came walking across the parking lot. This guy was too cool for school, you know what I mean? There was a group of cheerleaders splitting up the posters they were going to hang on the lockers, before the game on Friday. I would have melted even trying to say “hi,” to that flock, but this guy just walked into the middle of their circle. Then, self-assured what the answer would be, asked one of the girls to the homecoming dance. She eyed him over, blew a lazy bubble with grape bubble-yum, the gum of choice then. And, after popping that bubble, she said, “drop dead” and walked to her car. For the way her words cut right through the guy’s cool, she could have said “Drop Dead, thus saith the prophet....