RoboPreacher

be good to everybody, be a strength to the weak The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark ! In today’s Gospel folks are bringing children to Jesus. Before they can get to Jesus, though, the disciples take action.  “Get these kids out of here,” they bark. “Jesus is teaching right now; they’re going to cause a commotion. Send them away so they don’t distract us,” the disciples say sternly.  Now, of course when Jesus sees the calloused and insensitive behavior of the disciples, he’s incensed. And us right along with him … …Only, and I’m just saying, but I wonder if we really are.  I mean, I’ve been a pastor for a while now. I’ve overheard the murmurs. I’ve seen the way a fidgety kiddo can rankle us all.  For as precious as they can be when they’re sleeping; we all know what holy terrors children so often are. They fidget, and distract us from the sermon. They fuss, and we can’t hear the beautiful offertory. They come in with their juice an...

damaged goods   The HolyGospel According to St. Mark, the tenth chapter! I have a friend who has this annoying habit. He kills jokes. You see, when you start to tell a joke he starts asking questions.   I'll say something like, "Why did the chicken cross the road." And he will say, well what I want to know is how did that chicken get loose? No! That's not the point, I'll tell him. Trying to get back on track I'll say, let's just imagine the chicken has been free for a while. So , why did that chicken cross the road, I'll ask. And then he will come back with, what kind of a road is it. Is this a busy road in the city or a country road?   At this point I've just about lost my patience. Why? What does it matter, I'll ask. Never mind, it is a country road. So, why did this chicken that has been free for some time cross a country road, I'll try again. Then he will say something like, what time of day is ...

for someone in need of a tourniquet   The Gospel this Sunday is certainly a difficult one. Sort of. Really it depends upon your context. For instance, I have never married and right now that isn't a priority in my life, so it is hard to get all the fuss. Admittedly, that is a minority perspective. There are folks who are divorced who will hear these words of Jesus. There are people who are holding out for an ideal relationship so they won't have to encounter these tough words of Jesus. There will be people sticking-out a miserable marriage because of these words. There will be that are happily married, and that have experienced struggles and joys together hearing these words. For the preacher then, there are a certain number of sensitivities. The most obvious land-mine is offending people who are divorced (presumably divorced for a good reason). That doesn't exhaust the list of land-mines, though. There are those who engage in a more subtle form of adultery ...