RoboPreacher

Part I: Contextual Theological Reflection: Ministry Context: Folk musician, Josh Ritter, described the West as a story we made up to erase. In other words, the frontier, or the West, is a destination, not a stop on a journey somewhere else. If an urban dweller were to go to the frontier of the continental United States, Seattle is the largest city one could go that is westernmost and northernmost. This pioneer sentimentality manifests itself in a number of ways in Seattle. For instance, individualism and autonomy are highly valued. These values show up in atypical living arrangements that, while atypical nationwide, are more common in Seattle. For instance, Seattle has among the highest rates of people living alone or unrelated people living together, as well as the smallest average family sizes in the nation. Given that Seattle is a destination, it is the geographically mobile who dwell in the Emerald City. So, paradoxically, while a sense of individuality dr...

Matthew 10:40-42 Prayer: Lord, may the words of my lips and the meditations of all our hearts prompt a welcome to the one who comes in your name. ~Amen. It had been a hot morning. We all had been in Central America for over ten days and we were worn out. A group of seminary students traveled to Honduras and Nicaragua to meet with leaders of the Lutheran Church in these countries. On this hot morning, surrounded by people with little more than enough to eat for the day, I took the first shower I had had in over a week. I went out behind the house to a well. Holding onto a rope, I dropped the bucket down a hole and heard a wonderful splash. Pulling the bucket up I began preparing myself for the freezing water to take the breath from me when I poured it over myself. Nothing could have prepared me for what happened though. Taking a deep breath I dumped half the bucket over my head. The water temperature was perfect. Standing behind the house without embarrassment, feeli...