RoboPreacher

& i know, i know there is joy endowed A sermon on the Creed from the Gospel of John , It is, finally, a strange thing to have a Creed . Bylaws and a constitution, sure. Parochial reports and council minutes, why not? But a Creed ? It’s a bit unusual . A set of propositions to which we all regularly affirm in worship.   Now, the origin of the Apostles’ Creed is a bit oblique , so ancient is it. However, it undoubtedly began its life as a part of the baptismal liturgy. The way we still use Apostles’ Creed in baptisms, and even confirmation, today . From its inception , then, the Creed has functioned as a boundary marker.   Admittedly, boundaries have something of a bad reputation these days. Much of it earned, no doubt. We do well, however, to give our Creed a chance . Especially since, as historic Christians, we are stuck with it. More than that, though, I want to suggest that we stand to lose more than we gain by letting this ancient confession of faith collect dust. ...

 that she gave you back when you didn't own a beautiful thing A sermon from John 14 on the 3rd Article of the Creed To talk about the Holy Spirit, I want to talk about that 90’s sitcom, Seinfeld . Specifically, the character George Costanza . George, that unlucky in life, lovable loser . NOT what you were expecting? Good ! That’s how it goes with the Holy Spirit and us; it defies expectations! What the writers of Seinfeld did that was so brilliant was to make the unusual move, at the time, to refuse to dress George up . Or any of the other characters, for that matter. The humor of Seinfeld was that no one ever got their act together ! Everyone was more or less stuck with whatever their inherent defects were.   The question of Seinfeld was never , would the characters learn . In fact, that was a rule in the writers’ room, “No learning. No hugging. In the world of Seinfeld the gag always was, how would the characters finagle their shortcomings. Whereas George was hapless ...

on giving in slowly A sermon from John 3 on the 2nd article of the Creed This, the Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed, is the longest . There’s plenty in here. More than enough for a single sermon. However, what I want to focus on is what’s not in this article of the Creed! Because what isn’t here is as surprising as it is promising … Any hunches? Notice anything that’s missing?   …There’s nothing in the Creed whatsoever about the content of Jesus’ sublime teaching s! AND neither is there any reference at all to his miraculous deeds! There’s nothing about the Sermon on the Mount, raising Lazarus, or any other of Jesus’ sermons or actions! All we have is a stripped -down account of the bare facts of Jesus’ existence! He was Conceived by the Holy Spirit. Born of the virgin Mary. Suffered under Pontius Pilate. Was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. Then , the Creed goes on to speak of Jesus’ continued exalted existence...

you're the one to change my mind A sermon from chapter two of the books of Acts : Today’s scripture begins where a lot shows, books and movies start to wrap-up, after a setback . …The prefix in Pentecost is “pente,” as in five . In this case, fifty . Pentecost happens 50 days after Passover. That means the first christian Pentecost happened 50 days after the crucifixion … …50 days after Judas’ betrayal . 50 days after Peter’s denial . 50 days after they all cut and ran . Yes, since then, the resurrected Jesus has shown up. But truthfully, the stench of failures STILL clings to the disciples…   In fact, it’s what they've been preoccupied with since that morning Jesus wasn’t found in the tomb. They haven’t been celebrating Easter, they’ve been dealing with the fallout from their failure; regrouping and replacing… Which isn’t unusual. That’s how a lot of third-acts begin . Often what happens, though, is the characters dust themselves ...

but i can't resist The holy Gospel according to St. John the first chapter ! We’re all trying to prove our worth . Aren’t we? Last month I got a little reflection published on a website I’ve admired for years. It was exciting . The fulfillment of a goal I had for a couple of years, actually… Two summers ago, during a quiet week, I first tried to get something on their website… And it was probably one of the most discouraging things I’ve ever done!   It was harder than I anticipated! I couldn’t articulate what I wanted to say. I’d start, and then start over again. And, I’d get to the middle, only realize I was rambling! It was frustrating! Eventually, I threw in the towel. Convinced I didn’t have it in me. And that’s not that uncommon an experience. Is it? …What UN -accomplished goals do YOU have have? What achievements do you long to fulfill? We all have them. I’ll even give you 30 seconds for you to actually think of one or two. ...