RoboPreacher

in a baby's eye Christmas Eve sermon from  Luke 2:1-20 : There’s a Christmas sermon I’ve always wanted to preach, but never have. And I think this year, of all years, presents the perfect opportunity. So here goes… EVERY Christmas there is an irony .   Christmas is one of those times we can really pack ‘ em in the church. The paradox , though, is Scripture makes it abundantly clear that on Christmas , the church is the last place you want to be on Christmas! All the action is taking place out there! A million miles away from any respectable sanctuary! Here, I’ll show you, pretend this passage is a movie , AND you don’t already know what’s going to happen… The film opens in darkness , and the narrator tells us this is the account of the momentous birth of Jesus, the savior of the world . Next, the narrator tells us this happened during Emperor Augustus’ reign. The camera fades in on the Emperor in all his power and opulence , ordering a worldwide census.   Now, t...

no safety features to hold her down A sermon on the angel Gabriel's visit to Mary and her song : Have you ever noticed every Christmas movie is really about the disaster the season is? No Christmas movie that’s left its mark is about how effortlessly the holiday season goes!   Charlie Brown is really about how unhappy Charles is! It’s a Wonderful Life is all about how poor George Bailey can’t catch a break—even on Christmas! A Christmas Story is about the near psychic break young Ralphie has trying to get that red rider BB gun! And National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is… Well, a smorgasbord of disasters ! And even those movies that subvert this trope, like the Grinch and A Christmas Carol, are still about the disaster Christmas can be for people of all strips! No one is safe! Not even those bah-humbugs out there! Despite the best-laid plans of those scoundrels , the Grinch and Mr. Scrooge, the spirit of Christmas descends upon them nonetheless ! And we love these movies. Don’...

and close the path to misery The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the 1st Chapter! Today is the last Saturday/Sunday of Advent… In just a few, all-too short days , we will celebrate Christmas. Soon our vigil will be completed. Over. In Advent we wait. We prepare.  What did you wait for?  A new you? More patience? An end to conflict? Peace at home? An era of goodwill among humanity? Concord in the family? Christ’s coming? His return? How has it been? Have the things you waited for come to fruition? Are they at least nearly fulfilled?  Perhaps it was just too hard for you. You couldn’t bring yourself to hope this year. You gave up looking forward. There wasn’t anything to look forward to. Your last hope was dashed long ago. You didn’t wait this advent. Not for anyone. For anything. For you, this season was just another trip through the motions. Christmas always seem to promise more than it delivers, doesn’t it? A person can only ...