RoboPreacher

(it takes a long, long time) A sermon on Isaiah's prophecy that came to pass in its speaking Try to remember when you were young . I know! That’s a long time ago for some of you . Isn’t it?!? But try anyway. Ok? Now, do you recall how long it took for Christmas to come? Growing up, we would make those paper chains to count down the days until Christmas. But when you’re little , a day can be an awfully long time! Can’t it? Honestly, I remember going to the same link of the chain multiple times a day ! When you’re a child , the days to Christmas seem to go on and on . It doesn’t stay that way for long, though. Does it? When you’re young, you can’t grow up fast enough. However, you don’t even have to grow up all that much to realize how quickly it passes ! It doesn’t take long to realize it’s really a gift when time lingers . Well, I don’t make paper chains to count down the days until Christmas anymore. But we do light candles. Don’t we? And today , Gaudete Sunday, we m...

only at christmas time A sermon on St. Luke's superb Christmas Gospe l: A very Merry Christmas to you all ! You’ve done it. After a month of nonstop shopping, cooking, cleaning, wrapping, mailing, reassembling the family like a stubborn jigsaw puzzle, watching your diet, arranging your schedule like a suitcase two sizes too small , and just generally running hither and yon at a breakneck pace, you’ve finally reached the finish line! Good on ya.   You’ve made it. Take a breath of relief. Savor this moment. At last, there’s nothing more for you to do . Your to-do list is happily done !   And even if everything isn’t done, savor this moment anyway . For one thing, it’s too late ! There’s nothing more you can do now . So you might as well sit back, relax , and enjoy this moment.   We could use the reprieve , too. Couldn’t we? Yes, we're worn out. But the truth is, even the most prepared among us don’t have everything done. No, we all still have more left to do. ...

suddenly, the Lord, descending / in his temple shall appear A sermon on the laying of the 2nd temple's cornerstone While the department stores are rotating a nearly endless loop of holly jolly Christmas muzak, today’s Scripture strikes an ambiguous note. Instead of all things merry and bright , the sound of glee is mixed with the howl of grief . When the temple’s cornerstone is laid, the song of praise is counterbalanced with that of pain . The hymns are mingled with heartache . …I confess this passage speaks to me. For one thing, all the forced happiness of the holidays wears me out. To be clear, I like Christmas. I’m no Scrooge. As a person prone to get down by the colder, darker days, a little Christmas cheer does me a lot of good. And that’s especially true when the weather isn’t even kind enough to give us a little snow ! The rub , though, is that weird pressure to be festive every blasted moment of the season! For starters, it’s a tall order. This month will...