RoboPreacher

this i've tried and now refuse... The Holy Gospel according to St. John the 20th chapter! Later on that first Easter, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the jewish leaders, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” Then he showed them his hands and his side.  The disciples, seeing the master with their own eyes, were exuberant. Jesus repeated his greeting: “Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you.” Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. “Receive the Holy Spirit,” he said. “If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good. If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?” But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We saw the Master.” But Thomas said, “Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won’t beli...

Discipleship Sermon 5 - Cross & Resurrection: As we hear this story , we all get still. Something inside us knows this story is important... Truthfully, though, it sort of feels odd to have this moment in the biblical narrative read today , doesn't it? This is that most special of stories that we save for the "Three Great Days." Hearing about the cross and the resurrection today almost feels a little inappropriate... After all, we save this most-central story for that most-central festival, for the most important moment of the Christian year...   Honestly, though, I believe there is another reason; a subtle reason we keep this story locked away to that one day. We do this, keeping the story set aside, because this story is hard to hear . This story of the empty tomb is hard to believe, it is hard to imagine; frankly it is hard for us to live after that one tomb has been found to be empty. As Bono of U2 quipped, "I can't live...