RoboPreacher

though i'm beginning to An Advent sermon on Joel 2:12-17; 26-32 : In today’s scripture, the prophet Joel asks you to bring something difficult to worship… And no , he’s not talking about money or spending that rare free evening on some joyless committee bickering about the color of the sanctuary carpet. No, Joel is talking about something much harder to bring to worship; your heart . Your heart as it really is. And all of it, too. Cracks and all … And we have no shortage of things that break our heart THESE days. Do we? Loved ones we can’t visit. Loved ones who have died . Trips that have been canceled . Holiday gatherings that have been called off. And that’s just the low hanging fruit. Isn’t it? I’m sure you could easily add to this list yourself … Tragically , those “broken hearts and dirty windows that make life difficult to see," to quote John Prine (RIP), are a fact of life. And yet , despite this fact, when it comes to worship, we think WE need to mend our hearts...

imma stand & deliver it Advent 2 sermon from Joel: What a hodgepodge passage of scripture! The timeline isn’t clear. Prophecies of judgement are crammed next to prophecies of hope… And I’d be tempted to complain about it; but I know you all have bigger grievances during these busy, busy days. It’s a chaotic time of the year, isn’t it? So, I’ve got to ask, it is my pastor-y duty. It is now , after all, the second week of Advent. The Long, Dark Night  gets ever closer .  How about it? Are you any more ready, any more prepared than you were a week ago? Are you ready for Jesus’ arrival??? …Okay. Perhaps we should set our sights a little lower . Are you prepared for all the stress that’s part and parcel to this time of year? Are you ready for yet another meal with the in-laws? Is the house prepared? What about the gifts, have they all been purchased and wrapped? Or how about the sorrows of this season? Are you ready for your first, or fifti...