RoboPreacher

my broken dreams A sermon on the burden and (empty) promises of kings Ain’t that always the way? You ask for a little help, but all you get in return is a lot more work. And there doesn’t seem to be anywhere to turn , either. Does there? Sorry to say, all too often, the promise of a new helper just turns out to be the letdown of yet another taskmaster, only this time twice warmed over … In today’s Scripture, the Israelites go to the king in waiting, Rehoboam . But, before they crown him king, they want a few concessions . Rehoboam’s father , King Solomon, had made life hard .   And so, before the people anoint his son king, they want to make sure they can get a break . But, instead of considering the request, Rehoboam takes it as a challenge ! Instead of granting reprieve , Rehoboam promises that when he’s king, he’ll increase the workload. And what’s more , he promises he’ll be an even more ruthless enforcer , too. Is it any wonder the people balk ?!? And you have to wond...

& came to ruin A Sermon on the Sabbath : Perhaps you’re wondering why , exactly, our first lesson is the one we just heard. After all, it sounds… well… just a little… familiar, doesn’t it? Don’t be fooled, though, the lessons is not a repeat of last week’s… Well… Not exactly, anyway. Last week we heard the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai ; right after the Israelites had been freed. Today , though, we hear the reiteration of these Ten Commands; 40 years later. Right before the Israelites leave the wilderness for the Promised Land.  Here, Moses is giving his final sermon. All he can come up with though, is that old refrain again. “ Second verse , same as the first ; a little bit louder , a little bit worse !” Moses’ uncertainty about how well those commands took the first time, is betrayed. Apparently Moses isn’t exactly confident in the mettle of those who are about to inhabit the property promised to Abraham long ago… Appa...

i love you, i love you, i love you A sermon on the seventh day : As we begin our sermon series on the sabbath we might as well just admit it: we’re not sure what to do with the sabbath… The account of the first week puts the issue front and center. The seventh day, the sabbath, is an odd day.  First, every other day of creation, has its counterpart . The first day, light is made; and the fourth, its inhabitants : the sun, moon and stars are made. The second day, the sky is formed above the depths; and on the fifth, their inhabitants: fish and birds are created. The third day, dry land is formed; and on the sixth, its inhabitants: mammals are made. The sabbath day, though, has no parallel! It stands apart from every other day. We’re not sure what to do with this day that doesn’t fit… That isn’t even the only quandary of this day, either. Scripture is clear; it is on this seventh day, not the sixth, that God finishes creation. It is also on this day, tho...

Jesus told them a parable about the need to pray always and not lose heart ~Luke 18:1 I suspect the biggest reason prayer doesn’t come easily to us, is because we’re not good at resting . Sure, summer is quickly approaching. Perhaps your thoughts are turning to a quieter schedule. Maybe you’re even looking ahead to a vacation. But have you ever returned from a long-awaited vacation, even more tired than when you left?  I know I have! We’re an all or nothing people. We work, work, work until we’re totally exhausted. Eventually we decide it’s high time we take a rest. So we cut out any and all work for a few days, perhaps we even go to the beach.  During those days set aside for nothing but rest, we jam in as much relaxation as we can. We end up exhausting ourselves, trying to make sure we get as much leisure as possible! It’d be comic if we weren’t all so worn out, so often… Yet Jesus says, “Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, a...