RoboPreacher

these things get louder The second sermon on baptism, with Paul's letter to the Romans as our guide: Much trouble is caused imagining “sin” is only something we do . Or, if we remember our catechism, something we fail to do .   And, while it is what do, and fail to, that unleashes sin. Sin is so much more than just actions . It’s a power that’s been let loose . Sin is a power that’s been let loose in the world… Kind of like that great sci-fi series; “Stranger Things.” A show about this ragtag crew of outcasts who stumble upon an experiment gone horribly wrong.   A weapons manufacturer, exploring paranormal weapons, opened a portal to another dimension. Instead of accessing weapon power, though, they just unlocked a path for the monster who inhabited that dimension, to wreak havoc on ours .   Basically it’s the story of Adam and Eve and the aftermath. A tale of an action that began a terrible chain reaction.   That’s how sin works. Mor...

We’re all a bunch of sinners free-riding on Jesus Last fall Amanda and I stumbled on to the show “Stranger Things.” The plot is basically Good versus Evil (John 1:5). This winter, well after we had binged on the show, Amanda asked if I had seen the acceptance speech.  The cast won the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Outstanding Performance in an Ensemble in a Drama Series. To accept the award, most of the cast took the stage. One of the main actors, David Harbour, gave the speech. What gained all the attention, though, was another actor. Throughout the entire speech, Winona Ryder is making these totally bizarre reactions!  Who knows why… What caught my attention, and what I want to talk about, is the speech itself. The award was given last January; & I bet you can remember how we were feeling at that time.  Upon receiving the award, Mr. Harbour acknowledged how it felt odd to celebrate at that moment. But he continued . He said it was humbling it was to...