RoboPreacher

pop a nickel & it all comes back A sermon on Jesus' healing of a paralytic : Have you ever felt like the friends in today’s Scripture? Have you ever been so fed up, frantic , forlorn , or just plain frazzled that you’d do anything you could to change your situation? I’m sure you have. We all have. And, if you’re anything like me , you hate feeling that way, too. In fact, most of the time, you probably try to arrange your life so that you never have to be in that kind of a pinch . Don’t you? I know I do.   Sadly, though, it goes without saying that we still find ourselves in a fix more often than we wish. Don’t we? It can come to pass in any number of ways. A change in health, career, or relationship can do the job. But so can a lack of change. A stubborn habit or ingrained relationship dynamic can also drive us to desperation , too. Can’t they? Speaking for myself , I hear this story and long for something like that . Deep down, I want to grab that stretcher that is...

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...