RoboPreacher

& i get more than i deserve A sermon on St. Stephen and ministry : There’s a question we sometimes ask students in confirmation . And the reason we ask is to check if the students are paying attention . Obviously, of course, not this year’s students. They always pay attention. They’re perfect . As they are every year.   Nevertheless, it’s a nice little exercise. So, I thought we might try it. And here’s the question: What just happened? This isn’t a trick question, either. I just want to engage you. What just happened in today’s passage? That said, although this isn’t a trick question, it is the sort of question that has right and wrong answers. For instance, if you were to say that Stephen was just hired as the head pastor at First Lutheran in Jerusalem, that would be wrong . However, there were a few details in that example that would be considered correct . But I don’t want to do your work for you. So, I’m not going to tell you what they were.   Instead , let’s ...

Born of the One Light Eden / saw play A sermon on the  conclusion of the Epistle to the Galatians : I’d like to begin today’s sermon with a confession . I will turn 40 this month. Yes, you heard me right—40. Soon, I will be 40 years old. Perhaps you’re thinking, “That’s just a baby .” And I will grant you, in the grand scheme of things, 40 isn’t that old. But , considering I knew enough to know what you were thinking, perhaps I’m not as young as you imagine. And anyway, it’s beside the point. It’s beside the point. The fact is, we’re all helplessly trapped in our own existence. 40 is as old as I’ve ever been. For me , 40 is old . And I’m sorry, but just because you’re older doesn’t mean I’m not, too. Or, for that matter, the 6-and-a- half , thank you very much, year old. Like you, life has changed under my feet. And the strange thing is, it all happened without my awareness, too. Yes, I knew the days were passing . BUT I was totally unprepared for the way they would accum...

is you take cover or abandon it A Pentecost Sermon: Come , Holy Spirit! Come ! And deep down, that’s what we all want. Isn’t it? We want something like Pentecost. And we want it to happen today . And we want it to happen here . And we want it to happen to us . Or, at the very least, we want to believe . We want to believe that something like Pentecost could happen here . We want to believe that our life and our little corner of the world could be the staging ground for the outpouring of God almighty’s Holy Spirit. Don’t we? But . But we might as well admit it: it takes faith to believe. Doesn’t it? We can’t just bottle up our innocence. And we can’t pretend there isn’t a part of us that expects , or at least worries , that we’ll be disappointed if we believe.   Listen, I don’t want to burst anyone’s bubble. And if you’re riding high today, by all means, enjoy it! Such moments are hard to come by. Take them when they come!   However ! However, I’ve also come to le...