Sermon preached by the Rev. Fredrick A. Robinson
The 4th Sunday after Pentecost

There was a warm-hearted, but over-anxious secretary whose boss died suddenly one day, leaving on his desk a number of letters that he had been preparing to sign and send out. The helpful secretary put the boss’s rubber stamp signature on them, and then, after a moment’s thought, added the following postscript to each letter: “Since writing the above letter, I have died.”

A funeral happened to be passing by as an armored truck from a bank pulled up to an intersection. Since he couldn’t get through the procession, the driver joined it. An onlooker, impressed by the spectacle of the funeral cortege, remarked to a friend: “What do you know? You can take it with you.” Continue reading ‘Sermon — 28 June, 2009’ »

Sermon preached by the Rev. Fredrick A. Robinson
The Third Sunday after Pentecost

Have you ever been in a violent storm at sea? When I was in high school, a friend of mine had a small sail boat that we took out on Lake Erie one fine day. He was the boater; I was a novice. We got into the middle of the lake, and what began as a fine day began to look threatening, so we started to make our way back, but we didn’t make it back before it started to rain.

At that time in my life I knew that my plans included seminary down the road. My friend calmly suggested that if I had an appropriate prayer, now might be the time to say it. That’s when I started to be concerned about our situation! Continue reading ‘Sermon — 21 June 2009’ »

Sermon preached by the Rev. Richard Lampert
Pentecost II Mk. 4.26-34 Ezek. 31.1-14

When you’re dedicated and faithful enough, the seeds will always grow!

It just isn’t true, but, we wish it were so! Pastors & businessmen alike talk about some of the major myths of growth like: (a)If you are dedicated enough your church will al-ways grow and (b) all God ever expects is faithfulness. They speak about church growth conferences where dedicated pastors finish leaving feeling more guilty, frustrated, inade-quate than when they arrived. These men and women are faithful to God’s Word! They pray feverently! They are solid preachers! Sometimes their churches just refuse to grow. Why? Maybe it’s just a poor fit? Or, maybe the pastor is running out of gas? Perhaps the leaders have the will, but not the updated skills nor right tools? Maybe the timing is bad? Maybe the church just doesn’t pray hard enough or work hard enough? Let’s change the metaphor: If you’re dedicated and pray hard enough, your life and your job and your men-tal health will all always be fine! Tell that to the thousands who have now lost their jobs, to the man/woman who’s spouse just died, to a young child cancer patient, to a person drown-ing in the giant spiderweb of depression & inactivity! Where’s my growth? Where’s God? Continue reading ‘Sermon — 14 June 2009’ »

Sermon preached by the Rev. Fredrick A. Robinson
The 7th Sunday of Easter

Have you ever thought about how connected we are to one another? John Donne thought about it, when he wrote “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” Continue reading ‘Sermon — 24 May 2009’ »

Sermon preached by The Rev. Richard Lampert
Easter II

John 20 (1-18) 19-31

Living In His Resurrection- It’s not so much that we take it on, but rather that it (He) takes us on!!

So said one of my great Episcopal Church heroes, Bishop John Coburn of Massachusetts when I rediscovered his words:“Living In His Resurrection-It’s not so much that we take it on ,but rather that it (He-Christ) takes us on!!”But, what does it mean? How can we,“live in The Resurrection? Is it something about not going it alone, but instead letting God’s Holy Spirit carry us? Continue reading ‘Sermon - 19 April 2009’ »

Sermon preached by The Rev. Fredrick A. Robinson
Easter Day

Alleluia! Christ is risen! Years ago I was taught the same proclamation in Greek: Christos anesti! Christ is risen. Alethos anesti! He is risen indeed! That phrase is the heart of our faith, whether in English, or Greek, or in any of the other hundreds of languages in which it is said on Easter Day. Christ is risen! He is alive! Continue reading ‘Sermon - 12 April 2009’ »

Sermon preached by the Rev. Fredrick A. Robinson
Palm Sunday

Watch out! Holy Week has begun and with it the re-presentation of those events that brought about the salvation of the world. As we experience once more the events of Holy Week, they have the power to change your life and my life. So I say again, watch out!

That being the case, I am going to give you a few tips on how to keep that from happening, on how to make Easter Day as much like any other day as possible. In other words, here are a few tips on how to make Easter Day as bland and meaningless as possible. Continue reading ‘Sermon - 5 April 2009’ »

Sermon preached by the Rev. Fredrick A. Robinson
The Third Sunday in Lent

Where do you go to be close to God? Perhaps you might find a beautiful, secluded spot, where you can hear the birds sing and you don’t have the distractions of the computer and cell phone. Or perhaps you might come to the church and sit in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament, and light a candle, and say your prayers. Or perhaps it’s not a particular place at all, but any place where you can have your prayer book and your Bible and a little peace and quiet. Continue reading ‘Sermon — 15 March 2009’ »

Sermon preached by the Rev. Richard Lampert
The Second Sunday in Lent

Gen.22.1-14,Rom. 8.31-39

his Lent, if you’ve tried everything else; “Why not try God?”

Listening to the National Weather Report last Monday and smugly watching the Nor’-easter “Mega Storm” roar up the Eastcoast, I thought about past winters in Boston and New York City (worse in Syracuse and Minneapolis-St. Paul). I remembered many past Lent’s: snow storms galore; Palm Sunday blizzard Processions; Good Friday White Out’s. Then I rediscovered an old friend, Slow Down ,written one stressful (snowy?) Springtime in Syracuse, N.Y. by Fr, Joseph Champlin, Rector of the R.C. Cathedral of The Immaculate Conception. I bought his book three years ago at the Tampa Franciscan Retreat Center. Turns out that Fr. Champlin had written a series of short Lenten pieces for the local neighborhood newspapers which focused heavily on the topic of stress. A creative advertising executive picked them up on the local radio station three days a week, throughout the day and at 5:43 P.M. right when all the listening audience were driving home in the ice and snow. At the end of each sixty-second “public service” spot, the following tag line message was repeated over and over again: “You may have tried everything else; why not try God?” Continue reading ‘Sermon — 8 March 2009’ »

Sermon preached by the Rev. Fredrick A. Robinson
The First Sunday in Lent

I have heard that English is one of the most difficult of all languages to learn as a second language. The difficulty lies in our verbs, since there are so many irregular verbs. A good example of this is the verb to go, the past tense of which is went, which bears no resemblance to the verb go. It’s amazing we learn the language at all, and as our children learn to talk, they often say the darnedest things, to borrow a phrase from Art Linkletter, which I realize really dates me! Continue reading ‘Sermon – 1 March 2009’ »