Sermons by Rev. Jason S. Glombicki (Page 51)

We are in the age of VCD and AI–that is, the age of Voice Command Devices and Artificial Intelligence.  With a phrase like “Hey, Siri” or “Okay, google” or the name “Alexa,” a personal assistant begins interacting. Sometimes these devices seem God-like. Siri can do math faster than a mathematician, Alexa can play almost any song, and google, well, google knows everything. While we logically recognize that these assistants are not God, we sometimes believe that God acts like the great google. We believe that with the correct phrasing, we’ll get our desired response from God. We might begin to think the Bible is God’s only instruction book, or, at its worst, that the Bible is God. Yet, even a quick glance at today’s readings will redirect these understandings…

I hate sitting next to a stranger on an airplane. I don’t mind talking to people, but most of the time after exchanging pleasantries the other person will ask, “what do you do?” I hate that question, especially trapped at 36,000 feet. Often, I have to either listen to their confession about why they don’t go to church, or I have to explain that I’m not one of those pastors. Americans seem to jump right to that question – “what do you do?” Yet, what we “do” does not completely define us, it’s simply one piece of our identity…

Statistically speaking, 66% of you know the feeling – it’s a feeling like you’ve been in a place and done the same thing before, even though you know you couldn’t have. Researchers call it “déjà vu,” which is a French phrase meaning “already seen.”[1] Today’s Gospel reading is one of those déjà vu experiences for me. The most simplistic explanation is that we did read part of this story last month. At that time, the focus was on “John the baptizer;” now, the focus shifted slightly to illuminate Jesus’s baptism…