Innerdriving

The Feast of St. Matthias the Apostle Acts 1:15-26 St. Matthias February 24, 2019            Growing up, I was always told that gambling was a sin.  And the classic example used in all the Sunday School classes was that it is a sin because the Roman soldiers gambled at the foot of the cross.  They cast lots for Jesus’s clothing and casting lots was like rolling dice which is gambling and so it was and is a sin.  We also weren’t to play cards, use Ouija Boards, and never ever dance because that could lead to all kinds of sin and other bad things.  Of course, I tried them all and my friends told me my dancing was awful enough that it should be a sin.  I did roll dice when playing Monopoly and Parcheesi and I think I remember feeling a little guilty.             Now I wish at the time I had known then what I know now about Saint Matthias so ...

Epiphany 6C 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 St. Matthias February 17, 2019            I have always said that when I get to heaven – I get to be 6 foot 2!  I’ve always wanted to be tall and if heaven is a perfect place then I get to be 6 foot 2 or taller.  We know from the Gospel of John that there will be no pain or suffering in heaven and so I am pretty sure that means there will be no calories or heartburn or hay fever.  I expect I get my hearing back.  I must say that I was initially disappointed to learn that I don’t get to be an angel when I get to heaven because I wanted wings, but now I’ve decided that will get to fly anyway just like Superman.  Bishop Sloan says that your good dog will be there with you in heaven.            Heaven appears in the Bible about 620 times depending on which translation you are using.  The word “Hell” is found f...

A Note from Bishop Sloan Hello, friends This morning in my address to our Diocesan Convention, I called for the election of a Bishop Coadjutor, who we will elect to become my successor. It is my intention to continue to serve as your Bishop Diocesan until the end of 2020. You will be able to see and hear the address  here  or read it   here , but the essence of it is that I think it’s time for me to step aside for new leadership as we continue to share the Good News of the love of God in Jesus Christ in a changing world.  We will release more details about the process of nominating and electing the 12th Bishop of Alabama when they become clear, but it will likely take a year and a half or so, and after we elect and ordain the next bishop, there will be a few months of overlap so that the transition is orderly and smooth.   The part of us that is always on the lookout for something juicy or scandalous will have t...

Epiphany 4C Jeremiah, 1:4-10, Psalm 71:1-6 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Luke 4:21-30 St. Matthias February 3, 2019            When I look at the scripture readings for Sunday – usually on Tuesday – ONE usually kinda of jumps out at me.  Sometimes it doesn’t happen until I read them again on Wednesday.  I pray – I study – I may read through a past sermon to see what I thought 3 – 6 or even 20 years ago.  Usually – by Thursday – I have a pretty good idea what the sermon is going to sound like.  Finish on Friday – practice on Saturday – and then preach on Sunday.             But this week it hasn’t worked.  And it wasn’t because one of these scripture readings didn’t jump out – the problem was – they all did.  That just never happens.  Usually, there is at least 1 and maybe 2 of the readings that would end up being a long and boring serm...