Sermons on Luke
But what does it mean??
Readings: Amos 8:4-7, Psalm 113, 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Luke 16:1-13 As I was reading about our parable in preparation for preaching this morning, the opening line of the first book I read was, “None of the parables of Jesus has baffled interpreters quite like the story of the dishonest steward.”* Great. That’s exactly what I want to hear as I’m just…
Everyday Prayer
Sarah had been in a car accident. She was driving down the highway after getting coffee when someone pulled into traffic without looking, and although she’d survived and walked out of the hospital, she didn’t seem to be getting better. She was having trouble walking; her back and her hips hurt. Physical therapy and medication weren’t making things any…
Mary & Martha & You
Scripture: Luke 10:38-42 Our gospel passage for today is one of those times where I can see the merits of both sides. So often people read this passage and try to pit Mary and Martha against each other. Martha represents work and Mary represents contemplation; Mary was better than Martha; Jesus approves of Mary but not Martha. But it’s not as simple as that.…
The Good Samaritan?
When I say ‘Good Samaritan,’ you’d probably know what I meant even if I hadn’t read the passage from Luke just now (which, to be fair, doesn’t use the phrase at all). It’s a phrase we all know and have even used of someone who’s been especially kind or generous. But even though we all know this parable, I suspect, I think…
Given to Us
Scripture: Isaiah 9:2-7, Luke 1:26-38, Luke 2:1-20 We made it! We are here, at Christmas Eve. Even if you barely made it here, even if you still have a million things to do, you made it. We are worshipping, and safe, and able to enjoy the music and the people, no matter what went wrong earlier today or this week or this year. This last burst of preparations, and worry,…
Faithful and Rejoicing
Scripture: Romans 8:19-27, Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19, Luke 2:21-40 In honor of the new Star Wars movie that came out this weekend, I think it’s only reasonable to start this sermon with a story from Star Wars. Don’t worry–no spoilers! This is all old news. The Star Wars: Episode III movie finishes the tale of Anakin Skywalker’s fall to the Dark Side. He gives…
Jerusalem
Scripture: 2 Kings 25:1-12, Psalm 99:1-5, Isaiah 54:7-15, Luke 1:8-25 As you know, I’ve been preaching this Advent on forgotten characters from the Christmas Story. This week I chose Jerusalem, and so I’d like to do something a bit different: preach a story/sermon from Jerusalem’s perspective, as it were. I bet you didn’t even notice me, did you?…
Barren
Scripture: Isaiah 51:1-6, 1 Samuel 2:1-5, Luke 1:5-7, 24-25, 39-45 This Advent, as we prepare for Christmas, I am going to be preaching on some of the lesser-known characters in the Christmas story. These aren’t the ones who are in every Christmas play or most of the Christmas cards, but the ones who are at the edges of the story, the ones who briefly appear only to…
In Between
Scripture: 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15, Psalm 111, 2 Timothy 2:8-15, Luke 17:11-19 There is a concept in story-telling called the liminal space. It is an in-between space: you are between one place and another, or one stage of life and another. And things are always a little weird in a liminal space. It’s not quite like the first place, but you’re not all the way to…
What are we doing?
Scripture: Job 23, Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18, Philippians 4:4-9, Luke 18:1-8 Today I’m going to continue answering questions that you have submitted. The question for today was about prayer–and who among us has never wondered what prayer does, or how to pray well, or why we pray at all? So before I get into the question itself, I’d like to spend some time with…