Month: February 2016

Two Sons: How Will the Story End?

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 There was a man who had two sons… It is “fiction,” of course. Or at least it is not “the truth” in the ways we are most accustomed to thinking of “truth.” For we are told right up front that Jesus is telling stories now. And yet, the characters, the scenario, the …

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How Much Does It Cost?

Isaiah 55:1-9 It comes from a long time back, this story. I was on my seminary internship in Wahoo, Nebraska. It was the practice then for area Lutheran pastors (and interns) to take turns leading a monthly communion service at a local nursing home. These services were held in the lounge at one end of …

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Not Too Late

Luke 13:31-35 I got called to the hospital late after a meeting on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. A woman was entering hospice care. Most of her grown children were there. Some live nearby. Others had traveled a great distance and were here for the duration. “Mom is troubled,” they told me. “She thinks she …

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Tested

Luke 4:1-13 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted (or tested) by the devil. (Luke 4:1-2) Surely it is hard for most mere mortals to comprehend or relate to the strength and fortitude of Jesus as …

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