Luke 12:13-21 The parable Jesus offers now is surely about an individual and choices he has made. And yet, I have found myself thinking instead about the choices we make collectively as God’s people about our ‘barns’ and all they hold. About what matters and what doesn’t. About what it means for us together to …
Category: Luke
In the Presence of the Holy: Mary and Martha
As you will note in the examples offered below, this blog reflection was first posted in July of 2016. While the headlines are different, It seems the stories and their potential meaning are much the same. May these words still be a blessing to you. — Pastor Janet Luke 10:38-42 I found myself walking under …
The Samaritan: Where is God at Work in the World?
Luke 10:25-37 I will admit that it can be challenging to hear this parable of Jesus and actually hear anything new. We have heard it so many times, of course, and more than that, there are so many overlays of interpretation and understanding — both cultural and otherwise — that it can be difficult to …
On Pigs and Sacrifice and Foreshadowing…
Luke 8:26-39 Now, I do know, of course, that this story is not really about the pigs. Even so? Whenever this Gospel from Luke rolls around, I find myself focusing on them all over again. And yes, I know that most commentators consider this a throw away detail, and perhaps it is. For it is …
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector: What’s Underneath
Luke 18:9-14 We’ve had some road construction done on our street over these last couple of weeks. As of this writing, they had taken the pavement down to the original bricks and put down the first layer of pavement. The had replaced much of the curbing at the intersections — including the cuts in the …
The Tenth Leper and How God is Already at Work in the World
Luke 17:11-19 I find myself thinking of the ‘faith of the outsider’ this week as we pause in the familiar story of Jesus’ healing of the ten lepers now. For while are surely called to focus on the powerful gift of Jesus’ healing as demonstrated in this story, what stands out is the grateful response …
“We Have Only Done What We Ought to Have Done”
Luke 17:5-10 I was all of five years old when I became suddenly ill. My mother called the doctor who said to get me to the emergency room. My dad came home from work to get me there. I can still recall the sensation of him scooping me up in his arms and carrying me …
“God is My Help”: Seeing Lazarus
Luke 16:19-31 It seems to me that in the story before us now, the sin of the rich man begins here: He did not see Lazarus. Or at least he did not see him as more than an extension of himself and his own needs — particularly at the end. For if he had seen …
Yin Yoga and the Power of Parable
Luke 16:1-13 I tried out Yin Yoga this afternoon. Now many of you have heard me speak of my experience of yoga before. I am, perhaps, the most physically inflexible person you know. Yoga is always hard. It always hurts. Still, I keep returning to it because the stretching, the posing, the breathing, opens something …
Getting Lost and Getting Found: Joy in the Presence of the Angels!
Luke 15:1-10 I hate getting lost. For others it may be an adventure, I know, but I am one who is thrown into a state of panic when I do not recognize my surroundings. Or when I recognize my surroundings but know they are not where I am supposed to be. Indeed, I am profoundly …