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 …
Category: Luke
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 …
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 …
Baptism as Initiation: The Start of Something New
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 It occurs to me now that the story of the Baptism of Jesus is one that appears every year at this time in each one of our lectionary cycles. Oh, we have the same experience at other times as well. Christmas, of course. And Easter. And Pentecost, too. And this. Oh the …
Something More: Defying Gravity and Other Thoughts for Christmas Eve
Luke 2:1-20 One almost can’t help but find oneself thinking about the cultural images of Christmas which surround us in these last days of Advent. Now there are certainly those who would hold fast to their certainty that Santa and his Reindeer and all the rest cloud the true meaning of the season. And while …
Like Mary Did
Luke 1:39-55 St. Mary’s Catholic Parish is right across the street from the congregation I serve. It is a busy street that divides us and so it is not often that I have reason to cross it to be in conversation with our neighbors. And yet, this fall I couldn’t help myself. For you see, …
Baptism with Fire: Now Who Shall We Be?
Luke 3:7-18 I trudged through the mall on Friday night. is not a place I frequent often, but at least once a year I make my way to the Hallmark Store to purchase my nephew’s Godchild ornament. I started this tradition his first Christmas and even though this is the 19th time I have done …