Luke 24:13-35 I am struck today by how closely joy and sorrow live side by side. Certainly this was so with Cleopas and the other disciple as they made that long walk home to Emmaus that Sunday afternoon. One can imagine the two of them walking a path they probably knew by heart, caught up …
Tag: Luke
On the Lunar Eclipse and the Promises of God
Luke 21:5-19 “…and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven…” I got up extra early this morning to walk. I wanted to catch sight of the lunar eclipse which we will not witness again for another three years. When I first stepped out my front door, I couldn’t see it at all, …
All Saints Day: How God Sees
Luke 6:20-31 I have spent a good part of my life living near cemeteries, so from the time I was young it has been my habit to walk through those sacred places, pausing to wonder at the stories of those whose names and years are engraved in stone there. Nowadays when I walk it is …
On Mustard Seeds and Mulberry Trees…
Luke 17:5-10 It’s not about the mulberry tree, of course, although it is an apt metaphor for what Jesus speaks of now given the tenacity of its roots and its ability to sprout new ones given half a chance. Indeed, the very nature of the mulberry tree makes its complete uprooting all the more miraculous! …
Weighing the Cost…Following Jesus
Luke 14:25-33 I hear the words of Jesus now and I am struck by how close they hit to home. At least for me. Perhaps for you as well. Of how we come to junctures in our lives on which all the rest turns. As individuals, yes. As families. And as bodies of believers. As …
Bent Over No More
Luke 13:10-17 A couple of things strike me this time through as we encounter Jesus and the woman who was ‘bent over and quite unable to stand up straight.’ As always, I find myself joining her in praise of God once, with her healing, the whole world opened up to her again. Indeed, I rejoice …
The Rich Man and His Barns and All of Us…
Luke 12:13-21 I am waiting, still, to receive the full import of the gift of this, for it is still and every single time just plain hard, this piece, these pieces of the journey. I was sitting in the hospital room of a beloved friend not long ago. Like the rich farmer before us now, …
Ask…
Luke 11:1-13 “Ask and it will be given you…” I had this moment a few months back when I found myself praying for an actual miracle. Now this is not my usual way of praying, not even a little bit. I am more inclined to simply sit quietly. To lift up the needs without directly …
Sent
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 I am especially struck today by the profound risk Jesus asks his followers to take as he sends them on ahead. For it is risky, isn’t it, this call to step into the world with so little to protect them, to protect us, from the ‘wolves’ which will surely meet us there? …
Resurrection Remembered
Luke 24:1-12 I cannot help but think of how the awful events of those last few days must have erased so much from their memory as they walked to the tomb that early morning. Even that which they had believed they could not possibly forget. For while, no doubt, these women had encountered death countless …