Jeremiah 1:4-10 Luke 4:21-30 A long time ago when I was a very young pastor just starting out, an older woman pastor took me to lunch. I don’t remember where we went, what we ate, or even very much of the substance of our conversation that day. But I do remember this. Before we left …
Tag: Luke
Going Home Again…
Luke 4:14-21 I would not presume to lay my experience alongside that of Jesus. And yet, I do know what it feels like to try to ‘preach’ in one’s hometown. I can remember preaching in a congregation not far from where I grew up. Afterward a woman came up to me and asked me if I …
Passing on the Faith
Isaiah 43:1-7Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 I sat in a meeting with our Confirmation Guides the other night. We were kicking around the truth that it’s harder to get young people to memorize than it used to be. (For that matter, memorization seems more difficult for all of us, reliant as we have become on electronic devices to store …
Stolen Baby Jesus
Luke 2:1-20 I grew up with a manger scene, of course… the very same one that still adorns my mother’s living room each Advent/Christmas season. My dad made ours out of plywood when we were children. There is a round hole in the back at the top of the wall where a Christmas bulb fits through: …
Hopes and Fears
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) “The Hopes and Fears of All the Years Are Met in Thee Tonight…” …. Phillip Brooks, 1867 …
A Winnowing Fork in Jesus’ Hand: Good News for Today
Luke 3:7-18 When I was in college I had a summer job working at Del Monte in my home town. Pea Pack would start mid-June and run deep into July. It was good work, although I have to say I was especially grateful to be assigned a job which was at least a little bit …
In the Wilderness with John
Luke 3:1-7 We meet up with John again every year in Advent. And we meet up with John always in the wilderness. It’s the wilderness part that has me thinking this year — remembering that the identity of the people of Israel was formed and shaped by forty years in the wilderness. Indeed, I expect that …
A Posture of Hope
Luke 21:25-36 “Now when these things begin to take place, stand and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28) It is unexpected, it seems to me— this kind of posture in the face of the struggle described in Luke’s Gospel now. Natural disasters are all about. People are fainting out of …
Who is your John the Baptist?
Luke 1: 57-80 I received word this week that Sister Teresa Ann had died. We had not been in touch these last several years. Still, she was an important influence in my life at a difficult time. In fact, in a much more gentle manner, she served as my ‘John the Baptist,’ clearing the way …
You Are Witnesses…
Luke 24:36-49 It’s just a couple of times that I have been called as a witness. Both times were in family court. Once was on a Christmas Eve long ago when I was asked to stand before a judge and describe the erratic behavior of the woman whose future was in question. Thankfully he stopped …