Luke 23:1-49 It has long been our practice to share the Passion on Palm Sunday. Some years we have read the ‘long version’ with a narrator reading the bulk of the story and individuals stepping to microphones to share the words of Pilate, Herod, the two criminals who hung beside Jesus, the centurion who speaks …
Tag: Luke
A Man Had Two Sons…How Will the Story End?
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 I went and joined our 4th and 5th graders at camp yesterday morning. My role was easy compared to those who went along to chaperone. I just showed up on a Saturday morning to take a hike with them and to cheer them on. It felt good to be out in the …
Knee Deep In Manure and Grateful That God Is Not Done Yet
Luke 13:1-9 “At that time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. Jesus asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will …
Counting Stars, Standing Firm in the Lord, Gathered Under the Wings of Jesus
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 Philippians 3:17-4:1 Luke 13:31-35 A few days back, I sat down with a woman who is an avowed atheist. She shared where she was on the spectrum of faith without apology. I found that I respected and liked her immediately for her forthrightness. Indeed, I am confident this was not the first …
In the Wilderness: Claiming What Matters Most
Luke 4:1-13 Now this is so. Either as preacher or as one in the pew, I have paused in the story of Jesus in the wilderness on the first Sunday in Lent my for as long as I can remember. This is also so. For all the times I have spent in wonder at this …
The Transfiguration: Back Here on Level Ground
Luke 9:28-43a You can’t blame Peter, not really. Who wouldn’t want to try to hold on to the wonder, the joy, the hope that he and James and John must have experienced on that mountaintop that day? To be bathed in all that light? To have all the pieces come together in that vision of …
“Blessed” Are the Poor…
Luke 6:17-26 This is a shallow example, I know, but it is where I am beginning as I stand still in Jesus’ preaching now. I spent ninety minutes a few days back in the dentist’s chair. I am being fitted for a crown, you see. I have had other crowns before. Normally the whole process …
Putting Myself in Simon’s Shoes and Getting Out of the Boat
Luke 5:1-11 It’s not about the fish, of course. It is about Simon’s willingness to follow Jesus’ direction, even though he surely knew a whole lot more about catching fish than Jesus did. It is about the abundance. It is about the response of those who pulled those breaking nets fish aboard their boats. Mostly, …
God’s Call: Jeremiah, Jesus, and You…
Jeremiah 1:4-10 Luke 4:21-30 Truth be told, I did a few rounds with Jesus in the synagogue with his former neighbors in Nazareth before I flipped the page and decided to start at the beginning with Jeremiah. Oh, in the end we do wind up in pretty much the same place, but even so, it …
Release to the Captives
Luke 4:14-21 On Wednesday afternoon, I sat in the waiting room at our county jail. My appointment was for 3 pm. I had pulled into the 1 hour visitor parking space out front, made my way up the elevator to the 2nd floor and alerted them to my presence by pushing the intercom button to …