Luke 12: 13-21 Someone in the crowd asked Jesus to tell the person’s brother to divide the family inheritance with him. This sounds like the story of the prodigal son. There was an inheritance. There was a son/brother who wanted his share of the inheritance before the father died. He got it. The person in…
When We Learn to Pray
Luke 11: 1-13 Jesus prayed and that prompted his disciples to ask him to teach them to pray. They asked him to teach them. A retired minister made it a practice to visit the parish school one day each week. The fourth graders were learning about the states, so when he dropped in on the…
Welcome Him In
Luke 10: 38-42 As I mentioned last week, to me, all of Luke chapter 10 prompts us, its readers, and hearers, to consider who we are and who we long to be as followers and disciples of Jesus. This story of Mary and Martha puts a simple cap on this consideration. Four friends went deer…
Who We Long to Be
Luke 10:25-37 Since I’ve been here, I’ve shared with you two scriptures that exemplify the simplicity of our faith. From Psalm 102 in The Message paraphrase we heard, “God heard the groans of the doomed and opened their death cells.” Today, we heard from Luke 10 to be merciful to the ones who need mercy….
A Story in Itself
I remember walking home from kindergarten holding my father’s hand. Our family church was where I attended kindergarten in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland. After we crossed Harford Road in front of the church and headed home, I asked my father what he thought it was like to be a preacher. He was silent for…
In the Unfamiliar
Luke 8: 26-39 As I’ve said several times from this pulpit I love reading and talking about the miracle stories in the Bible. This story from the gospel of Luke qualifies as a classic miracle of Jesus. There is clearly a problem. There is the action of our hero, and a clear cut resolution. Luke,…
Into All the Truth
John 16: 12-15 Once upon a time there was a piece of iron which was very strong. One after another, the ax, the saw, the hammer, and the flame tried to break it. “I’ll master it,” said the ax. Its blows fell heavily on the iron, but every blow made its edge more blunt until…
Not Quite There Yet
Acts 2: 1-21 A Sunday school teacher had cleverly taught her class to recite the Apostles’ Creed. Each student was assigned a portion of the creed to memorize and recite in order. It was the day for her class to recite the creed in worship. The first child began, “I believe in God the Father…
Staying Put
Luke 24: 44-53 Sometimes we do well waiting and sometimes we don’t do so well. One thing that distinguishes the human species from others is that we’re the only animals you’ll find standing in lines. That goes with the old joke. We shouldn’t trust banks with counting our money. If bankers can count, why do…
Jesus Promised
John 14: 25-29 In the first chapter of the book of Acts of the Apostles, Luke wrote, “After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1: 3). We’re in similar days in our times of worship…
Psalm 102 in The Message 