April 9, 2017 – Palm Sunday Luke 19:29-44 Triumphal Entry Even the Stones Jesus, make them stop, the priests say. Make them stop tell the story of what you have done. Make them stop, it’s Passover. Make them stop, you’re from Nazareth. Make them stop! Make them STOP! Jesus says no. Even if they stopped, Jesus says, the stones would shout out! Are we shouting…
April 2, 2017 – Fifth Sunday of Lent Luke 18:31-19:10 Zacchaeus To See and Be Seen Zacchaeus is a story from my childhood, and probably from many of your childhoods as well. A song that may now be running through your head, incessantly. Zaccheaus is a wee little man. A man who wants to see Jesus. And so, of course, he climbs up in the…
March 26, 2017 – Fourth Sunday in Lent Luke 16:19-31 Parable of Lazarus and the rich man Even If What does it take to convince us? The rich man, who dresses like royalty, and knows the name of Lazarus, but does not care for him, is clearly not convinced of what God requires. On the other side, he sure wants what he did not…
March 19, 2017 – Third Sunday in Lent Rev. Laurie Fields John 4:5-42 Proof #722 – Lord Speak to Me That I May Speak #173 – A Woman and a Coin #803 – My Shepherd will Supply My Need
March 12, 2017 – Second Sunday in Lent Luke 13:1-9, 31-35 Tower in Siloam and need for repentance, fig tree that bears no fruit Judgment and Pardon These are not fun passages. Why does someone suffer like this? Are they “worse” than us? We’d like to believe that, but Jesus won’t let us. But this does sound like us, doesn’t us? Those people deserve what’s…
February 26, 2017 – Transfiguration Luke 9:28-45 Transfiguration, healing a possessed boy To the top, and down They go to the top, and they see and hear impossible things. Voices from the clouds, long dead prophets, and blinding lights, bright white robes. And no matter how much they want to stay up there, they have to come down. And when they come down, they…
February 19, 2017 – Seventh Sunday After Epiphany Luke 7:36-50 Woman weeps at Jesus’ feet and is forgiven Dinner, Interrupted This is one of those few times when Jesus goes to the halls of power. He’s invited to dinner with a Pharisee, and he goes. And while he’s there, dinner is interrupted. A woman, a sinner, (not that that is much of a distinguishing…
February 12, 2017 – Sixth Sunday After Epiphany Luke 7:18-35 Tell John what you see and hear Go and Tell How are we to know who the Messiah is? We wonder that, and it appears that John wondered that as well. “Are you the one Or are we still to wait?” John knows the Messiah is coming, knows that he is sent to make a…
The kids tell us why we participate in the Souper Bowl of Caring and support the Marion Ministerial Alliance. A hint: It’s God.
February 5, 2017 – Fifth Sunday After Epiphany Luke 7:1-17 Raising the Widow’s Son Power and Authority How do we encounter Jesus? These passages show two very different encounters. In the first, the outsider (the centurion) actively seeks Jesus out on behalf of his slave/servant. You may hear echoes of the healing of Namaan in this passage. The centurion seeks Jesus out, asks for his…