Luke 18:31—19:10        There are three acts in this passage that all have a similar theme. The start of the passage has Jesus talking to the disciples about what will happen in Jerusalem. It isn’t great news, and the disciples don’t understand it. Luke even says that the meaning is hidden from them. They get that Jesus is special, but they don’t get…

Luke 15:1-32 What is an acceptable loss? Most of us make decisions and end up sometimes making the wrong decision or having to turn away from things. We make career decisions, we buy things, we invest time in people, all of which can vanish in a moment. We walk away from things that end up as losses all the time. We lose…

Luke 13:1-9, 31-35              These two passages sandwich around a passage about the Sabbath. At the beginning we get the setup for how ruthless Pilate is, and at the start of the second passage, we get warnings about Herod. Those are two of the local political powers that we heard about back at the baptism of Jesus (ch. 3).            It appears…

Luke 10:25-42                         Old story, 2 old stories. Familiar stories. Reimagine these stories for today. Veteran by the side of the road with cardboard sign instead of man in the ditch, those fleeing danger, and those who are in need. What about the Samaritan – who would be that person for us, for you?            What’s the real message in the…

Luke 9:28-45            Transfiguration doesn’t just happen on the top of the mountain. That’s where we remember it, and that’s what we name the liturgical day after, but it doesn’t just happen on top of the mountain.     At the bottom of the mountain, a man’s son has been transfigured. No longer the beloved son, but is now possessed of an…

Luke 7:1-17        The centurion recognizes in Jesus someone with power to heal. The Elders recognize the centurion as someone who has been good to them and to their community. Jesus recognizes a request for help, and starts to walk over. The centurion recognizes the authority in Jesus when Jesus is not quite yet to the house. Jesus recognizes faith. Next, Jesus…

Luke 6:1-16                 The Sabbath is an important commandment. It sets the weekly calendar, and ends up being the day around which the world revolves, and the cycle of life. The Sabbath is a day to calculate around, plan off of, and always be aware of. This is the day that Jesus gets in trouble on and for.      By now,…

Luke 5:1-11                    Jesus goes out in a boat. He goes out in a boat because there are so many people who want to hear his teaching. So he gets in Simon’s boat, and pushes back from the shore. He teaches, and when he’s done, he tells Simon where to fish. Simon tells Jesus that they’ve been trying that. As a…

Luke 4:14-30                                           Jesus comes back to Nazareth, preaches and is not well received. There’s a lot of human behavior happening here. There’s the inability to imagine God being right here, or a small town boy done that good. There’s a fear of God getting this close. There’s an assumption of arrogance.            Jesus has a response for all of it…

Luke 3:1-22             John baptizes, bear fruit worthy of repentance, share what you have. Note – this sermon was preached the week of the insurrection and coup attempt at the US Capitol building.            John the Baptist is a neat character. He’s related to the Messiah, and is in the same line of work. On a certain level, John is the last…