Luke 12:13-21 I think many of us have become so wealthy in terms of worldly possessions that it’s difficult for us to hear the teachings of Jesus properly. I say this as someone who makes less than the average American and has 5 kids, and yet as one who considers himself to be among the rich of this world – even in terms of material possessions. I prefer to measure myself not just by those who have more than me... Read more
Luke 12:1-12 Have you ever had a crisis in your life that forced a clarity and simplicity into your life so that suddenly your priorities became crystal clear? It might have been a death in the family, the loss of a job, the birth of your firstborn, your marriage, etc. At such moments, we forget about all of the fluff and frivolity, and all of those little things we worried so much about are revealed to be cosmically insignificant. Sometimes,... Read more
Luke 11:29-36 I once wrote a poem that began: “Why are there 7 holes in my head?” The answer to that question (in prosaic terms) is “To take in God and be transformed and show Him to the world.” One way of looking at the purpose of mankind is to examine our lives in terms of being made in the image of God. God created us in His image and placed us in His Garden (while the dew is still... Read more
Luke 11:14-28 You might remember the Ajax White Knight, clad in silver armor, mounted on a white steed, and galloping valiantly down neighborhood streets zapping dirty laundry with his magic white lance to the tune of “Stronger than Dirt.” Apparently, the inspiration for the White Knight campaign originated in a dream that the ad creator, Joe Sacco, had one night. He saw a nightmarish world of housewives trapped in dungeons filled with dirty laundry, unable to escape the drudgery of... Read more
Luke 10:38-11:13 What I want to do this morning is to mention briefly some different ways that you could use the Lord’s Prayer. One of the challenges that we all have in praying the same thing repeatedly is to make the prayers new. The truth is, this is just as great a challenge for those who pray extemporaneously, who, when you hear them praying publicly, sound remarkably repetitive, Sunday after Sunday. The challenge for all Christians, whether you come from... Read more
Luke 10:25-37 It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood, A beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine? Could you be mine? . . . Please won’t you be my neighbor? Hi neighbor! Perhaps no one more than Fred Rogers, Mr. Rogers, has made us all aware of the idea of being a neighbor. Mr. Rogers had a certain friendly charm that invited people into his TV neighborhood. But sitting safely at home, watching the TV, may not by... Read more
Luke 10:1-24 “The kingdom of God has come near you.” This is Jesus’ proclamation to His disciples in both verses 9 and 11. I seem to remember that from somewhere. Computing . . . computing – come on-n-n-n brain! I’ve got it! Isn’t this what J the B said in Matthew 3 to prepare the way for Christ: “Repent! for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Isn’t that what Jesus said at the beginning of His public ministry in... Read more
Luke 9:46-62 “But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.” Well, that seems like a petty reason to reject Jesus! To understand what this means, especially to us, it’s always wisest to look at the larger context. At the beginning of Luke 9, Jesus sent out the 12, which is, in itself, a step up in the process of discipleship to which Jesus calls His disciples. After they have returned, He recruits... Read more
Luke 9:28-45 My all-time favorite opening sentence from a work of fiction (even better than “Call me Ishmael.”) has to be the first line from Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. It goes like this: “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.” Kafka proceeds, in a perfectly deadpan, Buster Keatonesque fashion to describe the sad fate of this transformation on the life of Gregor Samsa. This morning, however, we... Read more
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Monday of 6th Sunday in Trinity – Luke 11:37-54
Luke 11:37-54 Christianity is a challenging religion because it’s a comprehensive one. We don’t get to make choices about what to care about, because God cares about it all. And so we don’t need to decide whether the body or the soul is more important because God created both, cares about both, and is redeeming both. Likewise, we don’t need to make choices about whether to consider the outside or inside of our religion, because God cares about both. In... Read more