Sermons on Luke (Page 5)
With Understanding Comes Life
November 3, 2019 With Understanding Comes Life 21st Pentecost Psalm 119:137-144 November 3, 2019 Luke 19:1-10 Have you noticed how human beings have a tendency to “pigeonhole” other people? You know, find a little box in which we can neatly place others according to their “category.” I was talking to some pretty savvy high school students 10 or 12 years ago, and I asked them to identify the different groups they saw on campus. Here is a sample of their list…
A Chain of Thought
A Chain of Thought 19th Pentecost 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 Luke 18:1-8 What is your favorite kind of teacher? I’ll give you a couple of choices, and you decide which one you like best: A teacher who makes you uncomfortable, but helps you grow; or A teacher who confirms your current beliefs and makes you feel good. I could ask the same question about what kinds of things you like to read. Would you prefer: Something that sometimes challenges you, makes you stop and think?…
Godliness and Contentment
September 29, 2019 Godliness with Contentment 16th Pentecost Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16 1 Timothy 6:6-19 Sept. 29, 2019 Luke 16:19-31 If I had to name ONE thing that describes what Christian Faith is all about, I would have to say IT’S ABOUT LIVING THE GOOD LIFE! Really! Think about it—all of the concepts and components, all the principles and promises, all the encouragements and examples point in the same direction: how to “live large” in every aspect of life! After all, Jesus did say “I have come that you might…
Mercy for the Ignorant
Mercy for the Ignorant 14th Pentecost Psalm 14 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Luke 15:1-10 Every now and then I see a comic strip posted on Facebook called “Coffee with Jesus.” There are a variety of characters who have “conversations with Jesus” over a cup of coffee. It’s an interesting way to explore what it means to live out our faith. Just the other day, I saw this one: A man named Carl says, “I’m such a mess-up, Jesus. Bad husband, lousy father,…
Tearing Down, Building UP
Tearing Down, Building Up 11th Pentecost Jeremiah 1:4-10 Psalm 71:1-6 Luke 13:10-17 I once read a story about a father who had given his little daughter a necklace full of fake pearls—just play jewelry. She LOVED that necklace, and wore it very frequently. When she got just a little older, he bought a REAL pearl necklace for her—but he didn’t give it to her right away. He wanted to try something unusual. When he was tucking her into bed, he asked her if…
God’s Love Song
God’s Love-Song 10th Pentecost Isaiah 5:1-7 Hebrews 11:29-12:2 Luke 12:49-56 Those of you who are familiar with J. R. R. Tolkien’s story of The Lord of the Rings—either the books or the movies—will remember a scene where Frodo and Sam are working their way toward Mount Doom. Struggling through difficult situations, they keep plodding along to the one place where they can destroy an evil ring that Frodo carries. They are weary of this quest, and discouraged because things get more dangerous with every step. Then…
And God Keeps on Giving
And God Keeps on Giving 9th Pentecost Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 Luke 12:32-40 You’ve heard those old “Good news, bad news” jokes, right? Like the one where there are a bunch of men rowing a big galley to the beat of a drum, and the slave-driver has them stop long enough to make an announcement. “We’ve got some good news, and some bad news. First, for the good news: the Captain has ordered that every one of you is going to have…
What God Gives
What God Gives 8th Pentecost Hosea 11:1-11 Luke 12:13-21 I’m sure you’re familiar with a quote by George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It’s a great way to remind ourselves to learn our history lessons, and to let history inform our decision-making in the present. Well, for the next five weeks, I am going to be 1. Reaching back into some of the more ancient history in our faith; 2. Listening to what ancient prophets had to say to…
Keep Choosing Christ
Keep Choosing Christ 6th Pentecost Colossians 1:15-28 Luke 10:38-42 One day, a woman was having her hair done at a salon, and the conversation turned to God. The hairdresser voiced her belief that there must not be a God, because there was so much tragedy in the world—people being ill, children being abused, violence happening everywhere—you get the idea. “There must not be a God because God wouldn’t allow these things to happen.” The woman getting her hair done didn’t agree with this view,…
In Your Right Mind
In Your Right Mind 2nd Pentecost 1 Kings 19:1-15a Luke 8:26-39 Have you ever had experiences in which you felt like a stranger in a strange land? Where maybe you wondered if you were in a dream? Where things didn’t make sense as much as they normally do? A time when you might say, “We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto!”? I spent a summer in Georgia when I was 19, and the weather and the local attitudes and the strange speech…
Adulation!
Adulation! Palm Sunday Psalm 118:19-29 Philippians 2:5-11 Luke 19:28-40 Intro: You may know that the Japanese Imperial Army ran the deadliest prison camps in World War II. At one camp, starving military prisoners of war were huddled in dozens of bamboo huts. They had experienced terrible deprivation and cruelty under the iron fist of the camp commander. But it was Christmas! They had been told that there would be NO religious celebration in the camp. But about midnight,…
Welcome, Sinners!
March 31, 2019 Psalm 32 2 Cor. 5:16-21 Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 Intro: Home. HOME. I hope that, when I say this word, it conjures up for you images of peace and security and happiness. For some, home is a certain place, like a little village in Nova Scotia. For others, it’s a specific building. And for others, it is a person or group of people with whom one really feels “at home.” Like the young adolescent who had just discovered…