These 9 verses that begin chapter 13 of Luke end a collection of Jesus’ teachings that starts at the beginning of chapter 12. Wherever Jesus is in rural Galilee, Luke writes in 12:1 that the crowd has reached numbers in the thousands and become so large that the people have begun trampling each other in… Read More »

As we continue our series, Seeking God’s Ways, we step into another dimension of trust this morning. Last week, we explored the story of Jesus’s temptation in the wilderness and how trusting in God’s ways, trusting in God’s will for this world, alters our need for security and transforms it into generosity. We are often… Read More »

Hear these words again from Isaiah 55:6-9 in another translation: “Seek me, YHWH, while I may still be found; call upon me while I am near! Let the corrupt abandon their ways, the evil their thoughts. Let them return to YHWH, and I will have mercy on them; Return to God, for I will freely… Read More »

Called and chosen, the same title that I used two weeks ago for the story of Jesus, the fishermen, and the great catch of fish, a story that we have all heard at one time or another. Our text this morning is just a few verses later in Luke 5. After Jesus leaves the shore… Read More »

Last Sunday’s scripture ended on a bit of a sour note. Jesus is on his way to Capernaum, having avoided the wrath of his hometown after telling them that their covenant-god was extending grace to not only them but to all people, even the gentiles, even the oppressive Roman soldiers and leaders, even the imposter… Read More »

You may or may not remember that this morning’s message is really part 2 of a message that I offered you all 2 weeks ago. We looked at the first half of our passage, verses 14-21, on that Sunday. My title was Reading and Proclaiming, using Jesus’s example of reading aloud the verses from Isaiah… Read More »

Today, we step away from Jesus early ministry in Galilee from last Sunday, and we join Jesus and his disciples at the Passover meal, a yearly celebration and reminder of how the ancient Israelites had been saved by God and freed from slavery in Egypt. We are shadows in the room as Jesus and the… Read More »

Consistent spiritual disciplines or habits of spending time with God have always been difficult for me. I love to read and read about scripture. Sitting in God’s presence and offering the concerns, needs, and praises of the community brings me hope and fresh energy. I have found that beyond bible study and prayer, we can… Read More »

Several years ago, Morgan and I took a trip to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. West of Denver, we came to the Eisenhower Tunnel, which cuts through the mountains of the continental divide. When we came out of the tunnel still heading west, we noticed a sign sitting to the right of the road, warning… Read More »

At this same time last year, I shared about my experience of baptism as a young person. In the church calendar, today is the first Sunday after the Epiphany when the wise men visited Jesus as a toddler. We celebrate and study Jesus’s experience of baptism today as a reminder of our own baptism. The… Read More »