Messages on Gospel of Luke
Christmas Day 2022
“For unto us a child is born…” Join us for Christmas morning worship. This was a very informal “carols by request” service with a brief meditation by Pastor Wayne. Merry Christmas everyone!
Mary: Touched By An Angel
Happy New Year, you brood of vipers! This Sunday, we begin a new liturgical year in the church. Typically, we would be dealing with either the prophecies or, in this case as we move to the Gospel of Matthew, we would hear from John the Baptist as he addresses the “brood of vipers” who have come to hear him prophecy. However, that will not be the case for this year. This year, we will concentrate on the story. In this…
Gulf Is Crossed
As we conclude this series, “Having Words With Jesus,” we find ourselves seeing the world as we know it being turned upside down. This Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) condemns the Rich Man to Hades and elevates Lazarus, the beggar who sought relief outside the gate of the Rich Man, to a place of status in Heaven in the company of Father Abraham. The kin-dom of heaven exemplifies a world turned upside down as expressed in…
Debts Are Tossed
We continue our series, “Having Words With Jesus,” with this look at Luke 16:1-13. We refer to this as the “parable of the dishonest manager.” It is truly a confusing look at Jesus’ teaching… or is it?
Finding the Lost
The theme for this morning’s worship service is found in the parables found in Luke 15:1-10. The parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin. Jesus was dealing with the noise from the naysayers who were critical of the persons with whom Jesus associated. They weren’t the “right folk.” He tended to hang out with “those people,” the undesirables and the sinners. So he tells stories about celebrating when the lost, the disconnected, the disassociated are reunited with group.…
Counting the Cost
This morning, we begin a new lectionary based sermon series for the month of September: Having Words With Jesus. We’ll be taking a look at the hard sayings of Jesus as found in the Gospels. Our first look this morning is at Luke 14:25-33. Right from the start, this is a problematic verse as Jesus tells the crowd, “Whoever comes to me and doesn’t hate father and mother, spouse and children, and brothers and sisters—yes, even one’s own life—cannot be…
Palm-Passion Sunday 2022
The Sunday before Easter is traditionally referred to as “Palm Sunday.” We celebrate the triumphant entry into Jerusalem with palm branches and shouts of “hosanna!” In recent years, it has become more common to also remember the Passion of Jesus. By doing so, we walk with Jesus through all of Holy Week and end at the tomb. This gives us a real picture of the heights and depths of what occurred in that week. Our worship service is a hybrid…
Reconciliation
Welcome to the 4th Sunday in Lent. We continue our series Character and Calling with a focus on reconciliation. The primary texts are 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 and Luke 15:1-3, 11-32, a parable that is better known as The Prodigal Son. There were some minor technical issues that caused the audio to drop out for about 5 seconds toward the end.
Holy-Ness
Welcome to the third Sunday in Lent. Our scriptures today are:Isaiah 55:1-9Psalm 631 Corinthians 10:1-13Luke 13:1-9 Our focus is on holy living. That’s why I chose this title that will make all of the English teachers in the congregation cringe. Because when we focus on the Holy, when we put our trust, our focus, and our faith in God, then we begin to reflect the image of God that lives within us.
Seeing the Glory
The world is in a dark place as we gather for worship this morning. Russia is invading Ukraine because Vladimir Putin is consumed with power and the desire to recreate the Soviet Union no matter the cost. Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy. Our Gospel lesson is Luke 9:28-36. It is the story of the transfiguration of Jesus, a moment of transformation that was seen by some of the disciples as Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus…
