Last week, we celebrated Palm Sunday by reading an account that included no mention of palms and not a single “Hallelujah” or “Hosannah!” We listened with fresh ears as Luke described a moment of social revolution, in which people briefly shed their concerns with status and worldly power. This week, we are going to celebrate Easter without anyone ever encountering the risen Jesus. Man…this Luke guy…he’s not making things easy for any of us.
Read MoreSo, I want to raise the bar a bit today. I want to challenge us to hear a familiar story—Palm Sunday—with a twist.
Read MoreOf all the things that I’ve missed in the last year, I think that I’ve missed dining with friends the most. Here’s my top three list of meals that I’ve missed…
Read MoreIt’s hard to really look at the bent over woman. On the one hand, there is that part of us that can’t help but look. We’ve seen people with bad posture but we’ve never seen anyone bent over quite like her. She’s doubled over at the waist. It’s the same part of us that can’t help but look as we are driving past a traffic accident “Whoa…how did that happen?” On the other hand, it is hard to look because we can’t help but feel for her. We can’t stop ourselves from imagining what it would be like to be her. We can barely stop ourselves from asking ourselves, “What if I was her?”
Read MoreLast week, we watched as Simon Peter and the other fishermen went from being spectators to being followers—disciples of Christ. Jesus looks Simon in the eye and says, “Follow me!” Simon leaves a whole life behind: his nets, his boats, his livelihood, his family, his friends, his village. To us, this is an astonishing act of faith. To the village and the family and friends left behind, at the least, this must have seemed to be a moment of madness. At its worst, this must have felt like a total betrayal. The village relied on Simon for food. His family and his friends loved him. How could he just leave?
Read MoreOne day, years ago, a friend of mine called. He said that he had been to the most amazing place on a business trip. I imagined that he was going to regale me with tales of great hotels and wonderful food, or of super successful meetings and interesting business partners. His tale involved none of that. Instead, he told me about the company trip when they went fishing. They went way up into the Northwest Territories of Canada, north of the sixtieth parallel. I was on the edge of my seat as he told the story of catching one trophy fish after another. I was stunned—literally stunned—when he said, “I want to go back there…with you!”
Read MoreSo, how do you tell people a story when everyone thinks they already know the ending? Seriously…sit with this question.
Read MoreThis Wednesday—Ash Wednesday—marks the beginning of the season of Lent. The word, “Lent” comes from the Latin word for “spring,” (There’s hope!) However, Lent, in Christianity, is the forty day period before Easter. Early on, Lent was a time for teaching new converts to Christianity who would then be baptized on Easter Sunday. In the evolution of Christianity, Lent has become a “back to the basics” time for spiritual discipline and renewal.
Read MoreSo, last week, we met John the Baptist on the banks of the Jordan River. His presence resonated with the best of the people’s history. His truth that he spoke carried us into the depths of Israel’s prophetic tradition. His presence was magnetic enough that the crowds who came to hear him were huge and the fears and paranoia of the authorities were growing by the minute. Actually, those fears grew with every person whom John took in his arms and laid back into those chilly waters…
Read MoreLast week, I pointed out that Luke is an amazing story teller. We are there at Jesus’ birth. We are with Joseph and Mary and the baby eight days later at the Temple. Then, the screen goes blank and the next time we see Jesus is when he is 12 years old and back at the temple again. Then, we don’t see Jesus for another 18 years. Ask yourself this…how much did you change between 12 and 30? What stayed the same about you?
Read MoreSo, for three weeks, we have listened to the stories of people who looked at a baby and saw the face of God. The wise men, Simeon, Anna…none of them heard Jesus speak a single word or do a single miraculous thing. True, they were in the right place at the right time, each for their own reasons. Still, though, in a few decades, lots of people would be in the right place at the right time and have no idea who Jesus of Nazareth really was. They looked into a baby’s eyes and saw the one who would change everything. That’s amazing…
Read MoreSimeon and Anna are eternally paired together. They both were present the day that Mary and Joseph showed up at the temple to make the required sacrifice on Jesus’ behalf. They both recognized who that baby was. They both are remembered by name in the Gospel of Luke. However, you would be hard pressed to find two more different people.
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