Creative Space for Wanderers
Read: I ordered a new set of reading glasses this morning, something I need, pretty common for people my age. My distance vision is great, but when I read, it’s a strain. This is quite a switch from when I was very young and couldn’t see the board at school. Eye doctors quickly figured out …
Read: In the moment, the disciples are unable to comprehend what Jesus is telling them. It’s so easy to look back and criticize them, but Jesus’ actions were unprecedented, no one did the things He did, well, that is the point, right? Here in the midst of some amazing teaching, Jesus takes the disciples aside …
Continue reading “Luke: Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time”
Read: Luke recalls a time when Jesus had the opportunity to interact with an authority figure, someone who carries the title “ruler.” Matthew’s account of this interaction notes this is a “young” ruler (), someone of social and civic prominence. It never ceases to amaze me how Jesus gets into these conversations. He gets invited …
Read: Luke makes a special note to address two particular groups of people in today’s passage: the self-righteous and children. The first comes in the form of a parable, the second is more direct. Both compel us to pause and consider these particular red-letter words from Jesus. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but this …
Continue reading “Luke: Self-Righteousness and Little Children”
Read: A few days ago we read about the shrewd manager, a nice way of referring to the guy who was about to get fired so he reduced the debt of his master’s clients to gain favor. Today we read a story where Jesus refers to a worldly character, in this case, an unjust judge, …
Continue reading “Luke: The Persistent Widow and the Power of Prayer”
Read: Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” The Left Behind series, among a host of fiction novels that explore this concept, dive into the end times, those days we look forward to with great anticipation and fear. In the next few paragraphs, I’ll make this all …
Read: Traveling on the border between Samaria (the forbidden) and Galilee (the promised), Jesus encounters a group of men with leprosy. Somehow they heard about His ability to heal this dreaded disease, so they broke the rules and sought Him out, though they were respectful enough to stand at a distance and called out in …
Read: What is discipleship all about? Sin, forgiveness, faith, and duty. The reading this morning encourages us to look at three aspects of discipleship, well, bullet points from Jesus’ presentation. Don’t cause someone else to sin: Forgiveness: Have faith: Do your duty: Causing someone to sin who is under your leadership is a tragedy that …
Read: It seems fitting that we should study this passage during the week that follows Easter. How many heard the message of the resurrection? Have we built relationships with those far from Christ to the point that they are open to hearing this incredible news? Jesus paints two portraits. The first is a rich man, …
Continue reading “Luke: The Rich Man and Lazarus — The Great Chasm”
Read: Just a few verses this morning, a pause between two lessons on money, compels us to rethink our perspective on riches of this world. Luke begins by clarifying that the Pharisees have an unhealthy love of money and their reaction to His lesson on the shrewd manager causes them to “sneer” at Jesus. I’m …