Creative Space for Wanderers
Read: The second half of the Last Supper narrative in Luke is much more controversial. Jesus starts out by talking about the betrayal that has been planned for some time, then the disciples quibble over designated parking spots followed by Peter’s bold assertion, Jesus’ prediction of his denial, and then some final warnings. Whew! There’s …
Read: The first part of the Last Supper in today’s reading includes preparation for the meal and the serving of the bread and wine. The gospel writers each give us a different perspective on events during this significant evening and there is much to consider. I hope you find some time and space to linger …
Read: The balance of chapter 21 is titled, The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times. Mostly red letters, the words of Jesus, are meant to motivate us to be courageous as the world falls apart. Mostly. Some quotes make me pause. Entire books have been written on the Olivet Discourse, so …
Read: Most of this passage is focused on the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem as prophesied hundreds of years before. The text contains highlights of the momentous occasion, songs, and joyful celebration as well as tears from Jesus as He reflects on the future. Let that last thought sink in for a moment. Only …
Read: Interestingly, just after we read about Zacchaeus’ conversion, Jesus continues with a parable that uses money management to make His point. Much like Matthew’s account (), Luke presents three servants to depict those who do and those who do not. From the outset, it’s important to appreciate this is not a parable of the …
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: 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 …