Creative Space for Wanderers
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 …
Read: My friend, mentor, and wise sage, Greg Wiens, is consistently reading and learning from shrewd people in the world, something he encourages us to do as well. The parable of the shrewd manager invites us to learn from the world for the Kingdom’s cause. The story is intriguing. The conclusion is a test. The …
Read: One of the most familiar stories in the Bible, otherwise known as the prodigal son. This is every parent’s nightmare as well as every parent’s fantasy. Not that our children would squander whatever we give them, but that they would one day realize just how much we love them and the extent to which …
Read: Make no mistake, Jesus’ call to discipleship is serious and it begins with repentance. The decision to repent is significant. The first domino to fall in a succession of events we like to call sanctification. Luke recalls two of the many parables Jesus used to teach this point: the lost sheep and the lost …
Read: In Luke’s gospel account, we’re still far from events directly surrounding Easter, but Jesus is already talking about the cross. Take some time and read the passage linked above as we consider Easter. I have to believe that most failed to understand the significance of this line of thought when Jesus spoke these words: And …
Read: Once again we see Jesus addressing the Pharisees. After rolling my eyes and a deep sigh, I jumped into the passage with the expectation of reading a lesson for the ancient religious leaders and its relevance to today’s church. While that is evident – something not to miss – this morning I was drawn …
Read: What breaks your heart? I’m sure you could list a lot of things that move you to a place of serious mourning, especially those of us with children. There’s something special about the parent-child relationship that speaks directly to the heart. In this passage, Jesus laments for Jerusalem, the chosen city. His heart breaks …