One of my favorite Gospel stories is Luke 24:13-35. Jesus comes on two men as they walk to Emmaus. They are feeling a sense of hopelessness because their hope, Jesus, had been crucified… and now his body was missing. NT Wright sums up the passage’s meaning:
Tag Archives: Gospel of Luke
The power of humility
“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”6 He replied, “If you have faith asContinue reading “The power of humility”
Three Key Words in Kingdom Life
We are working our way through the Gospel of Luke this week. In Luke 6 is a version of Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount.” In this part I find three key ways we are called to live in Kingdom power in this world.
The ministry of Jesus
As I meditate on Luke 6, I am drawn once again to the simplicity of Jesus’ ministry: Pray Raise up powerful disciples Teach Demonstrate the power of the Kingdom All of it flowed out of prayer. I love Luke’s emphasis on prayer. It causes me to cry out, “Lord! I need to learn to pray!”Continue reading “The ministry of Jesus”
The need for greed
We wrestle with consumerism and materialism. I take that back. Some have long surrendered, actually. We may even fake wrestling because, quite frankly, we like our stuff. But when I read these challenging verses out of Luke’s Gospel, I am left with an aching heart, quite honestly. I realized today the compelling force of whatContinue reading “The need for greed”
Basic Discipleship — Part Three
The past two weeks I have looked at basic discipleship from Luke 10-11 in my preaching. The first week was about proclamation (Luke 10:1-24). Last week (yesterday) was about loving the neighbor (Luke 10:25-37). But next week is crucial. Loving the neighbor was a tough one. But without the third part, it’s not just tough… it’sContinue reading “Basic Discipleship — Part Three”
Self justification
The model Jesus gives us for following him is incredibly simple… and difficult. Love him. Love people. Prepare for rejection. “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.” (Luke 10:16) This is simply bad news all the way around when we unpackContinue reading “Self justification”
The Pharisee in all of us
The incredible danger in my life is the lurking of the Pharisee. Reading the Common English Bible helps me identify that ugliness a bit better. Jesus told this parable to certain people who had convinced themselves that they were righteous and who looked on everyone else with disgust… (Luke 18:9) I am tempted in thisContinue reading “The Pharisee in all of us”
Living “in the moment” is like having ADHD Christianity
In my particular “tribe” of Christianity, there are good things about the experiential. We really do believe, or want to believe, that we can pray for healing (for example) and healing is possible. A particular “downside” is we tend to live for the “event.” We live for that powerful moment in a church service, aContinue reading “Living “in the moment” is like having ADHD Christianity”
Living in Jubilee
I am reading prayerfully through the Gospel of Luke and today found me in Chapter 7. It has been a chapter I’ve slowly worked through in prayer the last couple of days, and I imagine I may be here a little longer. It is a wonderful place to start a New Year. As I reflectContinue reading “Living in Jubilee”
Apprentice 2 Jesus 