Luke 9:1-6

Luke 9:1-6 

English Standard Version 

  I remember how liberating it was to get my driver's license.  For 6 months, I hadn't been able to drive on my own as I learned how to drive.  And suddenly, there was freedom... and also no one to turn to for advice.  If I had questions... I was on my own.  I had to figure it out.  

  Jesus sends the apostles out on their own -- he gives them power and authority, but they're also completely dependent.  They take nothing -- no staff or money.  They depend on the community for everything.

  It's liberating in a way... but also terrifying, right?  They have to trust in Jesus.  It clearly worked -- they preached the Gospel and healed everywhere.  But those first tenuous steps... there was likely a little uncertainty there.  It's ok to have questions.  But they kept moving forward.

Luke 8:51–56

Luke 8:51-56

English Standard Version 

  The church should care for both body and soul.  Jesus models that here -- he performs a miraculous healing, and then he tends to her physical needs as well.  Both matter.

  So let us pray boldly for physical and spiritual healing.  We can't know that all will occur in the timeframes and ways we want.  But we know that both matter to Jesus, and so we can trust in Christ.

Ephesians 3 Sermon for February 22, 2026

Luke 8:49–50

Luke 8:49-50 

English Standard Version 

  There's so many different verses where I think that I've come across the most challenging teaching or command of Jesus yet.  This one is certainly on the list... Jairus has just found out that his daughter is dead, and the first thing that Jesus says is:  do not fear.  The only person who can say such a thing is one that knows that death is just a veil, not something permanent, not something definitive.  But that's a hard thing for us to grasp, and I'm sure that's why Jesus tells this directly to Jairus -- before the fear can sneak in and tear him apart, Jairus needs to focus on Jesus, to trust in him.

  I have questions as to why Jesus didn't do something before this, or why Jesus doesn't do this more often, or why Jesus doesn't intervene today... but those are questions where the answers remain shrouded in mystery.  For the moment, I try, in the midst of my fear, to hear these words of Jesus to me.  Do not fear, only believe.  In the midst of all the other voices trying to have me focus on them, in the midst of all the doubt that I have... do not fear, only believe.