Luke 20:9-12

Luke 20:9-12 

English Standard Version 

  If you owned the vineyard, how would you react?  Would you keep sending servants?  Your patience would certainly be thin after the first was rejected, and you might well blow your top after the second.  When the second one was rejected, you might simply send in the troops.  Would you exercise patience and continue sending servants?  

  One of the lessons that Jesus is teaching us about God is that God has tremendous patience for us.  God continued to send prophets, even when they were rejected and ignored.  God didn't give up on us.  God loves us too much to leave us, which is what leads God to come in Jesus Christ so that we might find healing and wholeness and hope.  

  Thanks be to God for the tremendous patience God shows -- Paul tells us in Romans 2 that 'God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?'

Luke 20:1-8

Luke 20:1-8 

English Standard Version 

  Here we see the chief priests and scribes trying to trick Jesus.  They aren't genuinely interested in the answer... they simply want to make Jesus look bad.  

  Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus engaging with all sorts of people.  Some of them know religion, some do not.  Look at Zaccheaus -- he is honestly seeking Jesus, and Jesus goes in to his house and eats with him.  The same is true of Nicodemus -- he comes with honest inquiry, uncertain of what it means when Jesus is teaching.

  These individuals are not coming honestly.  They have an agenda.  

  So when you have big questions, do not be afraid to ask them.  Seek with an open and honest heart.  Ask tough questions.  Christianity has the intellectual depth to engage with your questions as you seek the Truth.

Luke 19:45-48

Luke 19:45-48

English Standard Version 

  There's only 1,000 different conclusions as to what it means for Jesus to drive the traders out of the temple.  The temple economy and the trading that took place was important to the activity of the temple, but things clearly weren't serving the purpose that the temple was built for -- it wasn't serving as a meeting place for the people and God.  Something was getting in the way, so Jesus clears it out, and then he remains, teaching daily.  He is filling the space with his Word, so that the people can hear the teachings of God.  

  There's things in all of our lives that interfere with our connection with God.  Are we willing to be honest and admit the places where we fall short, and find a way to let God's Word fill that space in our lives?

Luke 19:41–44

Luke 19:41-44 

English Standard Version 

  Jesus has foreknowledge of the destruction that is coming to Jerusalem in 70 AD. Roman forces will besiege and destroy much of the city, and Jesus has heartbreak for the devastation that will occur.  

  It's an important aspect of our faith to hold onto -- God weeps when destruction is visited upon God's people.  God made the world and all that is in it, and it is all precious to God.  In an age where we are bombarded by bad news from all over the world, it's easy to become numb to it.  But God still feels pain for the tragic loss that occurs around the world.  May we remember that and let it soften our hearts as we seek to follow Christ and love the world the way God loves it.

Sermon for Sept 27 on Philippians 2

Political Ads and the Gospel

Luke 19:35-40

Luke 19:35-40 

English Standard Version 

  One of the things that's interesting here is that the Pharisees are trying to have Jesus hush the disciples, but Jesus acknowledges the reality -- God will be praised.  

  Sometimes, it's easy to praise God.  The sun is shining and life is grand.  

  Other times, it's harder.  Things are going against us.  But this doesn't mean that God has abandoned us, or that God doesn't care.  It simply means that God is at work in ways we cannot understand, but God is still mighty and good, even when we cannot comprehend it.  God will be praised, and creation itself will praise the God who has made it.  When we are silent at times, the song of praise continues, unabated, until such a time as we rediscover the words and our hearts learn to praise God once more.  

Luke 19:28–34

Luke 19:28-34 

English Standard Version 

  The Lord Jesus Christ is, without a doubt, the most powerful human being who ever lived.  He has the power to create the universe through his speech, and we'll see here in a few chapters that he can conquer death.

  And yet, he rides an ordinary colt in to Jerusalem.  He didn't come on a mighty warhorse meant to intimidate all those who were near.  He rode something that was on their level -- he didn't want to be separated from the people.

  We don't know much about the people who provided the colt.  They were likely ordinary, too.  Did they realize that their animal would be discussed for thousands of years?  I doubt it.  They were simply filling their role, doing what they were called to do, perhaps not even wondering what the long-term consequences of their actions would be.

  We are mostly ordinary people, with ordinary gifts.  But God can and does use them, all the time, and they have eternal repercussions.  That's one of the great things about being a part of the eternal church -- the ways we serve and love echo over generations.  

  So treasure your ordinary gifts, and use them wisely.  They'll linger in the halls of heaven forever.

Cookies and the Gospel

Luke 19:20–27

Luke 19:20-27 

English Standard Version 

  In summary, what do you believe is the defining characteristic of God?

  The servant here believes that his master is a severe man, and so his fear drives him to act in a certain way.  Everything is shaped by his fear of the master.  Imagine how this might have been different if he believed that his master was kind and gentle -- he would've thought differently about the money that was entrusted to him.

  In the same way, our belief about God will shape how we live and act.  If we believe that God is harsh and severe, then we'll respond in fear.  We'll be enveloped by it, and will think about obedience in terms of how we can avoid punishment. 

  If, however, our belief about God is that the same God who comes to judge is the God who comes to save, and we read the New Testament and see a God there who comes searching for us, then we'll respond differently.  We'll be motivated by love and gratitude rather than fear.  

  So what do you believe?  What does the broad witness of Scripture tell you about God?  It's important that we read widely and form that belief for ourselves, for we'll act out of that over all our days.

Sermon on Philippians 1 for September 20

Luke 19:16–19

Luke 19:16-19 

English Standard Version 

  Do you measure yourself against others?  It feels like this happens a lot in our culture -- we're always looking around to see how we're doing compared to others.  It's only natural that we assume that God is doing the same --  measuring us against the competition.

  But the master here doesn't scold the servant for only making five minas.  There is satisfaction and reward.  We are expected to be faithful stewards, and that looks different for each of us.  Stop worrying that your life and ministry don't look like someone else's life and ministry.  You have particular gifts for your particular call.  You are equipped for ministry that only you can do, so go and do that.  Serve and love the world in a way that only you can.  No one else can do what you are uniquely gifted to do.

Luke 19:11–15

Luke 19:11-15 

English Standard Version 

  Who here loves waiting?

  Most of us don't get terribly excited about the prospect of waiting.  We want things now, and the modern economy does a fantastic job of reinforcing immediate gratification.  The challenge for the economy now is to perfect same-day delivery, because next-day simply wasn't good enough.  We've got to get faster!

  Jesus is talking about a ruler who has gone away, and his followers were charged to wait faithfully.  This is the mission of the church -- our ruler has come, and yet he has departed, and we're charged to wait faithfully.

  What will we do while we wait?  How will we serve in the meantime?  What gifts has God given us, and how will we use them while we wait for Christ's kingdom to come in fullness?

Luke 19:5-10

Luke 19:5-10 

English Standard Version 

  Going through these section by section, it stands out how much grumbling there is in the Gospels.  People are always grumbling at what Jesus is doing and how he is doing it with.  Here is Jesus, healing people and changing lives dramatically... and rather than applause from everyone, he hears grumbling.  Remember that when you're pressuring yourself to keep everyone happy!  

  The people are grumbling because Jesus is granting legitimacy to Zacchaeus by dining with him while he's still a sinner, but it's a remarkable pattern that Jesus is establishing.  Jesus doesn't wait for Zacchaeus to change his life before dining with him.  Jesus goes in to eat with him, and then his life changes.  

  He does the same with us, too.  May we receive Jesus and fully acknowledge our broken state.  We are not worthy of the King, but he makes us worthy by coming to us.  Such is his unconditional love.  We are broken, but we are his and we are precious to him.  He has come to seek us out, and may we celebrate as he finds us, in whatever state he finds us.

Luke 19:1–4

Luke 19:1-4 

English Standard Version 

  The Gospels give us lots of stories about a variety of people -- some very rich, some very poor, to demonstrate the desperate need that all people have for grace.  Modern America would have some of us think that we're isolated from need... but the Bible knows better.  It understands humanity better than we do, because it was inspired by the same God that created humans in God's own image.

  Zaccheaus is one of the ones who is very rich, but he has recognized that his wealth has not filled the hole he has in his life.  He needs God, and so he goes looking.  He cannot see Jesus due to the crowd, but he is so driven that he climbs a nearby tree in the hopes of getting a glimpse of Jesus.  In a society where it was considered shameful to run and show your legs (thus part of the scandal of the parable of the Prodigal Son when the father runs to his son), I can't imagine they'd look kindly on a man climbing a tree.  But Zaccheaus doesn't care.  He needs to see Jesus.

  Zaccheaus doesn't realize that all along, Jesus has been looking for him.  Tomorrow, we'll read about the surprising way that Jesus calls out to Zaccheaus.  Who is seeking who?  God is seeking you.  God is on the move, reaching out to you before you can even form the thoughts and motions to seek him out.  This is how God's love works -- God reaches out to us, and we respond to God.

  Thanks be to God for such wondrous love as this.

Luke 18:40-43

Luke 18:40-43

English Standard Version 

  How would you answer Jesus' question?

  Sometimes when we pray, we can be very vague and non-specific.  When you're praying for something, ask God directly for it, whatever it may be.  One of the things we see throughout the Psalms, the prayerbook of the Bible, is that the Psalmist can be very upfront and honest with God.  Sometimes, I read them and think that perhaps something could have been worded differently... but then I remember, who am I to judge?  That was on the Psalmist's heart, and so he prayed it.  

  May we take after the Psalmist, and may we follow the example of the blind man.  Just because we ask, that doesn't mean that we'll receive, but we should be direct when we pray and ask God specifically.  May we pour ourselves out honestly before God at all times.

Luke 18:35–39

Luke 18:35-39 

English Standard Version 

  What I love about this blind man is that he refuses to let the pressure of others change his interactions with Jesus.  Think of all the ways that disappointment, embarrassment, and pressure changes the way you act.  We like to blend in with the crowd.

  This man was desperate, and he was not about to let the pressure of the crowd disrupt his relationship with Jesus.  May we all have such a single-minded focus on Jesus, that praying to God is sitting so heavily on our minds and hearts that we simply pray, aloud or silently, whenever necessary, such that God hears our prayers.

Western Michigan, Big 10 officiating, and the Gospel

Luke 18:31–34

Luke 18:31-34

English Standard Version 

  Have you ever tried to assemble something from IKEA with those instruction booklets and you're staring at the picture and it seems like it should make sense but it just doesn't and you have no idea what the next step is?

  That's the world the disciples are in during this passage, and it's often a similar place we end up in.  It feels like we have faith, and therefore the next step of life should make sense.  

  But sometimes, we understand none of these things.  It doesn't make sense why something happened when it seemed like something else should have happened.

  The disciples were still thinking that Jesus was going to lead a triumphant victory over the Roman army.  They expected victory.

  Crucifixion was not in the cards in their minds.  Jesus was talking about death, but they didn't grasp the fullness of what would seem like defeat.

  That defeat would go on to be the first step in a massive victory over sin and death, but the path to get there didn't make sense to the disciples, any more than the path we wander in life sometimes doesn't make sense at all.

  But just because we cannot make sense of it, this does not mean that God is not at work.  Stay on the road with Jesus, take the next step, and entrust the destination to God.

Sermon on the Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18)