Luke 17:26–27

Luke 17:26-27 

English Standard Version 

  What were you doing before your life changed?  Many of us remember what life was like before 9-11, a turning point in our country and our world.  I remember getting up that morning and living an ordinary day, not thinking that everything was about to change.  What about other monumental days?  

  Jesus is talking about the days of the Son of Man, and he points people back to Noah.  When Noah was building the ark, no one thought everything would change.  They thought Noah was nuts, and they lived their ordinary lives, ignoring whatever God might be doing or calling them to do.  They didn't have the time or patience for paying attention to God -- everything was fine.  

  We often busy ourselves to the point that there's no extra room, sometimes even leaving God out.  We are eating and drinking and running around... are we missing the larger point, paying attention to how God is at work in the world and our lives?  Do not neglect to make time to listen to God.  God is calling, each and every one of us, whether we're listening or not.

Sermon on the Prodigal Son (Luke 15)

Luke 17:22–25

Luke 17:22-25

English Standard Version 

  The disciples must have been uncertain about the day of the Lord -- they were afraid they were going to miss it.  Here is Jesus, assuring them that it will be like lightning racing across the sky, something unmistakable that they cannot miss.

  But rather than stare into the sky and wait, there is much for the disciples to deal with in these present times, because there is much suffering in front of them.  I don't think this message ever resonated well with the disciples, no better than it resonates with us.  We don't like suffering, or really even the idea of suffering.  We want victory in Christ and we want it now! 

  Unfortunately, that's not how the Kingdom of God works.  It's not on our timing, and our minds cannot wrap themselves around the ways that God is at work.  God is infinite and eternal, and there's an element of trust that comes into play.  If we are to remain faithful, then we are called to trust God, even in the midst of our suffering.

Luke 17:20–21

Luke 17:20-21

English Standard Version 

  We were driving home the other night from Cincinnati and saw a massive storm ahead of us, with lightning and some rather imposing clouds.  We stopped for dinner, and by the time we were done, there was a huge rainbow going clear across the sky.  It was all very dramatic.

  That's what we expect when we think about the coming Kingdom of God.  The Pharisees were waiting for the same.

  Jesus tells us that the Kingdom often comes in quiet ways, and it's already in our midst, for in the coming of Jesus, the Kingdom has come.  There is much still in the future, but it's already breaking in, and we're invited to live into it in the here and now, to join with Christ in forgiving and loving and serving.  The Kingdom has come, and the transformation Christ offers us is available now, through the often quiet work of the Holy Spirit, calling us in our midst to live as disciples.