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Jesus Doesn’t Teach Them How To Pray
Let’s be honest. The disciples asked Jesus how to pray. How. Not what. How. Teach us how to pray! They ask him. Jesus responds to their request with “When you pray, say:” Jesus doesn’t teach them how to pray. Proper 12C | Luke 11:1-13 If we remember back in chapters 9 and 10, Jesus is…
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Jesus, Mary, and Martha
This story sticks with me. It always has. There’s something about it which tickles and fascinates. What is Jesus getting at with Mary? What is she doing which causes her to be doing the “right” thing? What is Martha getting wrong? Proper 11C | Luke 10:38-42 Several years ago, a friend who was an engineer…
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The Encounter With the Lawyer
The most important part of the passage about the Good Samaritan in Luke may not be the parable itself. It is the two questions which provoke its telling. What must I do to inherit eternal life? And who is my neighbor?’ I usually enter the gospel by reading over the last chapter. I want to…
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Power From Below
Here a story of the powerful commander, the two kings who don’t have the right kind of power, and slaves, servants, and disciples who bear the very power of GOD. GOD’s Alternative Power SourceProper 9C | 2 Kings 5:1-14, Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 We’re given a gift today. On this weekend, as our minds turn toward…
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Identity Politics
While Jesus tries to help them see what he is up to, they struggle to get past his identity. Even his closest followers are confused by who he is supposed to be. How fighting over the nature of Jesus prevents us from following Him.Proper 8C | Luke 9:51-62 Who is Jesus? Last week, we…
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When Love Overcomes Fear
For he was not only feral: he was naked. Not even human. But when they see him, he is clothed and “in his right mind.” Instead of feeling joy and excitement, they fear him. They fear Jesus. They fear that he actually is human. A restored humanity and the work of restoring the whole communityProper…
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The Prophet and the Prostitute
The answer is revealed immediately when Jesus tells a parable about forgiveness and the man can’t see the parallel. He can’t see that he is that man. The one to which little will be given. The difference between shame and faith Proper 6C | Luke 7:36-8:3 Jesus is a rulebreaker. I think of this every…
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GOD and Power
In his interaction with the widow, the encounter’s parallel with Elijah, and his commissioning of apostles, we see that GOD is doing something big in Jesus — and with us.