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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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Swimming Naked
This story is still Peter’s story. For it isn’t just that he gets dressed so that Jesus doesn’t see him naked in the boat. But when he covers himself, what does he do? He dives in. Why? We don’t know. But here’s a thought. He needed to get to Jesus. Peter is always trying to…
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The Story of Easter
This is a big story. A story dealing with life and death and even the very idea of life itself. A story of escape and narrow victory. A story of perseverance and redemption. And in the end, we find new hope and new life. A story of a man who wasn’t just a man dying…
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He Sprang Up
The story of Bartimaeus is easily one of my favorites. It is part healing, part witnessing, and for the gospel writer, the last thing Jesus does before coming to Jerusalem. As a writer, this is prime real estate. While everyone is looking “above the fold” and for the big headline at the top of the…
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Those Who Followed Were Afraid
The disciples have been following Jesus for a long time. They covered their home area, down to the Jordan, back up to Caesarea Philippi and now they are heading to Jerusalem. But then Jesus started to get weird. He started talking about death. His death. He started talking about what is to come and I’ve…
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Afraid to Ask
Afraid to Ask (Day 29 of A Simple Lent) | Monday I grew up in the rise of standardized testing to creative and artsy parents who read a lot. It means I can be either a model student or a pain in the butt, depending on your teaching style. A good student too busy trying…
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Turning to GOD
And still we say that GOD punishes and we treat one another with great cruelty because we believe that GOD is in the business of hating and punishing and driving the immigrant out of the community in spite of everything written in Scripture which bears that as a lie, which reveals how false a claim…