How are Christians today different from the people that Jesus spoke to in the first century? What difference does the things that Jesus said and did make? What difference should it make? Pastor Luke teaches from Luke 4:14-21 in "Fulfilled Today."
Mark describes a time when Jesus wanted to give his followers a rest so they could catch their breath and celebrate what God had been doing. But other people followed where they were going, so instead of a rest, they got a miracle. Pastor Luke teaches from Mark 6:30-44 in "Jesus Followers."
In the latest installment of our occasional "Ask Me Anything" message series, Pastor Luke addressed four questions, (1) What authority does St. Peter have with the Keys to the Kingdom? (Matthew 16:13-20) (2) What happened to Esau? (Genesis 27:41;33:4,12,16-17; Deut. 2:2-5) (3) How does the Lord see divorce when one partner refused reconciliation? (Matthew 19:3-9) (4) Are you familiar with some of the major changes in the newest edition of the NRSV? Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 16:13-20 in "...
What did the angel mean when he told the shepherds, "Your savior is born today?" What is a savior? Who does he save? What does he save them from? Pastor Luke teaches from Luke 2:1-18 in "Your Savior is Born Today."
Are you ready for Christmas? Not "this year's celebration of Christmas," but the thing the celebration recalls: the coming of the King that God had promised. Are you ready for that? Pastor Luke preaches from Ephesians 1:1-14 in "All the Things," the concluding message in his series, "Under the Tree."
Is there something you want for Christmas? If you get it, then what? How long will it satisfy you? What if you could have the gift you really want? Pastor Luke preaches from John 1:1-18 in "Delightful Unwrapping," part 3 of his 4-part series, "Under the Tree."
We've seen that hope is good for us, but hope can fade or even die. How can we keep our hope alive? Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 2:1-12 in "Following Yonder Star," part 2 of his 4-part series, "Under the Tree."
Is there something you want for Christmas? If you get it, then what? How long will it satisfy you? What if you could have the gift you really want? Pastor Luke looks at Isaiah 11:1-10 in "What Do You Want for Christmas?," the first message in a new series, "Under the Tree."
The Old Testament Law included protections for workers and so do the laws of our society today. If you're already obeying the modern labor laws, you can still learn from the ancient labor laws -- in fact, even people who don't employ anyone else can benefit from those laws. Pastor Luke looks at Leviticus 19:11-13 in "Until Evening," the concluding message in his series, "Iron-Age Wisdom."
For many Christians, if they know anything from the book of Leviticus, it's probably the commandment to love one's neighbor, which Jesus said was just like the commandment to love God. But the following verse in Leviticus is generally ignored, and you might be violating it right now. Should you be? What if it's the key to understanding how to love your neighbor? Pastor Luke looks at Leviticus 19:18-19 in "Diversity," part 4 of his 5-part series, "Iron-Age Wisdom."
Looking for wisdom in Leviticus is especially difficult when a regulation seems arbitrary, when it isn't explained, or when it isn't repeated somewhere else or illustrated by a story. The ban on tattoos, for example, features all three of these difficulties. Is something wrong with tattooing? What possible wisdom could be found in such a prohibition? Pastor Luke preaches from Leviticus 19:28 in "Don't Go Changin'," part 3 of his 5-part series, "Iron-Age Wisdom."
What is a "Jubilee?" It's one of those church words that crept out into the language ... barely. Is it a good thing? We're looking at the Book of Leviticus, hoping that we can find wisdom there will help us navigate our confusing times. Is the Jubilee an example of Iron-Age wisdom? Pastor Luke preaches from Leviticus 25:1-13 in "The Old Normal," part 2 of his 5-part series, "Iron-Age Wisdom."
We begin our conversation about "Iron Age Wisdom for the 21st Century." This week, we're looking at rules in the book of Leviticus to promote the welfare of the most marginalized members of society. Since our society is so different from the world envisioned in Leviticus, is there still anything there for us to use today? Pastor Luke looks at Leviticus 19:9-10 in "Gleaning," the first message in a new series, "Iron-Age Wisdom."
God commands his children to be unafraid of things like Covid-19 and even death. In Christ, we are enabled to live without fear. But our fears keep coming back to torment us. What should we do to live fearlessly? Pastor Luke teaches from John 13:34-34 in "In the Storm," the concluding message in his series, "Do Not Be Afraid."
The most common instruction that God gives in the Bible is "Do Not Be Afraid." That even includes death. Everyone has to face death, but it doesn't have to frighten us. Pastor Luke teaches from 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 in "Death," part 3 of his 4-part series, "Do Not Be Afraid."
The pandemic has been a source of fear for so many people. Millions of people have gotten sick and hundreds of thousands of people have died with Covid. It's a serious challenge that needs to be taken serious. But it's nothing to be afraid of. Pastor Luke looks at Luke 10:29-37 in "Sickness," part 2 of his 4-part series, "Do Not Be Afraid."
People are afraid of all kinds of things -- often with very good reasons! But Jesus taught his followers that they don't need to be afraid. It was this confidence that allowed the early church to spread across the Roman world. Why? How can we be unafraid like they were? Pastor Luke teaches from Philippians 4:4-9 in "Do Not Be Afraid," the first message in a new series, "Do Not Be Afraid."
The promises of God are universal, but different people value the promises differently. An example is the promises Jesus made about families. In some ways, people today might value them even more than people did in the first century. Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 12:46-50 in "Family Room," the concluding message in his series, "Responses to the Messiah."
Some people's lives are in pretty good order. Other people have more chaos in their life than they want. Jesus says they have more in common than they might realize. Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 12:4345 in "Squatters," part 11 of his 12-part series, "Responses to the Messiah."
Would you like to receive a sign from God? Something to point the way forward, perhaps, or just assure you that you're loved? Who wouldn't want that? But Jesus said we've already been given that sign! Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 12:38-42 in "Sky Signs," part 10 of his 12-part series, "Responses to the Messiah."
Would you like to know the future? Jesus tells you how you can know today what will happen when he returns. Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 12:33-37 in "Idle Words," part 9 of his 12-part series, "Responses to the Messiah."
By the middle of Matthew's biography of him, Jesus had demonstrated authority over both the physical and metaphysical world: healing every type of disease, bringing back the dead, calming a storm. That makes it all the more interesting when Matthew reports Jesus saying there was one (and only one) thing that could not be done. What is that? Does it still matter today? Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 12:22-32 in "Breakthrough," part 8 of his 12-part series, "Responses to the Messiah."
Every day we make thousands of decisions. Most of them aren't all that important. But some are. Some decisions are literally about life and death. What help does Christianity provide for people in making decisions? Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 12:14-21 in "Humility," part 7 of his 12-part series, "Responses to the Messiah."
Although Pharisees come across very poorly in the New Testament, Jesus agreed in many ways with their program. The place where they disagreed the most, however, is still a concern today. In fact, it's moved outside its original religious context out into the broader society. What is it, and how does it matter? Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 12:1-13 in "Have Mercy," part 6 of his 12-part series, "Responses to the Messiah."
In the first century, everybody had to work hard. They wore themselves out, working from dawn to dusk because they didn't have motors and machines. What's our excuse today? And more importantly, what can we do about it? Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 11:25-30 in "Rest," part 5 of his 12-part series, "Responses to the Messiah."
Did Jesus have bad days when he lashed out unfairly at people? So many of the stories in the New Testament show Jesus' love for even very objectionable people. What are we supposed to make of the times when he scolds ... not just people but whole cities? Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 11:20-24 in "Regrets Only," part 4 of his 12-part series, "Responses to the Messiah."
Jesus cautioned people against complaining when things aren't what they expect. Instead, he suggests, it is an opportunity to reevaluate what we could learn from that situation. How would we do that? Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 11:16-19 in "Playing Games," part 3 of his 12-part series, "Responses to the Messiah."
Is it better to win, or to achieve your other objectives? It's easy for winning to become an objective in itself. We enjoy winning, but Jesus teaches about a different strategy, based on what works best in God's kingdom. Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 11:7-15 in "Winning," part 2 of his 12-part series, "Responses to the Messiah."
It's easy to form a mistaken picture of Jesus, but only the real Jesus can work in our lives. When our image starts to drift away from reality, we should correct it the same way that John the Baptist did. Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 11:1-6 in "Fresh Perspective," the first message in a new series, "Responses to the Messiah."
People who were once intimidated by the church are increasingly comfortable asking questions about its teachings. This is good, because it requires us to reexamine our beliefs and think about important questions. This week our question is, why, if I do good, God gets the credit, but if I do wrong, I get the blame? Pastor Luke preaches from Isaiah 1:16-17 in "Where Are My Accolades?."
