Giving Thanks

This week we hear about 10 lepers (people who suffer from a horrible skin disease) who are healed by Jesus. Only one, from Samaria (the other side of the tracks) comes back to give thanks. Giving thanks feels good; God expects this; yet why do the nine not come back and do we often have a hard time saying thanks?

(The sermon starts a few seconds into it; you just miss a segue from talking about Jacob in the Old Testament to the Gospel lesson, namely, the story of the thankful Samaritan). This Bible story may be found in Luke 17.

Wrestling with God

One of the great stories in the Bible from all time: Jacob wrestling with God. Or God wrestling with Jacob. Either way its a haunting story. But finally one that ends with healing.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

This is a tough parable Jesus tells of a poor man Lazarus and a rich man. The rich man, only in hell, realizes the consequences of his own actions. What will it take for our eyes to be opened to the poor around us? Our own death? Our own hellish experiences in life? It seems that maybe it starts with learning a name...

Where is God?

This fall, we've been hearing stories of Jacob. What a crazy tale! This week the gate of heaven is opened and he see's a ladder with angels going up and down! Yet he admits he didn't even know that God was in that place. In our lives too God is there but we don't even know it!

Celebrations!

Jesus today tells two parables -- a shepherd finding a lost sheep and woman finding a lost coin. In both cases, a celebration follows. In church today we had some big celebrations. Why are we celebrating? What did we find? (And therefore, what was lost?)

Meat and Potatoes

Two stories: Jacob and Esau are born; Jesus tells people the costs of following him.

They form the meat and potatoes of Christianity. Really, they do!

Healing on the Sabbath

Jesus this week heals on the sabbath (Luke 13:10-17). We probably ask: What is the sabbath? Sabbath is time off. Well, sort of. What exactly is the sabbath? Let's let Jesus show us.