Sermons on Luke

Sermons on Luke

When God Comes Down

(Luke 1:67-79) “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,” cried Isaiah. Advent is a season of anticipating God’s coming; this is what advent means. In his song the Benedictus, Zechariah praises God that he has come down and visited his people and will again visit his people. How so? In the birth of two babies: John the Baptist and Jesus. Will the people be hospitable when God comes to visit? Are we hospitable to God’s visitation?

The Magnificat: The Refrain of the Revolution

Luke 1:26-55 Advent is the season of music. Music has incredible power to awaken dull minds, stir the emotions, and activate our wills with tremendous force. Consider the stirring sounds of a lone trumpet playing taps or the bagpiper’s penetrating notes of “Amazing Grace” at a funeral, or the heart-stopping beat of a massive drum roll of a marching band at a football game. Music can also be revolutionary, invading secular minds, breaking down hard hearts, and touching individuals with a dimension of what is holy. As the climax to Israel’s story, Luke gives us not one or two, but four songs of praise, announcing two miraculous births of sons to women who are childless. These boys will grow up to become the agents of God’s long-promised revolution, the victory over the powers of evil. “When the beating of your heart/ Echoes the beating of the drums/ There is a life about to start/ When tomorrow comes!” (“Do You Hear the People Sing?” – Les Miserables)

Understanding our Belonging

Luke 15:11-32 (NIV) What does it mean to belong? A question we all can wrestle with in different seasons of life, particularly as we think about belonging to the family of God. This Sunday we’ll be talking about this question as we study the parable of the Prodigal Son, in the hopes that we might better understand our part in the family of God.

Celebrating Christmas Well

Luke 2:1-12 Merry Christmas! The day is finally here to celebrate our Lord and Savior’s birth! The waiting is over and we can celebrate! But, will we celebrate well? To answer that question, it seems to me that if we explore all the characters on the guest list for that first Christmas, it will help us determine if we will celebrate Christmas well. Join us this Sunday at 10:00 for a time of singing Christmas carols and walking through the Who’s Who of the Christmas story.

A Good Meal Gone Bad

Luke 10:38-42 How Jesus calls us to allow him to minister to us, to be in a position of replenishing our souls.  Mary and Martha.  Will close as helping people to see this as an invitation from the Lord, not a slap on the hand.

Good News that Stays NEW and GOOD!

Luke 1-2 What do you think of when you think of “good news”? Have you ever wished for the good news of a new start in life, where you could push a reset button and do a clean install? At critical times in Israel’s history, when their world grew oppressive and morally dark, God intervened to subvert the existing order and granted his people a new beginning, a fresh start. But sadly, it never lasted. Luke’s magnificent opening to his gospel (120 verses) gives us a clue that this new beginning will set the stage for the grand climax to Israel’s history and with it, the salvation of the whole world. This will be history’s last new beginning. It is good news that remains forever new and good!

The Prodigal Father

Luke 15:11-32 “There was a man who had two sons…” This is the opening line of what some have called the greatest short story ever written. In it, Jesus describes God as a Father like never before. Our internal picture of God as Father can be shaped and affected by so many different experiences in our lives, but Scripture and Scripture alone should paint that portrait. This Sunday, we’ll listen as Jesus, the One who knows the Father better than anyone else, describes God as a Father. We’ll meet the Father as He wants to be known, the Father as He truly is, and we’ll seek to answer the question: Is this the Father I know? 

A Whole New World

Luke 24:13-35 He has risen! … He has risen indeed! Just like that song in Disney’s Aladdin, when Jesus rose from the dead, he ushered in “A Whole New World.” As we explore the Emmaus Road scene for Easter this Sunday, we will reflect upon the characteristics of this whole new world that Jesus has brought with his resurrection. Note that this Sunday will be a communion Sunday, and as is PBCC tradition, we will have testimonies from our body at the end of each service.

Blessed are the Pure in Heart: Simeon and Anna

Matthew 5:8, Luke 2:22-40 This Sunday is our last Sunday of Advent, the last Sunday before Christmas!  Advent is a time of waiting, of longing, of hoping.  What do you find yourself longing for this week before Christmas?  Perhaps it is gifts?  Perhaps it is a vaccine?  Perhaps it is a return to the ordinary?  Whatever it is, we all know that waiting is difficult.  Especially in a culture expecting instant gratification, waiting is not fun.  In our text this week, we meet Simeon and Anna who are waiting, waiting for God to bring salvation and redemption.  But, more importantly, these two characters, who demonstrate a purity of heart, show us how to wait well.  Are you waiting well this Advent season?