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.
Guest Speaker

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!