Sunday, January 31, 2021

Luke: Following Christ (Chris)

 Jesus came to save and ultimately to rule the world.  He is the King of kings, yet he was born in poverty and obscurity.  He was empowered to overcome physical limits in service to God, yet he humbled himself by refusing supernatural powers when it came to his own comfort or prestige.  When he chose his friends and followers, he largely ignored the wealthy and powerful.  Instead he selected those who were on the margins of society but willing to be faithful.  This week's lesson focuses on that group of disciples.  We will explore Luke 5:1-11 and 27-32, Luke 6:12-16, Luke 7:1-10 and 18-23, Luke 8:1-3 and 19-21, and Luke 9:1-6.  The questions to explore are: why did Christ select these "ordinary" people, and how can we be like them in our own lives?


Sunday, January 24, 2021

Luke: Jesus's First Sermon (Randy)

I found this advertisement nailed to a tree just outside of Nazareth and thought you would like to see it:  “Did you hear the great news?  Jesus is coming to synagogue here in Nazareth tomorrow, and he is sure to speak!  He has been traveling around Galilee for a while now, and everyone is talking about his miraculous healings and other acts.  We hope you will come hear our hometown hero during service tomorrow.”  

Ok, maybe I made that up, but we can imagine something like this circulating through Nazareth when Jesus returned to his home in Luke 4.  He had just gotten baptized and faced the devil in the desert (Luke 3), and now he was home to share the goals of his ministry. Drawing on Luke’s narrative in Luke 3 and 4, we will examine what Jesus said and discover the true nature of his ministry on earth.

Sunday, January 17, 2021

Luke: Welcoming Jesus (Chris)

The Gospel of Luke is a powerful window into the ministry and meaning of our Savior Jesus Christ.  With our own celebration of Christmas just past, we will reflect this week on Luke chapters 1-2 and the coming of Jesus into the world.  Who were the people selected by God to prepare for and to greet him?  What does their reaction to the birth of the Messiah teach us about how we should prepare for and welcome Christ into our lives?

Sunday, January 10, 2021

Luke: An Introduction to the Gospel of Luke (Randy)

 Tomorrow, we will kick off our new series on the Gospel of Luke.  Our objective this winter/spring is to survey Luke’s gospel and draw faith and life lessons from it.  I’ll start us off in the morning with an introductory lesson on the who, what, when, where, how, and why of the book, and we’ll get into more detail as we dig into various passages as the season unfolds.  If you have a particular favorite passage from Luke that you’d like us to cover, please let us know!  We are treating our schedule somewhat openly to see where the Holy Spirit takes us.