Luke: Who do you say Jesus is? (Randy)

When John the Baptist was in prison facing certain death, he began to have doubts about Jesus. Was he really the Messiah?  If so, why wasn’t he doing anything to restore Israel?  Where was the promised judgement? And by the way, why hadn’t he gotten me out of jail yet?!  We share John’s doubts and ask similar questions, but Jesus wanted to John – and us – to know that God doesn’t operate the way we think.  Through Luke’s gospel (7:18-35), we will explore how Jesus answered John and use that example to understand who he really is.  We’ll conclude by asking ourselves the same question: Who do you say Jesus is?

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Luke: The Power of Christ (Chris)

Jesus performs many miracles in Luke's Gospel.  These are acts of compassion, but they are much more than good deeds.  Jesus demonstrates for his followers and for us the difference between God's power and worldly power and ultimately God's values versus worldly values.  The world breaks us down but God lifts us up.  The world is selfish but God is loving and kind.  The ways of the world lead inevitably to death but the ways of God in Christ lead to eternal life.  We will explore miracles this week and will celebrate the Good News they offer us as followers of Jesus.

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Luke: Hope for Healing (Randy)

We tend to have a somewhat transactional relationship with God, but Luke wants us to know that Jesus wants so much more from us.  He wants our heart.  While fear keeps us from Jesus, he wants us to approach him so he can help us.  In this lesson, we examine four stories from Luke 8:22-56 that show us how Jesus drives out our fears so he can give us peace, heal our bodies, and guarantee us everlasting life. 

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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?

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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.

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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?

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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.

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