Being a Good Samaritan involves a certain amount of risk. Am I required to be a Good Samaritan to everyone? Where do I draw the line? Who, after all, is my neighbor? The lawyers question is a good one that we all have to wrestle with. But instead of giving us a straightforward answer Jesus tells us a parable to help us wrestle with the issue. Continue reading Like a Good Neighbor – A Sermon on Luke 10:25-37
How can we distinguish between false prophets and true preachers? That’s the question I want to ask with you this morning. And I’d like to suggest that there are three questions you ought to ask of every preacher and religious teacher. Continue reading A Tree and Its Fruit: A Sermon on Matthew 7: 15-20
“The terrifying prospect of Easter is that God called these women (and us) to return to the same world that crucified Jesus and to share with the world that gift of hope.
As we leave the tombs of quarantine, a return to normal will be a disaster unless we recognize that we are going back to a world desperately in need of healing. The source of that healing is an empty tomb in Jerusalem. ” (Esau MacCaulley, NY Times, April 2, 2021) Continue reading Seeking the Living among the Dead – A Sermon of the Resurrection, Luke 24:1-12
At first glance it sounds like Jesus is angry at Jerusalem and that he is calling down God’s judgement on them. This however is not anger but lament. Jesus heart is broken for those whom he loves. Continue reading The Weeping King – Luke 19:1-10
Last week, in the parable of the Lazarus and the rich man, we looked at a rich man who didn’t have a clue. Every day of his life he feasted luxuriously, all the time ignoring the poor man who camped outside of his gate. Although he had left overs, he threw them away rather than offering them to Lazarus. Because he did not show mercy in this life, he failed to receive mercy in the next life.
This week we meet Zacchaeus, another rich man who was just as an entitled and selfish as the rich man in the parable, but unlike the first rich man, Zacchaeus met Jesus and had a life changing experience.
Continue reading Zacchaeus: A Study in Transformation: Luke 19:1-10
This is a parable of startling contrasts, but its central message is simple: be alert to the needs under your nose. The parable invites us to see ourselves as richer in the goods of the world than many millions.
Without an eye for the needy around us, our life becomes self-centered and callous. Jesus is asking us, his listeners, to open our eyes to what is around us, and to open our ears to the simple command of the Gospel: love your neighbor. Continue reading Lazarus and the Rich Man: a Study in Entitlement (Luke 16: 19-31)
Our Scripture lesson this morning is usually called “the parable of the prodigal son,” but in my mind, a better title would be “the parable of the lost son.” It is one of three parables that Jesus tells in Luke chapter 15—the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin and the parable of the lost son. Each parable has a similar plot. Something is lost, something is found, and then there is a party.
These parables show us the three things about the character of God: 1) God is a God of compassion; 2)
God is a God who loves to party; 3) God is a God of grace. Continue reading The Lost Son–Luke 15:11-32
Jesus sees something in Simon. Jesus has a dream for Simon that will change his life. Jesus realizes that if he goes fishing with Simon, he can catch Simon in that dream. Simon thinks they are fishing for fish, but Jesus knows he is fishing for Simon. Continue reading The Call of the Disciples–Luke 5:1-11
Jesus says, No, the death of the innocents had nothing to do with their sin. However, what he says next is absolutely shocking. “They didn’t sin” Jesus says, “but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.” And lest we missed it, he repeats it a second time, “unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.” To be honest Jesus sounds like a fire and brimstone preacher: “Repent or perish! Turn or burn!”
So what does Jesus mean by repentance Continue reading Of Towers, Fig Trees and Repentance–A Sermon on Luke 13:1-9
A sermon preached at United Reformed Church of Clifton, February 14, 2021 During the last year we have been trying … Continue reading The Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36)
[the stars]
Musings & Meditations
conversations about Jesus and community
The thoughts, prayers, and brain-dumps of a Presbyterian pastor-mom
TIME OUTDOORS ISN'T SPENT IT\'S INVESTED
I am an artist and illustrator. And these “episodes” are quick sketches of and stories about people that I meet or have met over the years. I do the drawings first, keeping them simple and spontaneous but (hopefully) sophisticated. They are with perhaps one or two exceptions, line drawings done with a fine-line pen. I started doing these drawings in business meetings. That expanded to doing them in waiting rooms or while traveling, as a way to remember the people I met, worked with, or just observed from afar. Once I’d done a number of these sketches, I began to wonder about the people they depict. What might they be really like on the inside? What are their dreams? Their fears? Their secrets? Since I did not know the people I was drawing (or because I did not know them well), I felt ill-at-ease about asking personal questions. And so, I began to create stories about these people, based on what I imagine their life is like. That way, each drawing became a kind of psychological adventure; I never knew, when I sat down to write, what I was going to find. Like the drawings themselves, the stories are not to scale or photographic. If there is any prevailing theme, it is this: people keep their inner world well-hidden and probably for damn good reason. A secondary theme: making stuff up is much more fun than reality. And in a way, that is the real truth in all this. If you would like to learn more about me or my work please send a note. Our email: myron.gilbert@att.net
Celebrating what makes Brittany unique
exploring ideas - inspired by texts - expressed in images
Hannah's daily devotional
"Diamonds are found only in the dark places of the earth; truths are found only in the depths of thought." (Victor Hugo, Les Miserables)
thoughts on life, teaching, and faith
Searchings: Sacred and Secular
Deb Mechler
Resounding Truth
Writing Down The Bones
Explorations in Practical Theology and Youth Ministry
