Our third clue is the list of those we are to invite when we have a banquet ourselves: the poor, the cripple, the lame, and the blind.
Read MoreA woman who had been nearly crippled for eighteen years was healed and, instead of rejoicing, the leader of the synagogue objected to it. He was so adamant about keeping the covenant that he could not see the needs of the people. Instead of treating the Law as God’s gift he had turned it into a hard and fast rule.
Read MoreJeremiah was facing the problem that many (if not all) of the prophets of God face. The problem was false prophets telling the people what they wanted to hear in order to reap some benefit.
Read MoreAbram’s belief did not come from seeing some great work or God – some miracle – it came from believing the word of God. That was not an easy thing to do in the face of his reality.
Read MoreWe read this text today because the gospel reading is the parable of the rich fool. His fields have yielded so much that he cannot store all of it. What must he do? His plan was to build bigger storage units and keep it for himself. He believed that the yield of his fields (even the fields themselves) were his. “Fool” says God. Vanity of vanities says the writer of Ecclesiastes.
Read MoreUnfortunately we live in a world that focuses upon the individual. We constantly hear that message on television, from our peers, and even from the government. In response to this incessant message we have become a selfish bunch of people. We can even hear this message from preachers. That all you need to do, if you want something, is pray and if you are righteous, God will give it to you. They even use our text from Luke to push this idea. Although that is not what this text is about.
Read MoreHow many times has someone promised something to you and did not fulfill it? But then, that probably cuts both ways. You also have made promises and not kept them. Some promises are made that cannot be kept, some we do not plan to keep, and others we just lose our way to keeping them. That is why Sarah laughed. She had been given and made promises that were never kept.
Read MoreI suppose there are two views of God that have been around as long as there have been the people of God. One view is the angry God who desires obedience to God’s will and administers punishment to those who do not obey. The other view is a benevolent God who wishes for God’s people to live full lives.
Read MoreWhen things are not going the way you desire when just getting by day after day is a struggle, what good are those words? How can we rejoice? Especially when the reason we cannot rejoice is because we are not satisfied.
Read MoreThe question for us is which direction are we going? Are we walking with Jesus or heading back to where we once were. That seems to be the question Paul is dealing with in his letter to the Galatians.
Read MoreThe Israelites seemed to have responded to this crisis in two different ways. Some turned to God in prayer and devotion. Others rejected God and turned to idols and other gods, “sacrificing in gardens and burning incense on bricks.” But then, this is how it always has been. When things become difficult people usually respond in either of these two ways. Some rely upon God to give them strength and hope, others reject God outright.
Read MoreWhile God has given us wisdom, God also has allowed us to do with it what we want. Sometimes we use it for good. Other times we use it for bad. Sometimes we use it for selfish reasons, other times to help others. A quick view of the world around us cannot but note that it seems that we have use wisdom more for more of the former than the later.
Read MoreWe all have those times when we are surprised by what comes our way whether it is good things or bad, family or illness, and many times we are not prepared for its arrival.
Read MoreWhile we try to divide people into categories, God brings people together. While we try to be exclusive, God is inclusive. It is not our role to decide who is and who is not accepted into God’s family. Our role is to invite everyone.
Read MoreBut all of these problems, old and new, come from the same place: the desire of people to be loved and accepted, to be part of a community. Unfortunately there are people who try to exploit our desires for community by dividing people into groups (us and them). They and their divisive rhetoric seem to be growing in our society. In the end they only bring empty promises.
Read MoreWhile the main emphasis of this story is Peter’s revival of Dorcas from the dead, we note that Luke is sure to tell us she was devoted to good works and charity. To be devoted means that she saw it as important, if not the most important thing she could do – setting her own desires aside and helping others.
Read MorePaul tells us that Ananias “was a devout man according to the Law and well spoken about by all the Jews in Damascus.” I note this to point out that Ananias, by answering God’s call, changed the course of the world. To do so he had to conquer the fear and hate he had for Paul. Paul’s reputation was far and wide. I would guess that Ananias personally knew some of the Christians that Paul persecuted, arrested, and imprisoned. Paul was an enemy. Yet God called him to visit this enemy and make him a friend.
Read MoreThe director of the house, Dr. Kjeseth, would ask anyone who came into the house – from the yard crew to the city representatives – if they went to church and, if they said, ”no,” he would invite them to come to church. I can remember my first reaction to this as well as most of my classmates – embarrassed by his breaking that norm about not talking religion with others…
Read MoreThere she stood in the middle of a cemetery with tears running down her face. We really do not know much about her, mostly innuendo and gossip. We know that she struggled with mental illness – possessed by seven demons as they said. She was unmarried but we do not know why.
Read MoreWe seem to believe that you can judge a person by their looks. But then, I am not telling you something that you do not already know. But why do we do it? Why do we always get caught up in the new fad and try to look like everyone else?
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