A Lenten Invitation for Our Congregation Lent often carries a reputation for heaviness—forty days of giving things up, feeling bad about ourselves, or trudging through the wilderness. But the heart of Lent is not punishment. It is transformation. It is the slow, sacred movement from the places where we feel stuck toward the places where …
Tag: Lent
Apr 15
The Story That Sounds Like a Dream
Luke 24:1-12 But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. (24:11) One of my favorite scholars made an interesting observation about the Resurrection Accounts in the Gospels. “They are told in whispers,” he observed. He meant that these stories are told as if the witnesses thought they could …
Apr 10
LET’S CELEBRATE!
Exaltation, Jubilation, Anticipation, Celebration, Expectation—these would be words that characterize the people surrounding Jesus as he makes his “Triumphal Entry” into Jerusalem. And if the people did not celebrate, Jesus said the rocks would’ve cried out. It is great to approach something with anticipation. Like a child for Christmas, or a family with the arrival …
Apr 02
Something I’ve Always Wondered About
Luke 18:31-19:10 Each of the first three Gospels have the account of Jesus healing blind man or men at Jericho. Mark even names the man, Bartimaeus. Here in Luke Jesus meets another man in Jericho, Zacchaeus (this will be the sermon Sunday.) Bartimaeus’ story is told in contrast the “Rich Ruler” just a few verses …
