Sermons on Luke
Are You With Them?
Are we saints? How can we be sure? Is that even the right question to ask? We explore what it might mean to be model Christians as we discuss the story of Peter’s denial of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke. – Pastor Billy’s sermon from November 6, 2022
Compassion and Justice for Transgender People
We all seek to match who we feel like on the inside with how we express ourselves on the outside. Transgender people were assigned a gender at birth that does not match who they are on the inside. As people of faith we are called to welcome, stand with, listen to, and fight for transgender people who are seeking to answer God’s calling to be who God created them to be on the inside and out. – Pastor Tom’s sermon…
Our Original Sin: Coming to Terms With the Truth of America and Our Church.
Coming to terms with the truth of America and our church.
It’s Been on Fire the Whole Time
Christ is always among us. Christ is with us in every person we meet. Our calling is to recognize that our hearts and minds (in fact our heads) are on fire with the presence of God. Our challenge is to recognize this when we are in the moment, so we don’t just look back and say, “Oh, my head was on fire the whole time.”
When the Resurrection is the Resurrection & When the Resurrection is not the Resurrection
When we are young we accept the Resurrection at face value. As we study and reflect up in it we see there is much more to the story. Then at some point the simple truths and hope of Resurrection become all we may need.
What if Jesus Was Short?
Our story isn’t clear about who is short (Jesus or Zacchaeus), but if we can imagine Jesus as short, it gives new meaning to Jesus’ work with the poor and his crucifixion (and resurrection).
The Rich Man, Lazarus, and Wanda Maximoff
In the story of the rich man and Lazarus, we meet a man who has created a bubble of privilege so impenetrable that even as he suffers for his actions, he cannot see the truth. In this sermon on Luke 16:19-31, Rev. Tom Harris connects the Marvel TV show WandaVision with this parable. In the show, Wanda Maximoff has created a similar bubble of power that blinds her to reality. How do each of us create the same kinds of…
Seeking to Restore Lost Relationships
In the parable of the lost coin, what has God lost? Not individual people. God knows each of us intimately wherever we are. In this reflection on on Luke 15:8-10, Rev. Tom Harris suggests that God has lost the human community that God created us to be. So when we seek to restore relationships and community, we are working with the energy of God toward the same purpose.
Remember the Lost and Commit to Change
In this passage from Luke 13 we hear two stories about preventable tragedies and the way Jesus challenges us to see them as more than misfortune or punishment of the victims. In our own day, the staggering death toll of COVID-19 was preventable. Pastor Tom invites us to value human life in way that prevents such suffering in the future. The parable of the fig tree that follows these two stories suggests that God may not be infinitely patient with…