Sermons on Luke (Page 6)
Prodigal Son Redux
This Sunday we begin a new sermon series on the parables of Jesus, and the first will be the familiar story of the prodigal son. We’ve surely heard this story before, and sometimes when we hear the same story again and again—even one that has importance to us—we can drift away and lose interest. But when we hear another storyteller or hear another perspective, we can find new interest and new joy in the same story once again. Scripture: Luke…
Where do We See God?
This Sunday we begin our new series on Questions that Matter. This first week, we address a deep question that is rooted in our experience of God. As United Methodists, many of us affirm the Wesleyan Quadrilateral where we approach faith through scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. While not framed quite so succinctly, John Wesley clearly approached his own faith this way, and we can learn the importance of experiencing God. Scripture: Exodus 33:12-23, Luke 10:25-37 (CEB)
As We Forgive
This week we examine the concept of forgiveness. It may be worth noting that throughout this series on The Lord’s Prayer, we’ve chosen to read the Matthew text from a different translation each week. This brings us perspective as we read this prayer throughout the series. I hope that it is also illustrative for us as we remember the many ways Christians from different denominations say this prayer! All of this leads us to ask what we are seeking forgiveness…
On Earth as It Is in Heaven
This week we continue our series exploring the importance of the central teaching of The Lord’s Prayer. Pastor Lea explored the opening verse last week (find her sermon here), and this week we follow seeking God’s kingdom on earth as it is from heaven. It may be that we don’t know quite what we’re asking for when we pray this. Scripture: Matthew 6:9-10 (NLT), Luke 22:41-42 (CEB)
Hallowed Be Thy Name
This Eastertide, join the LJUMC community in exploring the Lord’s Prayer (also known as the Prayer of Jesus or the Our Father). We begin by exploring what it means to “hallow” God’s name, and how we can integrate this practice throughout our lives in addition to the worship we bring on Sunday mornings. Scripture: Luke 11:1, Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV)
Risking the Loss of Friends
This is the fifth week of the season of Lent, and we continue our Worship series guided by Amy-Jill Levine’s Entering the Passion of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Week. As we continue through Holy Week and near Easter, we arrive at a profoundly moving gathering of Jesus with his disciples. Gathering for the Passover celebration, Jesus does something extraordinary. Told differently in the Gospels (read Matthew 26, Mark 14, and John 13), we may understand Jesus in his…
Practical Theology
This is the final week of our series on Reading the Bible Again, informed by Marcus Borg’s Reading the Bible Again for the First Time. As we worship online, let us continue to pray for our community as we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, we shift from how to read into how to live as we dive into the theme of practical theology. In week one, on “Epiphany & Creation,” Pastor Bob related how Marcus Borg, on whose book our series is…
Gospels & Acts
This is the fifth week of our series on Reading the Bible Again, informed by Marcus Borg’s Reading the Bible Again for the First Time. As we worship online, let us continue to pray for our community as we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue our exploration with the core writings that help Christians claim their unique identity of faith: the Gospels and Acts. These five books share the “good news” of Jesus Christ with the world, telling age-old…
Lessons & Carols
It’s Christmas Eve! May the light of Emmanuel shine in us all. As we worship online, let us continue to pray for our community as we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our traditional Christmas Eve service, live-streamed from our Sanctuary. The Christmas story is told through Scripture and song, and concludes with candle lighting. Scripture: Luke 1:26-35, 38; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-20; John 1:1-14
Family Christmas Pageant
It’s Christmas Eve! May the light of Emmanuel shine in us all. As we worship online, let us continue to pray for our community as we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Enjoy a fun family-friendly online worship service premiering at 5pm featuring the Christmas story, lots of carols, and videos of families sharing creative pageantry and even stop-motion storytelling! Scripture: Isaiah 9:2, 6-7; Luke 1:26-35, 38; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-20; John 1:1-14
Confusion & Wonder
This is the final week of our Extended Advent series, and the fourth week of a the 20th century Advent model. As we worship online, let us continue to pray for our community as we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. This week’s worship gets into the good stuff! This week we really get into the familiar and exciting parts of the story! It’s almost Christmas and there’s just a little more online shopping to finish up!! But not everyone is…
Joined on the Journey
Pastor Bob begins our September series on Foundations with an exploration of Christian history before the Reformation. Beginning with Jesus walking along the road to Emmaus with the Disciples, we explore: early Christianity to Constantine and the adoption of Christianity as the official Roman faith; the early middle ages, including Byzantine Iconoclasm, the controversy of the filioque clause, Anselm and Abelard’s disagreement over atonement; and the Great Schism. Scripture: Luke 24:13-35