Our Current Sermon Series

Jesusthestoryteller@luke.edu

Did you know that about 1/3 of Jesus’ teaching was in the form of parables?  Whether we are young or old, we love the stories which are told by Jesus, because they are so engaging. We will be exploring together parables which are unique to Luke’s Gospel of Jesus Christ. We will be covering topics including the wonder of Jesus’ saving grace, the problem of self-righteousness, the pursuit of God above everything else, a passion to love the lost, the centrality of prayer, stewardship of our possessions, and the importance of focusing on the coming of Christ.  May God’s Spirit use God’s Word to make us more like God’s Son. 

Whom you associate with tells us something about what’s important to you. Often one’s association with others is dictated by one’s interest in sports, music, politics, or hobbies. So, with whom do you think Jesus associates? Luke 15 answers this question for us. The answer may surprise you.

Pastor Errin had the opportunity to preach last week on Jesus’ parable of “the Great Banquet”. The man running the banquet ended up filling his house with the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame because the prosperous weren’t interested in attending. As a result of this teaching, great crowds were now surrounding Jesus. Everyone wanted to see what Jesus would do or teach next! However, these people had yet to count the cost of following Jesus. In our text, we’ll look at that cost and answer the question, “Is it worth following Jesus?”.

Many times, we have opportunities in our lives, but we have excuses why we cannot do them. Some seem legit while others may be lame, but they are all excuses. Jesus has invited us to the greatest banquet of all time! A banquet for eternity. A banquet for everyone, but not everyone will except the invitation. They have excuses as to why but in the end, they will miss out on the ultimate gift. We have that invitation but are we taking full advantage of it? Do we care or do WE have excuses?

Pursuing wealth is pervasive and encouraged in the American culture. Some people dedicate their lives to become rich, often at the cost of important relationships. Others spend their free time dreaming about winning the lottery or receiving a large inheritance from a distant uncle. However, for each of us there is a more foundational question to be answered first, “What does it mean to be truly rich?” In Luke 12:13-34 Jesus explains the important distinction between pursuing fool’s gold and pursuing true riches.

Did you know that the disciples only asked Jesus to teach them one thing? In Luke 11, we see Jesus praying in a certain place and one of His disciples comes up and says, “Lord, teach us to pray.” What does this say about Jesus? What does this say about the disciples? What was Jesus’ response? We’ll gather together Sunday to delve into what Jesus had to say when His disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray. 

Sometimes Jesus stories can take a little extra time to determine the meaning for us here on earth. This Sundays parable is fairly straight forward; however, we need to make sure we do not miss the very important messages that are paramount to us living out our faith. When we read the Good Samaritan are we truly willing to, “Go and do likewise.”?

How does Jesus respond to a potentially embarrassing situation, when a woman with a sordid past, seeks to honor Him in an unconventional way during a meal at a religious leader’s home? Does Jesus’ unexpected answer to those attending the meal delight you or unsettle you?