He Said He Would – Luke 24:1-12 (Easter)
Read Luke 24:1-12 The women in this text remind me of our ancient grandmothers who endured much. The women who approach Jesus’s tomb were already in deep grief, and then another blow as they discovered that the body of their loved one was missing. Enter the frightening arrival of two gleaming men who spoke to them. Even in fear, these enduring…
Wait for the Kingdom of God – Luke 23:50-56
Read Luke 23:50-56 In this text Joseph, a man from Arimathea, prepares Jesus’s body and gives him a tomb where no one had been laid. While Joseph is a part of the council that condemned Jesus, he disagreed with their decision. Luke describes him as a good and righteous man who was waiting for the kingdom of God. Today marks the…
Into Your Hands… – Luke 23:13-49
Read Luke 23:13-49 Today I want us to start with a contemplative exercise. Divide the passage into three sections: verses 13-23, verses 24-43, and verses 44-49. Slowly read each section twice. Underline or circle words or phrases that stick out to you. Listen for the voice of God. As I participated in this exercise, Jesus’s final statement stood out to me….
A New Way to Be Human – Luke 22:24-62
Read Luke 22:24-62 I’ve always been drawn to the humanity of Christ. In fact, when I went through a crisis of faith in my early twenties, the humanity of Christ as revealed in Scripture drew me back to the divinity of Christ. Jesus experiences some of the worst parts of humanity. Yet he also models and teaches a revolutionary way to…
Don’t Forget – Luke 22:1-23
Read Luke 22:1-23 I love Mark Labberton’s description of communion in his book The Dangerous Acts of Worship: Living God’s Call to Justice. Labberton writes, “We are invited to eat and drink at this table with others who, like us, are not worthy to be there. We do not deserve to be invited, and we would not necessarily have chosen the…
Hope in the Darkness – Psalm 71:1-14
Read Psalm 71:1-14 At the end of this passage the psalmist proclaims, “As for me, I will always have hope!” (v. 14, NIV). Sometimes life gets so confusing and dark that I do not have hope. In those times, I look to passages like this to remind myself that God is my refuge. God is my strength. God has never forsaken…
The Way to the Cross – Luke 19:41-46
Read Luke 19:41-46 As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it” (v. 41). Think about a time you were rejected or betrayed by somebody that you loved. Now multiply that feeling of anguish by ten. This is a small percentage of what Jesus felt as he approached Jerusalem. His heart was broken. Jesus longed for the…
The Triumphal Movement of Courageous Love – Luke 19:28-40 (Palm Sunday)
Read Luke 19:28-40 Unlike Matthew’s version of Jesus’s triumphal entry, Luke doesn’t describe the moment Jesus entered into Jerusalem. Luke describes Jesus’s descent from the Mount of Olives as Jesus traveled toward Jerusalem. Jesus knew that the crowd would turn from cheering to jeering in a matter of a few days. He knew his ride would end in his brutal execution….
Lay Down Expectations – Philippians 3:4-14
Read Philippians 3:4-14 When I submitted my life to Christ, some twenty years ago, I had many expectations about what being a Christian would be. I would have that “happy, floating Christian vibe”—always ready to pronounce a Bible verse for every situation, and leap tall buildings while I was at it. Instead, my life has been filled with mental health problems,…
Lay Down Ingratitude – Philippians 2:14-15
Read Philippians 2:14-15 I am a mom of two young boys, and on some mornings it seems we all seem to speak only in “whine.” It’s mornings like these that test every ounce of my patience. Sometimes, I fail the test. I slam down breakfast before them with a thump, and this does not help lighten the mood. Later, after a…