Luke 3:7-18

Malachi 3:1-4 / Luke. 3:1-6

We go from near the end of Luke (21:25-36) on First Advent to near the beginning (Luke 3:1-6) on Second Advent.

Why does Luke spend 1/3 of this passage talking about dates and who was in charge of religion and politics in Jesus’ day? Read Luke 3:1-2.

We will focus on Luke 3: 3 and 6. Why do we have to hear about repentance, forgiveness, and salvation, when Christmas is coming (Hint: it will make for a Merry Christmas, indeed).

Psalms. 132:1-12 / John. 18:33-37

As we begin a new Christian year and the Season of Advent, our reading comes from Luke 21:25-36.

 It may surprise you that, as we prepare for Christmas, the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Gospel reading comes from a time toward the end of Jesus’ life and ministry. The reason for this is that, just as they awaited the birth and coming of a Messiah two-thousand years ago, we await the return of the Messiah, Jesus, at the end of history. So, a people waiting and preparing is always a theme of Advent.

 In Luke 21:25-27 there are references to the prophesies of Isaiah, Joel, Zephaniah, and Daniel. If you have a Bible with footnotes, look up the specific verses from these four prophets and read them. What images do they use? What is the mood of what they say? How do you find yourself responding to them?

 In recent years, some Christians have predicted the end of the world, and even purchased advertising and billboard space to name a specific day. None of these predictions has come to pass. What do you think of that? What do you suppose motivated these people? When you read Luke 21:29-33, which also has to do with the end of the world, how do you respond to it?

 Luke 21:34-36 is a call to be watchful, expectant, and focused. To the degree that you do these things, what effect do they have on your daily life? Are you hopeful? Fearful? Ready to rent space on a billboard? Jesus names “dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life” as impediments to our readiness. How might you be distracting yourself instead of believing that Christ will return to bring creation to perfect alignment with the love of God?

Psalms. 132:1-12 / Luke 21:25-36

As we begin a new Christian year and the Season of Advent, our reading comes from Luke 21:25-36.

It may surprise you that, as we prepare for Christmas, the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Gospel reading comes from a time toward the end of Jesus’ life and ministry. The reason for this is that, just as they awaited the birth and coming of a Messiah two-thousand years ago, we await the return of the Messiah, Jesus, at the end of history. So, a people waiting and preparing is always a theme of Advent.

In Luke 21:25-27 there are references to the prophesies of Isaiah, Joel, Zephaniah, and Daniel. If you have a Bible with footnotes, look up the specific verses from these four prophets and read them. What images do they use? What is the mood of what they say? How do you find yourself responding to them?

In recent years, some Christians have predicted the end of the world, and even purchased advertising and billboard space to name a specific day. None of these predictions has come to pass. What do you think of that? What do you suppose motivated these people? When you read Luke 21:29-33, which also has to do with the end of the world, how do you respond to it?

Luke 21:34-36 is a call to be watchful, expectant, and focused. To the degree that you do these things, what effect do they have on your daily life? Are you hopeful? Fearful? Ready to rent space on a billboard? Jesus names “dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life”  as impediments to our readiness. How might you be distracting yourself instead of believing that Christ will return to bring creation to perfect alignment with the love of God?

John 14:23-27

This Sunday’s sermon will be based on John 14:23-27. The scene is the Last Supper. John 14-17 is called The Farewell Discourse. It is Jesus’ last, long talk with his friends before his arrest. I have always found it powerfully consoling.

I invite you to read prayerfully this week. Jesus said, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23). Sit quietly for awhile with the image of the Creator and the Son, the Father and Jesus, dwelling in your body, mind, and spirit.

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (John 14:27). Sit quietly for awhile and let his peace answer your troubles and fears.

Psalm 46

This Sunday’s sermon will be based on John 14:23-27. The scene is the Last Supper. John 14-17 is called The Farewell Discourse. It is Jesus’ last, long talk with his friends before his arrest. I have always found it powerfully consoling.

I invite you to read prayerfully this week. Jesus said, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23). Sit quietly for awhile with the image of the Creator and the Son, the Father and Jesus, dwelling in your body, mind, and spirit.

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (John 14:27). Sit quietly for awhile and let his peace answer your troubles and fears.

Psalm 121

For the coming two Sundays I will be preaching from The Book of Psalms — Psalm 121 on October 27th, and Psalm 46 on November 4th. My decision to preach from these two Psalms is based on my sense as a pastor that we all need reassurance and hope right now.

I do not really have much to say by way of interpretation here. Nor do I have a bunch of questions for you. Instead, I would encourage you simply to read these Psalms, to pray them, to hold them close, and to be held by them.

James 5:1-20

We complete our series of sermons from The Letter of James with a reading from James 5.

In James 5:1-6 does James condemn wealth itself? In not, what does he condemn?

In James 5:7-11, does James describe Pie in the Sky hope for another life, or hope as a practice to be employed for the here and now? And, if it is for the here and now, what is its focus and result?

In James 5:13-20 we find a summary of the main themes of the letter — turning to God in prayer, receiving God’s wisdom from such prayer, and caring for the community through acts of service guided by that wisdom. Step back from these verses and envision a congregation guided by them. What would our relationships look like? Is it a community worth praying for? Pray for it!

Psalms 103:15-16 / James 4:1-17

This week’s reading, James 4, is pretty heavy. Like any good teacher or coach, James can be a taskmaster! And in James 4 we see him leveling with the worship community about the need to get their hearts right before God and with each other.

Do you agree with James that conflicts have their source in the way “You want something and do not have it” and “covet something and cannot obtain it” (James 4:2)?

What do you think James means when he writes, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God” (James 4:4)?

James gets philosophical in James 4:13-17. What do you think about his proposed shift in thinking, from, “I will,” to, “If the Lord wills it”?

James 3:1-18

In James 3:1-18, we continue to see God’s wisdom, generously given to those who ask for it, undergirding James’ message.

Why does James say (James 3:1) that teachers will be judged “with greater strictness”?

Who have been your teachers in matters of Christian faith? Among them, what are the characteristics of the best?

James continues to divide works into those that flow from faith and those that do not. How does he do this in James 3:5-12?

Think about those who lead at MBPPC (and do not just think of Pastor Lee). How are they doing at bringing forth the kind of spirit James describes in James 3:13-18?

James 2:18-26

We come to the closing verses of James 2 this Sunday — James 2:18-26.

If you want to earn extra credit, read Romans 1-4, or at least chapter 4, to understand how Paul uses the Abraham story in a way that contrasts with (even seems to contradict) James.

James continues to explore the relationship between faith and works. How would you summarize James 2:18-26 in this regard?

Do you think the words of Jesus in Matthew 15:7-9, quoting Isaiah 29:13, align with James’ perspective?

What do you believe about the relationship between faith and works?

James 2:1-17

For our third reading in The Letter of James, we move on to chapter two: James 2:1-17.

We will see the main themes in James reported, but also added to, as we read along. Note how bias, the relative relationships of rich and poor, and the relationship between faith and works all show up again.

Do you believe James is anti-rich? Why might he make and repeat his distinction between rich and poor as a matter of faith?

I have noted that James is a very “Jewish” letter. Note how the Law of Moses shows up in James 2:8-13. How does he summarize this in James 2:13?

Paul regarded faith in Jesus Christ as the basis of salvation from sin and death, as he brilliantly demonstrated in the Letter to the Romans. Martin Luther called The Letter of James “a gospel of straw” for its seeming contradiction of Paul, and its insistence on works. When you read James 2:17, do you agree with Luther? Do you see a way that James does not differ with Paul in content, but in emphasis?

James 1:17-27

For our second Sunday reading in the Letter of James, we come to James 1:17-27. This happens to be the Revised Common Lectionary reading for September 1st, 2024, so we are sort-of aligned, even though I am preaching from the entire letter between now and October 13th.

 Again, at first blush, it may seem as though James hops from topic to topic — the birth of the church (James 1:17-18), cultivating the art of listening (first to the Gospel) rather than rash speech (James 1:19-21), the necessity of works (but not as the basis of salvation, James 1:22-25), and a summary comment about “worthless” versus “true” religion (James 1:26-27). However, we can tease out the continuity with the main themes of faith (entrusting oneself to God) and wisdom.

 There are a few phrases that echo other Bible passages when we read about God as the gracious giver of Christian life in James 1:17-18. One is “the Father of lights”, and echo of Genesis 1:15-16. Can you find others (hint, the rest echo other New Testament letters)?

 What do you think — does James 1:22-25 require works as at least a partial agent of salvation?

Why do you suppose James is so specific about works that comprise true religion — “…to care for orphans and widows in their distress”?

Psalm. 15 / James 1:1-16

Psalm. 34:15-22 / John 6:56-69

Psalm. 34:9-14 / John 6:51-58

As we continue to read from the Gospel of John through the month of August, we also continue to move through its sixth chapter. We will stay in John 6 all month long. This Sunday, the reading is John 6:35, 41-51.

The reading retains the last verse from last Sunday, verse 35, in which Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Beginning in verse 41, the arguments begin. It is important, throughout John’s Gospel, to understand that John is referring only to religious authorities when he uses the phrase “the Jews”. He does not mean all Jewish people (Jesus himself was a Jew, as were his first disciples). As you read, then, read the arguments as opposition from those in power, who are threatened by Jesus and his movement.

How do the authorities try to discredit Jesus, thinking they know all about him, in verses 41-42? How does Jesus respond? Who, according to Jesus, gets to know who he truly is, and how do they know?

Reflect on your own faith. Did you “figure Jesus out”? Or is the ground of your faith more mysterious to you than that?

Psalm 78:23-29 / John 6:24-35

This Sunday, and throughout the month of August, the Gospel of John will be the focus of the sermons. This Sunday we will read John 6:24-35. I have always liked John 6, with its focus on bread — literal bread, the bread of heaven, and Jesus as the Bread of Life.

Notice, first, the interplay between literal bread, physical hunger, the bread of heaven, and spiritual hunger. Where is the focus of the people who speak with Jesus? Where is Jesus’ focus? How do we balance our lives in our physical bodies with the life of faith?

Give some serious thought to Jesus’ comment, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (John 6:29). What does it mean to “believe in” Jesus? This may seem a simple question; sit with it in prayer.

Psalms 24 / Mark 6:14-29

As you read Mark 6:14-29, consider these very contemporary themes: entitlement, rash promises, power and its misuse, and the way that people who exploit these things stand in opposition to Jesus and his followers. As The Preacher says in Ecclesiastes,

“…there is nothing new under the sun”!

Psalms 123 / Mark 6:1-13

Psalms 30 / Mark 5:21-43

This Sunday’s Gospel reading is a classic Markan doughnut — a story that begins, is interrupted, and resumes, with another story in the middle, like a doughnut and a hole.

Both of these stories feature females — a girl and a woman. How does this change your experience of them in contrast to the many stories that feature males?

What factors might make Jairus and the unnamed woman not seek help from Jesus? How do they manage (and overcome) these obstacles?

Where, in your own life, have you been afraid to seek healing? What does it mean to you that Jesus so often says, “Do not fear, only believe” (Mark 5:36)?

Psalms 107:1-3 / Mark 4:35-41

In Mark 4:35-41, we read one of the miracle stories about Jesus. In this story, he reveals his sovereignty over the elements of earth; in this case, the wind and sea. In these days of climate change, and of our need for courage in facing humanly-created climate variance, let us turn to Jesus as the One who set climatic conditions at peace.

Why do you think Jesus could remain so calm in the midst of the storm?

When have you experienced someone bringing calm to a storm in a powerful, healing way?

Jesus poses two questions to the disciples that are also good questions for us to ponder about ourselves: “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40).

Psalms 92:1-4, 12-15 / Mark 4:26-34 / Mark 3:20-35

This Sunday, June 16, we read Mark 4:26-34. This is the culmination of Mark’s collection of Jesus’ parables of the kingdom of God. Parables have often been compared to Buddhist koans — riddles with no answer that are primarily meant to jar us from misunderstandings that we confuse with truth.

For example, it is a misunderstanding of the Gospel to conclude that good people are rewarded with heaven and bad people are forever punished in hell. Read Mark 4:26-34 carefully, and you will see that, whatever the kingdom of God is, Jesus does not present it as something we truly can understand — it grows mysteriously and abundantly, according to God’s will.

Read Mark 4:26-29. What can we do, or not do, to make the kingdom of God grow?

Read Mark 4:30-32. What does the image of the mustard seed suggest to you about the growth of the kingdom of God?

Psalms 130 / Mark 3:20-35

Isaiah 6:1-8 / Acts 2:1-21

Psalm 104:24-34 / Acts 2:1-21

Psalm 1 / Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

On this last Sunday of the season of Easter, we read about the days immediately following Christ’s resurrection and ascension. The first task is the replacing of Judas among the apostles.

Notice how Peter uses Scripture to interpret the apostasy of Judas in Acts 1:16 (referencing the Psalms quoted in Acts 1:20).

Pay close attention to the method they use to find new apostles — prayer, but also casting lots. What do you think about this? What does this say about the way we go about discerning qualified ruling elders at MBPPC?

Psalm 98 / Acts 10:44-48

Psalm 22:25-31 / Acts 8:26-40

Psalm 40:1-5 / Acts 3:12-19

During the remaining Sundays of Easter (it is a seven-week long season), and including the Day of Pentecost (May 19), I will be preaching from the Book of Acts. This week, our reading is Acts 3:13-21.

The apostles Peter and John have just healed a lame man, and restored his ability to walk. This draws a crowd of curious and amazed onlookers, and provides Peter with what we now call “a teachable moment”.

First, notice how Peter names God in verse 13. Now go back to Exodus 3:6. Why do you suppose Peter uses this reference for God?

Peter seems to make a rather blunt attack on the gathered Israelites. But notice what he says in verse 17! Could it be that, even today, people who oppose us about faith (or almost anything) act out of ignorance? How might our response be changed if we assume our opponents operate from ignorance more than malice? “Father, forgive them,” Jesus said from the cross, “for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).