Luke 10:38-42 Dear Partner in Preaching, I have been, as I expect you have as well, heart sick over the events of the last week. Two more black men – Alton Sterling and Philando Castile – shot and killed by police in Baton Rouge and St. Paul. The brutal slaughter of police in Dallas. These feel like troubled days indeed, and I very much want our preaching to offer relevant and realistic words of hope. At the same time, I will confess to having a hard time relating the story of Mary and Martha to these events. I think I’ve found a way in, but am still working on it, so I’ll share my thoughts thus far below and will be grateful for you...

Luke 10:25-37 Dear Partner in Preaching, Nine preachers out of ten, I’d wager, will preach this week’s parable of the Good Samaritan as a morality tale. And, frankly, I think that’s just fine. It does, after all, reflect a profound example of how we are to treat each other, regarding as “neighbor” not merely those who are close to us or look like us or believe like us, but rather anyone who is in need. Given the political and cultural impetus, just now, to perceive anyone as different as a threat, this is a timely message indeed. If you move in this direction, I think there is an important pattern available to us in this parable to...

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 Dear Partner in Preaching, Four loosely connected thoughts on this passage that I hope will inspire your preaching this week. First, and mainly for you: you cannot do this alone. Notice that Jesus sent out the disciples in pairs. Why? With two, there is always someone to be encouraging if one of the pair is discouraged, to keep faith if one is dispirited, and to carry on when one feels tempted to quit. This discipleship thing can be hard, but it’s always easier with a companion. And the same is true with preaching! So if you have a healthy text study group available, go. If you don’t (or even if you do), try out a...

Luke 9:51-62 Dear Partner in Preaching, As is true of all texts, there are any number of interpretive directions in which you can go this week. Having said that, however, one simply jumped off the page for me and demanded my attention: why is it that when the James and John meet resistance to Jesus’ mission, their first instinct is to call down fire from heaven that will consume those they see as opponents? Let’s set the scene for a moment before trying to answer this question. Chapter nine is a pivotal chapter in Luke’s story about Jesus. It is, in a variety of ways, the hinge of the story, as it provides the pivot point between...

Luke 8:26-39 Dear Partner in Preaching, When I’ve written on this passage in years past, I’ve focused on the power of names. It regularly breaks my heart, for instance, to hear this young man respond to Jesus query, “What is your name?” by answering, “Legion.” He has defined himself, I’ve argued, by his deficits, by his ailment, by his pain, by his struggles and captivity. I’ve contrasted this shrunken, broken reality with the life-restoring gift of a new name and identity in Holy Baptism. I am still struck by this reality and, indeed, think it still preaches. J But this year I was taken not so much by what Jesus said to this...