Luke 22:14-23:56 Dear Partner in Preaching, Sometimes when you read a familiar passage, you wonder just what you’ll preach on this time, and sometimes – and oh, how nice it is when this happens! – sometimes something entirely new jumps out at you. That’s what happened to me this week at the prompting of one of the readers of this column. Earlier this week, one of you wrote to me and observed that in Luke’s version of the Passion, Peter denies Jesus three times and Pilate proclaims his innocence three times. The preacher writing asked if this was significant. And, to tell you the truth, I’d never noticed that before....

Luke 6:17-26 Dear Partner in Preaching, It’s late in the week and so I will share just a few thoughts on this week’s pericope. Actually, just one: “with.” It may be one of the most important words in this passage and, indeed, the English language (and, for that matter, Greek and all others languages to boot). Why? Because “with” connects. It joins. It adds. And by connecting, joining, and adding it creates something new. Moreover, it is incredibly relational. “Do you want to go with me?” is one of those invitations, for instance, that few of us forget when a new friend makes it. And so while I’ve read this...