Luke 17:11-19 Dear Partner in Preaching, What do you think? Is it too much to suggest to our hearers that the secret to a good life and the heart of our faith is contained in this brief passage? The key to both is tucked away in a deceptively simple observation: They’re all made well. All the men in this story, that is. They are all made well. Did you notice that? Alright, so let’s back up just a bit, slow down just a little, and see what we might notice together. At the outset of this relatively short story from Luke’s Gospel, there are ten men who are suffering from some form of skin disease. (It’s named as leprosy,...

Luke 16:1-13 Dear Partner in Preaching, So what do you think: is it ever okay to tell the congregation that you really have no idea what a passage means? I know, I know, that may be hard to do, as we are, after all, supposed to be the experts in this kind of thing. Moreover, it might be a tad scandalous for some, as they have a pretty high confidence in your ability to help them understand the Scriptures. At the same time, though, it might also be comforting, as when they scratch their heads in perplexity at a passage like this one, they now know they’re not alone. It’s not that they’re not smart enough or lack training, it’s that...