Category Archives: Devotions

Jesus in the Wilderness

In the wilderness

Right after his baptism, Jesus is led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. We read about this in Luke 4:1-13. Jesus is in the wilderness for forty days and near the end of that time, the devil tempts him. Today I’m looking at one aspect of this journey—the commitment to a complete incarnation.

One aspect of the incarnation is the act of God experiencing our lived reality. When the spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness for 40 days of fasting, this is another way in which Jesus walks a mile in the shoes of his ancestors. I have written about how the work of Jesus is a kind of grand Exodus story. Here we see Jesus wandering in the wilderness for 40 days, and that echoes the Israelites wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. 

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Transfiguration of Jesus

Transfiguration of Jesus

In the Gospel of Luke 9:28-36, we read about the transfiguration of Jesus. This transfiguration experience describes the moment when Jesus reveals his divinity to his inner circle, Peter, John, and James. We find this encounter in three of the Gospels, and I’m looking at Luke’s account in this article.

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Jesus Elevates the Poor 

Luke records the sermon on the plain in Luke 6:17-26. This discourse parallels the sermon on the mount found in the Gospel of Matthew. The teaching is so similar and yet very different. Matthew’s “sermon on the mount” hits hard on morality, but Luke’s “sermon on the plain” hits hard on lived experience. Jesus elevates the poor and speaks against the rich and powerful. These beatitudes don’t allow us to spiritualize the message. Jesus plainly tells them that the outcast, the poor, the rejected, and the grieving will be blessed. God sees and rewards the excluded and abused. Luke then lists woes for those who are rich, powerful, and influential in this life. He tells them with a tone of judgment that their riches will cause them turmoil and distress.

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Jesus Gets Canceled

Jesus Gets Canceled

When the ministry of Jesus started to grow he went back to his hometown and visited the synagogue. Returning back home carries with it a lot of expectations. In Luke 4:14-30, we see that it’s no different for Jesus. They’ve known him his whole life, and they’ve heard the stories about his work in Capernaum. The talk about him has started to spread. I imagine that on this day, the attendees expected to hear something to make it all make sense. Jesus did just that, but it wasn’t what they were expecting. It wasn’t what they wanted to hear.

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The Loneliness of Dying

loneliness of dying

While sheltering in place I’ve read a variety of articles about the Coronavirus. Some of these are news, some are statistical, and some describe the loneliness that those who are dying will experience. I’ve seen articles about the process of dying that have been written by people in the medical community. These are often an appeal to honor the shelter in place policies. Although I don’t personally know anyone who’s dying from the Coronavirus, these descriptions shake me to my core. The reality that some people are slowly suffocating without family nearby is tragic.

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Galileans, Fig Trees, “Illegals”, and You

God’s Judgment

Was Hurricane Katrina really God’s judgment on New Orleans? How about the 1906 earthquake that devastated San Francisco—was that a judgment on the Barbary Coast? When tragedy strikes people are quick to assign a moral cause. Luke 13:1-9 shows us pious judgments designed to explain away bad things. This reflex goes way back.

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