Talks, Sermons and Reflections

Luke 12:49-56 This is a surprising passage! Is not Jesus the prince of peace? Did he not come to bring peace, ‘to guide our feet into the way of peace’ (Luke 1:79)? Did not the angels announce when he was born, ‘peace on earth among those who he favours’ (Luke 2:14)? And yet, as Simeon holds the baby Jesus in his arms, he says to Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed – and a sword will pierce your own soul too’ (Luke 2:34)? And here Jesus says, ‘Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. (Luke 12:51-52). And he goes on to say that even the most foundational unit of society will be split apart, that families will be divided. So who has Jesus come to divide? Is it rich from poor? Has he come to so shake up the order of ...

Luke 12:32-40 What is it that we strive for? What is it that we most want from life? Where is our heart? Jesus eats with sinners. Sieger Kodel. (the master who serves his servants) That is a hard question: because we look for different things at different times: excitement, rest, respect, comfort, fitness, the fulfilment of a desire. And in the midst of all this merry-go-round of desires, sometimes we long for a centre, a point around which we can orientate our lives. The audio of the talk can be found here I think our reading from Luke 12 can help us There are three parts: Verses 32-34 speak of treasure in heaven Verse 35-38 speak of slaves who are waiting for their master to return, and when the master returns, he serves them. Verses 39-40 speak of homeowner who is burgled, and there is the call to be ready. But to put these in focus, we need to go back to the previous verses where Jesus has said that, in view of the mercies and kindness of God, we are not to strive for the things of...

Luke 12:13-21 Here we have someone else trying to enlist Jesus to their ‘just’ cause. ‘Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me’. Only a few verses earlier we have been told about Martha who said to Jesus, ‘Tell my sister to help me’. And in both cases Jesus challenges the one who would enlist him to their cause. With Martha he spoke about the need to listen to him. With this man, he speaks about money. Listen to the audio of this talk Still life with skull, candlestick and coins. Johann Stumm c.1645. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. 1. Jesus warns him, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed”. Barns come in many shapes and sizes. There are plain old barns. There is property and land. There are the investment portfolios. There are some very big barns in the Burnhams. And equally there are many who aspire to have bigger barns. And it is very easy for the desire to get those bigger barns, the desire for money and all the things that it brings, to get a grip on us, to...