Jewel Lake Parish Sermon Podcast

"Why did Jesus have to die?" Jesus' death is one of the central mysteries of Christianity. We may never fully understand it, but the writers of the New Testament gave us several ways to think about it. Pastor Luke preaches from Luke 23:44-54 in "Dead and Buried," part 4 of his 6-part series, "Creed II."

"Why do Christians make so much about the cross?" Jesus might have been executed on a cross, but does that make the cross itself important? Would it have mattered if Jesus was executed some other way? Pastor Luke teaches from John 18-19 in "Crucified," part 3 of his 6-part series, "Creed II."

"It's easy for you to say that." Isn't it frustrating when people who don't know us think they can tell us how to live anyway? But isn't that what Jesus does? After all, what we learned previously is that Jesus is the Son of God. How can someone like even understand why we do what we do, much less help us to do better? Pastor Luke teaches from Luke 4:1-13 in "Starving," part 2 of his 6-part series, "Creed II."

Why do Christians come to churches on Ash Wednesday? What do they think God wants from them? What do they expect to get out of it? Pastor Luke looks at Isaiah 58:1-12 in "What Kind of Fast?."

On Transfiguration Sunday, we remember when God told the disciples to listen to Jesus. Today, Jesus' followers listen to him through prayer, study of the New Testament and Hebrew Scriptures, and discussions with other Christians. Some Christians also refer to writings like the Apostles' Creed. Why? Where role do confessional statements have in listening to Jesus? Pastor Luke preaches from Luke 9:28-36 in "His Only Son," the first message in a new series, "Creed II."

It’s easy to think that since Jesus is unique, we can't do the things he did. But when he healed a man with a contagious skin disease, Jesus taught his followers how to change the world. Pastor Luke looks at Luke 5:12-16 in "Social Distancing."

What do we do when we don't know what to do? Which way should we go, if going back seems just as hard as going forward? Pastor Luke preaches from Luke 5:1-11 in "Man Overboard."

Why don't we have riots in churches today? Where Jesus went, people sometimes got angry -- even early in his ministry -- and sometimes they rioted. People rioted wherever the Apostle Paul went. But we don't have riots today, at least not in Alaska. Why not? What are we doing wrong? Pastor Luke teaches from Luke 4:22-30 in "For Not About."

How are Christians today different from the people that Jesus spoke to in the first century? What difference does the things that Jesus said and did make? What difference should it make? Pastor Luke preaches from Luke 4:14-21 in "Fulfilled Today."

Mark describes a time when Jesus wanted to give his followers a rest so they could catch their breath and celebrate what God had been doing. But other people followed where they were going, so instead of a rest, they got a miracle. Pastor Luke preaches from Mark 6:30-44 in "Jesus Followers."

In the latest installment of our occasional "Ask Me Anything" message series, Pastor Luke addressed four questions, (1) What authority does St. Peter have with the Keys to the Kingdom? (Matthew 16:13-20) (2) What happened to Esau? (Genesis 27:41;33:4,12,16-17; Deut. 2:2-5) (3) How does the Lord see divorce when one partner refused reconciliation? (Matthew 19:3-9) (4) Are you familiar with some of the major changes in the newest edition of the NRSV? Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 16:13-20 in "Ask Me Anything."

What did the angel mean when he told the shepherds, "Your savior is born today?" What is a savior? Who does he save? What does he save them from? Pastor Luke looks at Luke 2:1-18 in "Your Savior is Born Today."

Are you ready for Christmas? Not “this year’s celebration of Christmas,” but the thing the celebration recalls: the coming of the King that God had promised. Are you ready for that? Pastor Luke looks at Ephesians 1:1-14 in "All the Things," the concluding message in his series, "Under the Tree."

Is there something you want for Christmas? If you get it, then what? How long will it satisfy you? What if you could have the gift you really want? Pastor Luke teaches from John 1:1-18 in "Delightful Unwrapping," part 3 of his 4-part series, "Under the Tree."

We've seen that hope is good for us, but hope can fade or even die. How can we keep our hope alive? Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 2:1-12 in "Following Yonder Star," part 2 of his 4-part series, "Under the Tree."

Is there something you want for Christmas? If you get it, then what? How long will it satisfy you? What if you could have the gift you really want? Pastor Luke teaches from Isaiah 11:1-10 in "What Do You Want for Christmas?," the first message in a new series, "Under the Tree."

The Old Testament Law included protections for workers and so do the laws of our society today. If you're already obeying the modern labor laws, you can still learn from the ancient labor laws -- in fact, even people who don't employ anyone else can benefit from those laws. Pastor Luke preaches from Leviticus 19:11-13 in "Until Evening," the concluding message in his series, "Iron-Age Wisdom."

For many Christians, if they know anything from the book of Leviticus, it's probably the commandment to love one's neighbor, which Jesus said was just like the commandment to love God. But the following verse in Leviticus is generally ignored, and you might be violating it right now. Should you be? What if it's the key to understanding how to love your neighbor? Pastor Luke teaches from Leviticus 19:18-19 in "Diversity," part 4 of his 5-part series, "Iron-Age Wisdom."

Looking for wisdom in Leviticus is especially difficult when a regulation seems arbitrary, when it isn't explained, or when it isn't repeated somewhere else or illustrated by a story. The ban on tattoos, for example, features all three of these difficulties. Is something wrong with tattooing? What possible wisdom could be found in such a prohibition? Pastor Luke looks at Leviticus 19:28 in "Don't Go Changin'," part 3 of his 5-part series, "Iron-Age Wisdom."

What is a "Jubilee?" It's one of those church words that crept out into the language ... barely. Is it a good thing? We're looking at the Book of Leviticus, hoping that we can find wisdom there will help us navigate our confusing times. Is the Jubilee an example of Iron-Age wisdom? Pastor Luke preaches from Leviticus 25:1-13 in "The Old Normal," part 2 of his 5-part series, "Iron-Age Wisdom."