Jewel Lake Parish Sermon Podcast

We begin our conversation about "Iron Age Wisdom for the 21st Century." This week, we're looking at rules in the book of Leviticus to promote the welfare of the most marginalized members of society. Since our society is so different from the world envisioned in Leviticus, is there still anything there for us to use today? Pastor Luke preaches from Leviticus 19:9-10 in "Gleaning," the first message in a new series, "Iron-Age Wisdom."

God commands his children to be unafraid of things like Covid-19 and even death. In Christ, we are enabled to live without fear. But our fears keep coming back to torment us. What should we do to live fearlessly? Pastor Luke preaches from John 13:34-34 in "In the Storm," the concluding message in his series, "Do Not Be Afraid."

The most common instruction that God gives in the Bible is “Do Not Be Afraid.” That even includes death. Everyone has to face death, but it doesn't have to frighten us. Pastor Luke preaches from 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 in "Death," part 3 of his 4-part series, "Do Not Be Afraid."

The pandemic has been a source of fear for so many people. Millions of people have gotten sick and hundreds of thousands of people have died with Covid. It's a serious challenge that needs to be taken serious. But it's nothing to be afraid of. Pastor Luke preaches from Luke 10:29-37 in "Sickness," part 2 of his 4-part series, "Do Not Be Afraid."

People are afraid of all kinds of things -- often with very good reasons! But Jesus taught his followers that they don't need to be afraid. It was this confidence that allowed the early church to spread across the Roman world. Why? How can we be unafraid like they were? Pastor Luke looks at Philippians 4:4-9 in "Do Not Be Afraid," the first message in a new series, "Do Not Be Afraid."

The promises of God are universal, but different people value the promises differently. An example is the promises Jesus made about families. In some ways, people today might value them even more than people did in the first century. Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 12:46-50 in "Family Room," the concluding message in his series, "Responses to the Messiah."

Some people's lives are in pretty good order. Other people have more chaos in their life than they want. Jesus says they have more in common than they might realize. Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 12:43–45 in "Squatters," part 11 of his 12-part series, "Responses to the Messiah."

Would you like to receive a sign from God? Something to point the way forward, perhaps, or just assure you that you're loved? Who wouldn't want that? But Jesus said we've already been given that sign! Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 12:38-42 in "Sky Signs," part 10 of his 12-part series, "Responses to the Messiah."

Would you like to know the future? Jesus tells you how you can know today what will happen when he returns. Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 12:33-37 in "Idle Words," part 9 of his 12-part series, "Responses to the Messiah."

By the middle of Matthew's biography of him, Jesus had demonstrated authority over both the physical and metaphysical world: healing every type of disease, bringing back the dead, calming a storm. That makes it all the more interesting when Matthew reports Jesus saying there was one (and only one) thing that could not be done. What is that? Does it still matter today? Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 12:22-32 in "Breakthrough," part 8 of his 12-part series, "Responses to the Messiah."

Every day we make thousands of decisions. Most of them aren't all that important. But some are. Some decisions are literally about life and death. What help does Christianity provide for people in making decisions? Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 12:14-21 in "Humility," part 7 of his 12-part series, "Responses to the Messiah."

Although Pharisees come across very poorly in the New Testament, Jesus agreed in many ways with their program. The place where they disagreed the most, however, is still a concern today. In fact, it's moved outside its original religious context out into the broader society. What is it, and how does it matter? Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 12:1-13 in "Have Mercy," part 6 of his 12-part series, "Responses to the Messiah."

In the first century, everybody had to work hard. They wore themselves out, working from dawn to dusk because they didn't have motors and machines. What's our excuse today? And more importantly, what can we do about it? Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 11:25-30 in "Rest," part 5 of his 12-part series, "Responses to the Messiah."

Did Jesus have bad days when he lashed out unfairly at people? So many of the stories in the New Testament show Jesus' love for even very objectionable people. What are we supposed to make of the times when he scolds ... not just people but whole cities? Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 11:20-24 in "Regrets Only," part 4 of his 12-part series, "Responses to the Messiah."

Jesus cautioned people against complaining when things aren't what they expect. Instead, he suggests, it is an opportunity to reevaluate what we could learn from that situation. How would we do that? Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 11:16-19 in "Playing Games," part 3 of his 12-part series, "Responses to the Messiah."

Is it better to win, or to achieve your other objectives? It's easy for winning to become an objective in itself. We enjoy winning, but Jesus teaches about a different strategy, based on what works best in God's kingdom. Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 11:7-15 in "Winning," part 2 of his 12-part series, "Responses to the Messiah."

It's easy to form a mistaken picture of Jesus, but only the real Jesus can work in our lives. When our image starts to drift away from reality, we should correct it the same way that John the Baptist did. Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 11:1-6 in "Fresh Perspective," the first message in a new series, "Responses to the Messiah."

People who were once intimidated by the church are increasingly comfortable asking questions about its teachings. This is good, because it requires us to reexamine our beliefs and think about important questions. This week our question is, why, if I do good, God gets the credit, but if I do wrong, I get the blame? Pastor Luke looks at Isaiah 1:16-17 in "Where Are My Accolades?."

Even when we know what we want to do, or need to do, that's only part of the problem. The hard part might be doing it. Does God help us, or is making changes in our life up to us? Pastor Luke preaches from Romans 8:9-17 in "Suffering and Glory."

God brought Israel out of slavery in Egypt to freedom in the promised land. Freedom is certainly far better than slavery. But it is not always easy. Freedom includes the freedom to starve, but it also includes the freedom to make mistakes and destroy relationships. We don't want to go back into slavery, but what can we do -- what can God do -- about the problems of freedom? Pastor Luke looks at Exodus 18:13-27 in "Capable People," the concluding message in his series, "The Road Out."