Sermon text: Luke 18:1-8

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I hate to wait. Waiting can be excruciating.

That is one of the most ridiculous things about law school. You would think after you get a law degree that you would be ready to practice law, but nope. You have to pay a couple thousand dollars to take a class that prepares you for the bar exam. So you spend the entire summer after law school graduation preparing for the bar exam and then you take the exam over 2 days in July. But the worst part is that you don't get the results of the bar exam until October. So you start working, or in my case, I started seminary, which is not so common. And you just wait. When you sign up for the exam, they give you an identification number and then they tell you that there will be a two week time period in July where the exam results will be posted online. If you number is on the website, you pass. If your number is not on the website then you did not pass. Luckily my number was on the website and I passed, but the wait was awful. I actually checked the website every day for weeks to make sure my number was still up there and I actually printed the screen a few times just to be able to prove that it was on there in case they tried to take my number off or something. The waiting is excruciating and what are we to do when we are waiting.

Sermon text: Luke 16:19-31

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Albert Schweitzer was a German/French theologian, musician, and philosopher who was born in the late 1800's. He won the Noble Peace Prize in 1952, but well before that was a renowned musician and teacher. He was a genius and destined for European fame, when he dropped it all, went to medical school, became a medical missionary and started a medical clinic in West Central Africa. When people wondered why he did this, he answered their questions by pointing them to the parable we are going to read this morning.

So let's read it. Read Luke 16:19-31.

Last week we mentioned that Jesus has big concerns with money. And this parable in Luke again speaks of the temptations and struggles that arise with money. Again, Jesus' point is exceptionally clear. Do not become too comfortable in riches in this lifetime.

Sermon text: Luke 16:1-13

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My insurance agent is a part of Riverside. And I actually got a new life insurance policy this year to protect my family if something were to happen to me. And if you have life insurance you know that the company sends a nurse to you and they draw blood and take your blood pressure and a whole host of other tests to determine your risk of dying. Before they insure my life, they want to know the odds that I will die. And I obviously am hoping that those odds are fairly long. I try to eat healthy, exercise when I am able, avoid drugs, etc. I try to ensure my health as well. We all do this. We want to build up some security on earth.

Sermon text: Luke 15:11-23

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When we think of this parable, we generally think of it as the story of one son. And we know that he took his dad's inheritance and he went off and foolishly spent it all and then came back. But this is really the story of two sons. While it is true that the one son goes off and spends everything, there is his brother too. And he seemingly does everything right. He stays at home and tends the farm while is younger brother is out living wildly. And he does the chores and obeys his dad. He is productive and the good son. He is rightfully frustrated when his brother comes back and seems to get all of his father's praises.

Sermon text: Luke 15:1-7

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This morning I want us to wrestle with three things as we study our passage from Luke 15. First, who are the tax collectors and sinners in our world or community today? Second, what does it mean for us to welcome and eat with them? And third, why is that God seeks the lost and we don’t?