Preaching the Scriptures

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 19:1-10 Seeing Miracles Where's the miracle? Before Jesus entered Jericho he had done some pretty spectacular works – showstopping stuff. He healed lepers. He restored the crippled. His touch made the sick well. He cast out demons and renewed tortured minds. He even raised the dead, brought dearly departed people back to life. And just before today's story, in the previous tale found in Luke's Gospel, Jesus made a blind man see. And when he wasn't performing some miraculous healing, Jesus was blowing minds with his profound teachings. He told brilliant parables. He bestowed timeless wisdom. He challenged the entrenched religious and political systems in clever and often devastating ways. But now he walks into Jericho and he sees Zacchaeus. And no one is miraculously healed. And there is no amazing sermon. But there is some controversy – which is, I guess, the other thing Jesus does well ...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 2:22-40 Believing is Seeing What did they see?   In the crowded chaos of the Temple, what did these prophets see that made them notice this family with this baby?   Day after day the Temple square filled up with pilgrims and pray-ers – throngs of people.   Some of the families brought babies.   Babies are miraculous but they are also incredibly common.   Every person is at one time a baby.   And most babies look pretty similar – especially newborn babies.   So what did they see in this baby with this family? The family was just a common family from the north country, from the hill country.   They were not at all remarkable.   In fact, they were poor; in our Gospel text, Mary and Joseph offer the peasants' offering in the Temple – no sheep, apparently they could not afford a sheep; instead they offered just a couple of small birds.   They paid the reduced rate – a merciful provision all...