Touchpoints on Luke (Page 4)
What Pleases God
“The only thing I can go and sell is what has always been given to me. When everything is seen as a gift from God, ‘my possessions’ is a contradiction, an oxymoron. Or maybe it’s a falsehood redundancy, because there is no more ‘my’ and there are no more ‘possessions.’”
Who Was the Neighbor?
“To love the neighbor as myself is to recognize the neighbor as myself. We are one and the same. We both carry the Christ within us. To walk past the wounds of the neighbor is to walk past the wounds of our own lives. To not touch the wounds of the neighbor is to think we can live without touching the wounds of our very selves.”
Hand Tools
“But then, to my way of thinking, nothing really needs to GET done – not by me or you or even the church. The big job – the big job of RENOVATION – the big job of making all things new – that job has already been done, is still being done, and will continue to be done by the All-In-One whose love for all creation is eternal, whose grace is unlimited, and whose generosity knows no bounds.”
Go Home!!
“So what do we do with a Jesus who doesn’t convert or condemn, but simply heals and sets free? What do we do with a Jesus who doesn’t seek a follower but a thankful heart? What do we do with a Jesus who isn’t interested in how big his church is… errr, I mean… his parade of followers is?”
Forgiveness Leads to Repentance
“But here’s the thing. We don’t need to run and hide like Adam and Eve. We don’t need to live in fear and dread. We know what kind of God we have. We know whether God, at God’s core, is forgiving or vengeful.”
YES!!!
“But it isn’t a YES that says, ‘Yes, you do measure up,’ or ‘Yes, you are good enough.’ It’s rather a YES that says, ‘YES, you don’t have to measure up. YES, you don’t have to be good enough. Because it’s not about measuring up or being good enough. My YES will simply embrace and transform your NO.'”
The Prodigal Sons
“We have bastardized the Mystery’s grace, the Father’s love. But guess what, there are no bastard children in the family of God. And the door into the house is always open, and the feast never ends. Deniers and betrayers, doubters and cowards are welcome…”
Let It Be
“Now I’m not sure what this says about God the Father, but I am clear on what it says about God the Son. He will not go back on forgiveness. He will not go back on grace. He will not deal with us on the basis of reward and punishment or getting what we deserve. Not now, not next year, not ever.”
Listen Up
Grace and peace from the Mystery in whom we live and move and have our being. Listen to God’s beloved Son. This is my Son, my chosen … Listen to him. This is my Son, my chosen … Listen to him. This is my Son, my chosen … LISTEN to him. Luke 9:28-36 OK, let’s talk about this. Seriously, what am I supposed to do with a passage which has as its primary message ‘listening?’ What do I do with…
Give Credit Where Credit is Due
Grace and Peace from the Mystery in whom we live and move and have our being. I know I read from “The Message” interpretation by Eugene Peterson for our passage today, and I did so because it is such a good one. But I am going to use the NRSV (New Revised Standard Version) translation for this Touchpoint, because I think it shows how we have used and misused this passage. Love your enemies, do good to those who hate…
Blessing or Woe? Woe or Blessing?
“This passage comforts the afflicted … and afflicts the comfortable. And if you want to know which one you are, look no further than your response to this passage. Where does this ‘passage’ take you? To comfort or discomfort?”
Unity, not Separation
Grace and peace from the Mystery in whom we live and move and have our being. The essence of the Divine. Master, leave. I’m a sinner and can’t handle this holiness. Leave me to myself.” Luke 5:1-11 Peter is both right and wrong at the same time. “I’m a sinner” … Correctomundo Peter! “Leave me to myself” … Couldn’t be more wrong on that one. Before we begin to talk about this text, we have to come to some definition…