This week we talk about one of the more difficult sayings of Jesus, that he came not to bring peace but division. In the context of Luke’s Gospel, we discuss how this relates to the effect of choosing to align one’s life with the kingdom of God, especially from those who do not embrace those values. We discuss representative understandings in the era of the Reformation, especially the idea that this was a call to ministers to be prepared for opposition. Finally, we discuss what embracing a ministry of “release” might look like for us today.

This week discuss the follow-up to the Parable of the Rich Fool, where Jesus reinforces the importance of faithful discipleship from the perspective of trusting confidence in God’s goodness as well as a recognition of the need for living out the principles of the kingdom of God in our lives. We also discuss the various ways that the Reformers framed this “watchfulness,” or faithful discipleship, in their day, as well as some of implications for us today.

This week we talk about the Parable of the Rich Fool, in which Luke introduces Jesus’ perspective that “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possession,” a theme we’ll come back to several times as we continue through Luke’s travel narrative. We also talk about the rise of wealth and a middle class in the renaissance and the reformation, and how that affected their take on this passage. Finally we discuss how to apply Jesus’ perspective on wealth to our lives today.

This week we discuss Jesus’ teaching about prayer, including the different versions of Lord’s Prayer, and especially the fact that Jesus instructs his disciples to pray with the confidence that God knows their needs and delights in their good. We also discuss the interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer in various confessions from the Reformed tradition.

This week take a close look at the episode where Jesus visits Martha and Mary, and we discuss how Luke emphasizes Mary’s role of listening to the word but that Jesus implicitly endorses both Martha’s diakonia and Mary’s listening to the word. We explore how this passage was interpreted (sometimes harshly) in the medieval church and by the Reformers, using Diego Velazquez’ Christ in the House of Martha and Mary. We conclude by discussing the implications for today.

This week we talk about the parable of the “Good Samaritan” in the context of Jesus’ day and the scandal it would have provoked. We look at how Calvin used this passage to promote some of his key theological themes, and we discuss how to be “neighbors” to those who threaten us in our day.

This week we discuss a unique episode in Luke’s Gospel, the sending of the Seventy (Two) “others” to extend Jesus’ ministry as well as that of the Twelve Apostles. We discuss how this relates to themes of the urgency and danger of the work of proclaiming the Kingdom, as well as the fact that Jesus’ commission was extended to these “others” to meet the pressing need to get the word out.

This week we take a look at a couple of interesting episodes that introduce the “Journey to Jerusalem” section of Luke’s Gospel, and the way they emphasize the cost of choosing to follow Jesus. We discuss an example of how Calvin’s biblical interpretation reflects the shortcomings of his day, as well as the emergence of the “protestant ethic” in the Reformation. Finally we discuss the question of whether that commonly held ethic does justice to Jesus’ call to discipleship.

This week we discuss an unusual story: the healing/saving of the Gerasene demoniac, which displays Jesus’ saving power for the first time in Gentile territory. We also discuss the theology surrounding “demons” in the Medieval Catholic church and among the Reformers. Finally, we talk about ways to approach this passage without endorsing a Medieval understanding of “demons” and “exorcism.”

This week we take a look at the way the Farewell Discourse follows the pattern of Trinitarian language in the NT: weaving together the work of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We also discuss the Pseudo-Athanasian creed and it’s significance for our understanding of Trinity. Finally, we talk about some ways to communicate the importance of Trinity for our faith.