“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” Luke 18:1

Do you have a prayer that you’ve been praying for a long time? Do you have a prayer that hasn’t been answered yet? Do you ever wonder why God hasn’t answered you? Do you ever think of giving up? This parable is for you. Jesus tells a parable encouraging us to keep praying, to never give up, to trust that we have a good God who wants to give us justice and all that we need. The parable of the unjust judge and the persistent widow is an exploration of prayer and the character of God. Let’s explore it together. 

-Pastor Travis Norton

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“Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.” Luke 16:25 

The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is a tough one for us. Mostly because we are rich and the parable doesn’t look kindly on the rich man who failed to care for Lazarus who was poor, hungry and sick. But if you look at the parable from the perspective of Lazarus it is full of good news. Those who suffer in this life will be comforted in the next. Those who experience injustice in this life at the hands of those who have wealth and power, will see justice given them in the next life. On the whole, though, I think this parable is a strong reminder that what we do in this life matters. Do we look to the needs of others or only to our own needs? God is paying attention to our lives and there will be a judgement. When we think of God’s judgment to we look forward to the comfort He will give or are we concerned about being held accountable for how we’ve treated others?

-Pastor Travis Norton

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“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much, and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.” -Luke 16: 10

A few years ago Pope Francis said “You pray for the hungry. Then you feed them. This is how prayer works.”  Today’s scripture doesn’t speak to prayer but it is a story that offers us the reminder of reaping what we sow.  Perhaps a reminder that we show our saving faith by our good works. Verse 11 says to us “If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous [i.e., worldly] wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches [i.e., heaven itself]?” Does this mean that if we fail to be faithful stewards of our earthly wealth—for example saying, “ ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for warmth and to be full—that we shouldn’t assume that we’ll receive the heavenly riches of eternal life. “Faith apart from works is dead” we’ve heard it many times. This parable offers a radical call to biblical stewardship and good works in an age of worldly wealth. May God give us the grace to see people’s needs and meet them with gratitude in our hearts for what God in Christ has done for us.

-Pastor Carrie

And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable.” Luke 15:2-3 

This is how Jesus deals with controversy. This is how Jesus deals with religious people who complain. He tells parables. It’s genius, really. Everyone likes a story, of course. But these parables allow Jesus to teach people who are upset with him. That is so hard to do! I know when people get upset they are unlikely to hear something that contradicts what they already think to be true. But parables open us up to hear hard truths that challenge us to think or behave differently.  

This summer we will be going through the parables of Jesus on Sunday morning. We’ll explore some of those hard truths and hopefully be changed by the teachings of Jesus. This week Jesus challenges the idea that good religious people shouldn’t associate with “bad” people. He challenges us to seek after the lost rather than avoid them.  

I’m looking forward to this sermon series on parables, I hope to see you in church! Bring a friend!

-Pastor Travis Norton

Looking for last weeks worship? You can find it here!

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