St. Luke Columbus

While Pentecost seems like God’s conlussion of the work on the Cross, it is really far deeper.  The pursuit of the “Hound of Heaven” as Francis Thompson calls Jesus, was after us from the beginning. Today we will focus on three things: We lost it all, He did it all, We get it all.   Lessons: Genesis 11:1-9, Acts 2: 1-21, John 14: 15-18, 25-27

We are to forgive as we have been forgiven. To be able to do this we must first understand, accept, and dwell in the truth that, through Jesus, we are completely forgiven of all our sins. Forgiving someone from your heart is a process that begins with simply and sincerely saying “I forgive you.” The next steps that may follow in the process are letting something die, slowly letting go of the controlling emotions of rage and the desire for revenge, and finally being reconciled.   After hearing this sermon, we hope you will prayerfully move through the “Forgiving As You Have Been Forgiven Flow Chart”.   Lessons: Jeremiah 31:31-34, Colossians 3:12-15, Matthew 18:21-35

Several verses in the Bible describe God as being “gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” As followers of God, the Son, we want to put on this characteristic and be known as those who abound in making allowances for other’s faults. This means we are to avoid slandering others, defend them, speak well of them and explain their actions in the kindest way.   In order to be a better witness of Christ, identify one place in your life where God is calling you to grow in making allowance for other’s faults and be prepared to think, speak, and behave in that way the next time you are given the opportunity.   Lessons: Jonah 4:1-4, Colossians 3:12-15, Matthew 7:1-5

The ability to put on patience rests on trusting that God has a plan is in control, and will act when God decides it is time to act. Sometimes we want to go through a door that God has not yet opened. Other times, we unfaithfully delay moving on through a door that God has opened for us. Discerning when it is time to patiently “be still” and when it is time to “move on” requires a seasoned practice of listening to and trusting God’s gentle whisper.   After hearing this sermon, we hope you will begin to practice listening prayer.   Lessons: Exodus 14:13-16, Colossians 3:12-15, Matthew 13:24-30

Gentleness is a strong hand with a soft touch. It is a tender, compassionate approach toward others' weaknesses and limitations. A gentle person still speaks truth, sometimes even painful truth, but in doing so guards his tone so the truth can be well received.   After hearing this sermon, we hope you will Identify areas of your life where you have opportunities to be gentle with others weaknesses and other areas where you can speak truth into others lives or better yet ask someone to speak truth in yours… and get this, be quick to listen and slow to speak in response.   Lessons: Isaiah 42:1-4, Colossians 3:12-15 NLT, Matthew 21:12-14

Being clothed with humility is the way of Jesus. Our culture is desperately in need of a humility revolution like the early Christians led to transform western culture as the Roman Empire was beginning to decline. Humbling ourselves before the Lord is the first big step to putting on Christ, having real life with God, and the Lord healing our land. We can humble ourselves and it is far better for us to humble ourselves then to wait for the Lord to humble us, which will happen. Humbling ourselves means making planned and intentional decisions to take the lower position among others and giving God all the glory.   After hearing this sermon, we hope you will, through listening to God in prayer, identify one environment in your life where God is calling you to prepare to humble yourself.   Lessons: 2 Chronicles 7:11-14, Colossians 3:12-15, Luke 14:1, 7-11

It is an extraordinary witness to the new life we have in Christ when we with kindness to someone who has wronged us. The story of Joseph and the example and teachings of Jesus point us to this extraordinary behavior. As holy people are have been raised to a new life in Jesus and clothed with kindness, we have it in use to put on the belt of truthful kindness and behave this way.    After hearing this sermon, we hope you will develop the skill of looking at a conflictual situation from God’s perspective and listening to learn the story so that you can more often respond in kindness.   Lessons: Genesis 50:13-21, Colossians 3:12-15, Luke 6:27-36

Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, our old self is put to death and we are raised to a new life in Christ. One way to understand this transformation is that we take off our old clothes and Jesus clothes us with a new fresh set of clothes. Specific character traits and behaviors come with our new set of fresh threads, one of which is tender-hearted mercy. Tender-hearted mercy is putting on the same gut-splitting compassion for others that Jesus has for us.   After hearing this message, we hope you will put yourself in the dressing rooms where Jesus will continue to clothe you with the character traits and behaviors of the new life.   Lessons: Acts 10:34-43, Colossians 3:12-15 (NLT), Luke 24:1-12    

This sermon is lead by members of our congregation. Each St. Luke Preacher gives us a brief meditation based on the seven last words of Christ.

Brené Brown helps us understand that in order for forgiveness to happen something has to die. To forgive is a grief process where something has to die in order for new life to come forth. To truly forgive we have to grieve something. It may be a relationship as we have known it, the hope that something will be same as it once was, that a person you care about does not have the capacity to hurt you or wouldn’t hurt you, being right, or something else. But only through killing something off can beautiful new life come forth. The willingness to kill something off and grieve it makes forgiveness the ultimate act of love. This is what God did for us in Jesus and what we are called to do for others.   After hearing this sermon, we hope that you will accept that Jesus died so that he could forgive you. Identify and kill off what you must to forgive others.   Lessons: Jeremiah 31:31-34, Colossians 3:12-13, Matthew 26:17-28

This sermon starts with a narrative reading of the passion story. The sermon starts at 15:48.    One of the most vivid pictures that the Bible gives us for understanding what happened to Jesus when he suffered and died is found in Philippians 2:7 where it says that Jesus “emptied” himself. Jesus emptied himself of his eternal perfection so that he could be filled with our broken rebellion and death. Now that we have been emptied of our broken rebellion and death, Jesus now fills us with his eternal perfection. Such a joyous exchange!   After hearing this sermon, we hope that you will, in faith, accept Jesus empting of your broken rebellion and death and his filling you of his eternal perfection.    Lessons: Philippians 2:5-11, Luke 22:14-23:56

Jacob experienced the transcendent presence of God as few people had before or since, even getting a glorious name change from God. And yet, Jacob continued to struggle to walk obediently with God. He was often filled with fear and doubts. He too often tried to take matters into his own hands. Given all this, God continued to walk with Jacob just as he was. The great testimony to this is that generations later, when Moses (like Jacob before him) asked God for His name, God identified himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and (wait for it) … Jacob, not Israel, but Jacob. This teaches us the gospel truth that, in Jesus, God will always accept us and engage with us wherever we are on our path of discipleship. God will identify with us just as we are, sinful, broken, fearful, doubting, and struggling.   After hearing this sermon, we hope you will rest in the truth that, in Jesus, God meets you and identifies himself with you in the midst and mire of your sinful struggles.   Lessons: Genesis 28:10-22; 32:22-30;

What happened this night was no ordinary evening, for a variety of reasons… And what Jesus shows us is if any voice tells you to moderate our love for Jesus, do not listen. Let your affections for Jesus be lavish. If any voice tempts you to want to be rich in money, do not listen. Jesus is your riches, and all that money can buy cannot compare to him. If any voice tells you that his death is anything less than the triumph over death, do not listen. No ordinary meal indeed!   Lessons: Isaiah 43:16-21, Philippians 3:7-14, John 12:1-8

Throughout his life, Jacob faced daily struggles that are recorded in the Bible with amazing detail. As his family, wealth, and responsibilities grew, so did his daily struggles. He did not always make wise or faithful decisions in coping with his daily struggles, but at a few poignant times he expressed his trust in God and was better able to wrestle with his daily struggles. This is not heaven and daily struggles are a part of this life that is broken by sin. Genesis 3:17-18 teaches that it is “through painful toil” that we now have our “daily bread.” Our daily struggles cause us to fear the future. There is only one place to turn with our daily struggles, and that is the Lord who promises to give us the peace that passes all understanding and guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. I want to make more room for questions and dialogue in this sermon.   After hearing this sermon, we hope you will create a “Daily Surrender Prayer” that you can use as a daily mantra to have greater peace as you wrestle wit

God loves all people and desires that all people be saved. We are answering questions that we submitted on the wrestling with God cards: How should we feel about Muslims? What about Christians vs. Muslims. Although we will not limit ourselves to the relationship between Christians and Muslims, current events give us this poignant experience to seek to understand how to understand Jesus’ Parable of the Good Samaritan when it comes to our neighbors who believe differently than us.   After hearing this sermon, we hope you will pray for God to move us to love all people, especially Muslims, as God loves them and to desire that they be saved.   Lessons: Isaiah 49:5-6, 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Luke 10:25-37

This is not heaven. We will enter into the back-story of Jacob’s wrestling with God to wrestle with God over our own disappointments. This sermon will continue to turn the screw deeper into the understanding of the problem of evil that was introduced on Feb. 17. The deeper understanding is that we sometimes are fooled into thinking that life should be perfect and we should not experience disappointments, especially if we have been faithful. While our personal disappointments may not seem as terrible as the evil and suffering that others experience, suffering is suffering and it can lead us to wonder where God is in the midst of our disappointments.   After hearing this sermon, we hope you will continue to trust that in all things God is working for your good.   Lessons: Genesis 29:14b-30

The question seems simple enough, God says love your neighbor… so who is that, I sure would hate to mess that up! But the simplicity of the Greatest Commandment, makes that question completely unneeded. The better question, isn’t to ask “who should I love” but instead ask Jesus “Who am I?” You see the famous parable of the Good Samaritan is less about who represents our neighbor and more to do with, what kind of people are we?   After hearing this sermon, we hope you will ask yourself where you are reluctant to love and try to discover the root sin that underlies it. It may be painful… but it is so worth it!   Lessons: Psalm 107:1-9, 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, Luke 10:25-37

Why is this happening to me God? I think this is a question we all can relate to whether it is break up in a relationship, losing a job, health issues, death of a loved one and so many other things that cause us to ask this question. Tonight we are going to wrestle with why do bad things happen to us and what to do in the midst of those struggles.   Lessons: Matthew 7:24-28

The testimony of the Bible is that God’s heart is turned towards the poor. The Isaiah passage teaches that caring for those in need is even more important to God than our worship of him. Jesus plainly said to follow him, the rich young man had only one more step to take in order to have treasurers in heaven and begin following Jesus – “sell what you have and give to the poor.” If we desire to authentically follow Jesus, we must follow the teaching of 1 Timothy 6:17-19 and be rich in generosity with those in need. One of our particular gifts in this mission is that we are rich and can really bless organizations who are effective at helping people in need.   After hearing this sermon, we hope you will give a financial donation to the Be Rich Campaign that would be generous for you.   Lessons: Isaiah 1:11-17, 1 Timothy 6:17-19, Mark 10:17-22