June - July 2010

The sermon series for the summer will feature the Book of Luke.  It is impossible to preach the entire book in a summer.  What we will attempt to do is look at a majoer theme that Luke develops.  The key verse of the book is found in Luke 19:10 - "For the son of man came to seek adn to save that which was lost."   Jesus in his earthly ministry came to seek sinners, and by his death and resurrection accomplished their salvation.  Dr. Luke shows us how Jesus puts a special value on those whom the world rejects.  Luke's concern is with the many people who were marginalized and neglected in Jesus' day and in our day.  Jesus shows special care for the children, women, outcasts and poor.  We call it "The Ministry of Jesus to the Lost, the Lease, and the Lonely."  In Luke 14:13, the people Jesus came to invite to the feast are the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.

Here is a rundown of the topics that Gregg and I (Rick) will cover:

June 6: Luke 1:1-4 Introduce the theme of Luke and give an overview of the seeking and saving work of Jesus.

June 13:  Luke 1:26-38 Mary is worshiped by one branch of the church and rejected by another.  What is the Biblical view of the mother of Jesus?

June 20: Luke 2:8-21 How the poor and rejected shepherds witnessed and declared the birth of the savior into the world.  The last are first at the manger.

June 27: Luke 5:12-26 The cleansing of the leper is a picture of our defilement in sin and portends the defilement that Jesus experienced in order to forgive our sins.

July 4: Luke 5:17-26 The paralyzed man shows us that Jesus is not content healing only the body.

July 11: Luke 6:24-26 In Luke's version of Jesus' famous sermon, The Beatitudes, we learn that Jesus turns the world's view of success on its head.

July 18: Luke 7:11-17 We read about the heart of the Savior for the grief-stricken and destitute woman.

July 25: Luke 7:36-50 Scorned by the virtuous, the prositute who anoints Jesus is praised for her humility and faith.

August 1: Luke 8:1-3 Pastor Gregg MacDougall preaches his last sermon. Jesus surrounded himself with women who gladly supported the ministry of Jesus with their own resources.

August 8: Elder Dave Rogers preaches while Pastor Rick is vacation.

August 15: Luke 8:26-38 The healing of the demon possessed man. The most tormented soul can find healing and become a witness for the Savior.

August 22 and 29: Luke 15 Two-part sermon on the parables of the lost coin, lost sheep and the lost son.

September 5: Luke 19:1-10 Ending the series with a study of Zachaeus. John Drury says of him, "Zachaeus is a thorougly Lucan character, well-off, shady, little, unrespectable - yet responsive to Jesus. He belongs to that suspect fringe that plays such a telling part in the book. These, for Luke, are the people whom Jesus not only likes, but chooses to stay with and eat with because they are not too encumbered with their piety and virtue to heed the Gospel."

Let us pray the prayer from the Book of Common Prayer as we prepare for this summer series:

Almighty God, who called Luke the physician to be an evangelist and physician of the soul: May it please You that by the wholesome medicines of the doctrines delivered by him, all the diseases of our souls may be healed through the merits of Your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!