Lection: Luke 19

April 13, 2025

Luke 19:28-40
Luke 23:1-49
Philippians 2:5-11

“And Every Stone Shall Cry”
Inspired by hymn #219 in the Presbyterian 1997 Book of Praise. Words by Richard Wilbur, Music by Paulette Tollefson)

A stable lamp is lighted
whose glow shall wake the sky;
the stars shall bend their voices,
and every stone shall cry.

And every stone shall cry,
and straw like gold shall shine;
a barn shall harbour heaven,
a stall become a shrine.

A long time ago, in an unimportant town, a young woman gave birth to her first child. In many ways, his birth was like many others. Mary wasn’t the first or the last girl to be found pregnant before her wedding day, and Joseph was good enough to marry her anyway and be a father to the little boy.

What is unusual about this child is the fact that we have heard his story – not only the stories of his adult accomplishments when he became well-known for his teaching and healing and political activity.

But we have heard the stories of his birth. This person impacted the world so much that we celebrate his birth, and legends are told about how he arrived and how he survived into adulthood to do all the great and good things that he would do.

They … Read more »

December 15, 2024

Luke 2:8-20
Luke 19:1-10

“Joy Grows”

As I begin my sermon this morning, I want to give a shout-out to Stephen’s father in India. I don’t know what time it is where you live, or whether you are worshipping with us live or a little later on. But I know that you are enjoying the “From the Manger” theme that we are exploring during this Advent season, and I am too.

Thanks are due to “Illustrated Ministry” for the theme material that we are using this year, drawing our attention to the manger where the baby Jesus was laid. It’s meaningful and hopeful to think about the significance of the manger. It wasn’t just a young mother’s strategy for a safe and warm place to put her sleeping baby.

More than that, the manger is a powerful metaphor reminding us that Jesus came to be the Bread of Life for the world. Lying in a manger, a feeding trough, in the little town of Bethlehem, literally the “House of Bread,” Jesus came to feed our spiritual hunger, to fill us with hope, peace, joy, and love, and to transform the world into the kind of place where all people are fed – physically, emotionally, and … Read more »

March 24, 2024

Luke 19:29-40
Luke 22:39-46
Luke 23:44-49

“Your Will Be Done”

For those joining us in worship today from Trinity Presbyterian Church in Grenfell, and for others who may not have been with us for worship through the Season of Lent, I want to begin by mentioning that our worship themes during Lent have been guided by a devotional study written by the Rev. Konnie Vissers called “Practicing Jesus’ Seven Last Words.”

Each service has focused on one of the phrases spoken by Jesus from the cross, according to the various Gospel accounts of the passion story. Along the way, we’ve reflected on forgiveness, heaven, the bonds of family and community, suffering, need, and fulfillment. If you’re interested, you could feel free to watch any of the YouTube videos of our worship to explore those themes yourself.

But today’s theme, inspired by Jesus’ last words according to the Gospel of Luke, is “surrender.” And that’s a difficult word.

I mean, the study suggests that “surrender” is something that Jesus chose to do at the end of his life, and it invites us to consider what we may be called to “surrender” as well.

But when I think about “surrender” I think of an embattled army waving a white flag, … Read more »

April 10, 2022

Luke 19:28-40

“The Stones Will Shout”

Sometimes I really appreciate the silence. When the TV or the radio has been blaring for a long time, it is lovely just to switch off all the noise for a while. When I’ve been in a busy restaurant or conference hall filled with the sounds of loud conversation and laughter all around, stepping outside into the quiet is a gift. And folks have told me that even in our worship, with all the music and all the words, some silence is received with gratitude – some quiet moments for personal reflection and lifting up the prayers that are in our hearts.

Of course, silence is not always golden – when the quiet comes from isolation and goes hand-in-hand with loneliness. Some of us have experienced a bit of that kind of silence in the last couple of years. We know the gift of a friendly voice on the phone or a visitor at the door after many days of restless quiet and unwelcome solitude.

And silence can be deadly when someone in trouble is unable to express what they need from others. It could be a young woman too scared to say something when her teacher or … Read more »

April 2, 2017

Sermon by the Rev. Amanda Currie

Proverbs 11:24-25
1 Timothy 6:17-19
Luke 19:1-10

“Extravagant Generosity”

This week we are finishing up our series on “Five practices of fruitful congregations,” and “Extravagant Generosity” is the final practice. If I could have avoided preaching another sermon about stewardship, I probably would have. But it’s one of the themes I committed to preaching through this series. And also, I think that Robert Schnase is right – that fruitful congregations do practice extravagant generosity.

Now, when I think of extravagant generosity, I think of more than just money offerings. Gifts of money are needed to maintain a building, pay staff, purchase resources, support missions, and contribute to the wider ministry of the denomination. But generosity of time, skill, and spirit are also needed to work in the ministries of the church, to spend time in praying for the church and the world, and to engage with our children, youth, and adults (both inside and outside the congregation) to share our faith and spread the good news about God’s love for us in Jesus Christ.

Just think of the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus. There were two generous men in that story… Certainly Zacchaeus was generous as he committed to giving … Read more »

March 20, 2016

Luke 19:28-40
Psalm 118:1-4, 19-29

“Thy Kingdom Come”

When Palm Sunday comes around each year, we buy some palm branches and we re-enact Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. The crowds sang, “Hosanna” and hailed him as the king. They shouted out their praise, laid their cloaks along his path, and waved palm branches in the air.

Some congregations gather outside their church buildings on Palm Sunday. They pass out the palms, and everyone parades down the street and up into the church. In other churches, I have heard, they have someone dressed as Jesus, and someone with some farm animals offers a donkey for Jesus to ride on. In one congregation that I used to attend, we got up part way through the worship service, and had a parade around the neighbourhood. Some people played their instruments, we all sang lots of “Hosannas”, and we witnessed our faith in Christ to the people who heard and saw us pass by.

But no matter how elaborate our rituals become around Palm Sunday, I always have the feeling that we’re not as enthusiastic or as excited as the crowd would have been on that day when Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Some might say that it’s because we’re … Read more »

November 8, 2015

Jeremiah 29:4-14
Matthew 6:19-21
Luke 19:1-10

“Free to Be Rich”

This month we are talking about stewardship and reflecting on what we do with the money and other gifts that we have received. The weekly themes come from a resource prepared by the Ecumenical Stewardship Centre, with today’s theme focus titled, “Free to be Rich.”

I must say that I was a bit surprised by that title at first. It seemed almost in contrast to the Gospel story that Patti shared this morning with the children. Zacchaeus wasn’t so much “Free to be Rich” as he was becoming “Free to be Poor” when he met Jesus and got inspired to give his money away.

When I read the title, “Free to be Rich,” I immediately began to worry that this resource might be promoting what is often called the “prosperity gospel.” I remembered being down in the United States a few years ago, turning on the TV, and finding that about half the channels were showing TV evangelists. After searching for something I was more interested in watching without success, I turned back to one of the evangelists to see what she was teaching.

I remember the Scripture verse she focussed on very well, because she repeated … Read more »