Bent Oak Church

Chapter 8 of Luke's gospel recounts some of the most powerful miracles in Jesus' ministry. It also recounts one of the smallest. We take a closer look at the surprising compassion of Jesus and his willingness to see even those overlooked needs. 

Having calmed the storm at sea, Jesus arrived at the far side of the Sea of Galilee. He was immediately met by a man possessed by a legion of demons. But the encounter does not develop as Jesus' disciples might have expected. The encounter gives us another opportunity to see how people respond to the revelation of Jesus' true identity.

As a part of our Easter worship, we take a look at Jesus' conversation with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. We discuss the surprise of resurrection and how this truth reworks our lives and future.

As they crossed the sea of Galilee, Jesus slept. Even through the storm, he did not wake. But as the boat began to take on water, his disciples woke him in a panic. We take a look at this familiar story and what it teaches us about faith and the storms we all face in life. 

We have been looking at how various people respond to Jesus. In this week's sermon, Joshua Kansiewicz explores how Jesus uses common sayings to express spiritual truths, including Jesus' image of a light not being hidden from the world.  Jesus final advice was to be careful how we hear.

Jesus continued to gather followers as he taught throughout Galilee, but those followers would increasingly recognize the crowd's and the leaders' rejection of Jesus. Warning them not to lose hope, Jesus offered them an everyday image—a parable—about seed and soil.

Luke has been trying to show us the kind of humility required to understand Jesus. That humility often came from unexpected people. In this week's passage, we get another example of humility but also a Pharisee who, though he appears to be humble, is revealed to be proud and unable to recognize Jesus.

Somewhat unexpectedly, Luke turns our attention back to the character of John the Baptist. John would die in prison, and he seems to have been confused by the news of Jesus' ministry in Galilee. We take a closer look at our own expectations of Jesus and how we can recognize his true identity.

Having finished his sermon on the plain, Luke records another two miracles in the region of Galilee. But these miracles stand out from those so far recorded in Luke's gospel. We take a closer look at the Centurion's servant and the widow's son. 

As we finish our study of Jesus' sermon on the plain, we take a closer look at two images: the fruit tree and the house.  Jesus explained that it is the good plant that produces good fruit and that only a house that has been built upon a solid foundation can withstand the flood.