A Famine Not of Bread

Click here to listen to this sermon. The text for today is our Gospel lesson, Luke 12:49-53. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I know for many of you, “parliamentary procedure” is a dirty word. But I must confess I am a fan of Robert’s Rules of Order . Well-done parliamentary procedure does make for shorter, more orderly meetings, ensuring that while the majority opinion prevails, the rights of the minority are also protected.   One of the more interesting parliamentary procedures originated in the Roman Senate. Ordinarily, the Romans used voice vote. But if there was a vote that was disputed or considered too close to call, one of the members might rise and call for a division of the house. Those who were voting divided themselves—the “ayes” on one side of the house and the “nays” on the other side. The call for a “division of the house” is still useful for verifying the results of a voice vote. It can also be a method of applying pressu...

Click here to listen to this sermon. [Jesus said:] “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division” (Luke 12:51). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! “This is the Gospel of the Lord,” we say each week after reading the Gospel, but there is no good news in these words from Jesus this week. It’s a hard text to preach on. The difficulty stems from a dominant (and often unquestioned) cultural assumption about God and His relationship to us. As a rule, Americans tend to believe life is primarily about the pursuit of happiness. They also believe that God, if and when they consider Him, exists to help them in their pursuit. This is why most prayers are for good things—like healing, favorable weather, economic growth, reconciliation, wisdom, strength, and … peace. But here is the rub. Jesus is clear in this text: “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division” (L...

Click here to listen. Downloadable mp3 files are available upon request. The text for today is our Gospel lesson, Luke 12:49-53. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I know for most of you “parliamentary procedure” is a dirty word.   But I must confess I am a fan of Robert’s Rules of Order .   I’ve actually taught courses for Jaycees and judged state FFA parli pro contests.   Well done parliamentary procedure really does make for shorter, more orderly meetings, assuring that while the majority opinion prevails, the rights of the minority are also protected.     One of the more interesting parliamentary procedures originated in the Roman Senate.   Ordinarily, the Romans used voice vote.   But if there was a vote that was disputed or considered too close to call, one of the members might rise and call for a division of the house.   Those who were voting divided themselves up—the “ayes” on one side of th...