Rev. Don Erickson

In Luke 11, we have Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer. We’re much more familiar with Matthew’s because it is the one we recite. A few lines are shared between the two, five in total – Our Father Hallowed by thy name Thy kingdom come Give us this day our daily bread Forgive us… as we forgive  "Thy kingdom come" is especially important to focus on for it ’s Jesus's central vision. Repeatedly, Jesus refers to his dream of the coming kingdom, a kingdom that is also right now waiting to happen.  God’s kingdom actualized here on earth - that's the endgame. What marks the kingdom yet to come but at the same time here and now waiting to be cultivated? Well, it’s crucial we start with the preposition “of God.” It’s God’s kingdom we’re talking about.  Are we talking theocracy here? While the answer seems to be yes, we should remember the truest definition of God the Bible gives. God is Love.  The kingdom of God is a kingdom of love.  Instead of theokratia – rule by Go...

A religious teacher quizzes Jesus. He has just heard the 2nd greatest commandment according to Jesus, Love your neighbor as yourself. The religious teacher responds with a question? Who is my neighbor? Is it just the person living next to me? What about the person on the other side of town? What about those who are rather different from me? Who counts as a neighbor? What identifies a neighbor? The Jewish understanding is that only Israelites or those part of the Israelites are your neighbors. This expands the table to include more than just your neighbor next to you. But what about non Israelites? What does Jesus think? Jesus answers these questions with the famous parable of the Good Samaritan. A guy takes the infamous Jerusalem to Jericho byway alone and is robbed, beaten, and left for dead. It’s safe to presume the man is Jewish. Jerusalem and Jericho – these are Jewish towns. The man is battered and bruised and maybe dying on the side of the road. Two fellow Jews notice him, a temp...