Free Republic

Sunday, April 18, 2010 Acts of the Apostles: Jesus' Life and the Life of the Church (Part 2) Note: Be sure to read the first post in this series (go here). Sounding FamiliarIn his important book, Talbert carefully analyzes Luke-Acts and detects a carefully planned out structure between the two books. Essentially, for the one who knows the Gospel of Luke, Acts is a sort of déjà vu experience. The narrative in Acts virtually replicates what is found in Luke. In sum, the life of the Church in Acts mirrors―in often striking ways!―the public life of Christ in Luke. Consider...

Starting about 150 years ago, scholars in Europe started rejecting the historical records of Saint Luke. These academics declared that there was no evidence to support the existence of several locations and leaders mentioned in Luke's writings, and therefore, they rejected the entirety of his account. However, I discovered that archaeological finds during the last century have revealed that Luke was a very accurate historian and the two books he authored were absolutely authoritative records of history! One of the greatest archaeologists of all time was Sir William Ramsay. He studied under the famous German historical schools in the mid-nineteenth...

“Whose Vineyard Is It Anyway?” (Luke 20:9-20)Our text today occurs early during Holy Week, when Jesus is teaching in the temple. The journey to Jerusalem has been completed, and now it is time to pronounce judgment on Jerusalem. Jesus does that in a parable often called “The Parable of the Tenants.” It’s the story of some tenant-farmers who have been given charge of a vineyard, to manage it on behalf of its owner. But these tenants forget the fundamental question--a question we also need to keep in mind--and that is, “Whose Vineyard Is It Anyway?” So let’s listen to the...

"Not terrorism"

Dear FRiends, I am looking for recommendations for a good online commentary on the Gospel of Luke.

“The Firstborn Son Is Presented in the Temple” (Luke 2:22-40)There’s Christmas, and then there are the days after Christmas. What happened to baby Jesus in the days and weeks after his birth? Our text today is one the few places where we have an account of what happened during that time. It’s the story of the Presentation of Our Lord, forty days after his birth, the day when “The Firstborn Son Is Presented in the Temple.” Actually, the first event after Christmas we read about from Jesus’ life is found in the one verse in between the Christmas Gospel and...

And there were in the same country shepherds watching, and keeping the night watches over their flock. And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear. And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people: For, this day, is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant...

“Luke’s Lead-up to Christmas: The Visitation and the Song of Mary, the Magnificat” (Luke 1:39-56)This Advent, during our three midweek services and now on this, the Fourth Sunday in Advent, we’re working our way through Luke chapter one, on our way to the Christmas Gospel in Luke chapter two. We’re calling this series “Luke’s Lead-up to Christmas,” and so far we’re looked at: “The Annunciation of St. John the Baptist” to Zechariah; “The Annunciation of Our Lord” to Mary; and “The Nativity of St. John the Baptist and the Song of Zechariah, the Benedictus.” Now today we take up the...

“Luke’s Lead-up to Christmas: The Nativity of St. John the Baptist and the Song of Zechariah, the Benedictus” (Luke 1:57-80)When last we left Zechariah, he was doing his best Marcel Marceau impression. In other words, he couldn’t speak! He was making signs and gestures to try to communicate. In other words, there were no words! Zechariah had been struck mute, unable to speak, because he had not believed the words the angel Gabriel had spoken to him, telling him that he and his wife Elizabeth were going to have a child, even though they were both old and had been...

“Luke’s Lead-up to Christmas: The Annunciation of St. John the Baptist” (Luke 1:1-25)In a few weeks we’ll be hearing one of the most familiar and well-loved passages in the Bible once again, and that is the Christmas Gospel, from Luke chapter two. But the fact that there’s a chapter two must means that there’s a chapter one before it. There is. And Luke chapter one is Luke’s lead-up to Christmas, his account of the events leading up to the birth of Christ. That’s going to be our theme for this series of midweek services, as well as for the last...

Text translated by R. Payne Smith, 1859. Christ, therefore, was born in Bethlehem at the time when Augustus Caesar gave orders that the first enrollment should be made. But what necessity was there, some one may perhaps say, for the very wise Evangelist to make special mention of this? Yes, I answer: it was both useful and necessary for him to mark the period when our Savior was born; for it was said by the voice of the Patriarch: The head shall not depart from Judah, nor a governor from his thighs until He come, for Whom it is...

Luke 4:18-19 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

Luke 12:6-7 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Join us for Luke's "Thunder in the Desert" 2009: March 21 and 22: Luke's "Thunder in the Desert" 2009 Open House is a two-day event at Luke Air Force Base and one of the most diverse air shows in America. The U.S. Air Force's Aerial Demonstration Team, the Thunderbirds, will bring their special brand of high-flying excitement to this year's show as well as numerous other aircraft and ground displays, exhibits, and attractions. General admission to "Thunder in the Desert" is free. No tickets are available for purchase or required for general entry. Off-base parking will be available for a...

In the 1980s, while the west towers were construction, Washington National Cathedral held a decorative sculpture competition for children. Word of the competition was spread nationwide through National Geographic World Magazine. The third-place winner was Christopher Rader, with his drawing of that fearful villain, Darth Vader. The fierce head was sculpted by Jay Hall Carpenter, carved by Patrick J. Plunkett, and placed high upon the northwest tower of the Cathedral.

“What Sort of Greeting Might This Be?” (Luke 1:26-38)Every year on the Fourth Sunday in Advent, the Holy Gospel is a reading about Mary. Last year it was the message to Joseph that Mary would bear a son. Next year it will be Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth. This year it is the Annunciation to Mary herself that she will conceive in her womb and bear a son. So each year on this Sunday we hear something about Mary becoming the mother of our Lord, which is most fitting on the Sunday closest to Christmas. As I say, our text today...

Segway Inventor Builds Bionic Arm Tuesday , December 09, 2008 FOX NEWS The man behind the Segway scooter has a new invention: bionic arms for wounded soldiers. Called the "Luke Arm" after the prosthetic hand sported by Luke Skywalker in the "Star Wars" movies, Dean Kamen's device is lightweight, self-contained and fully capable of picking up grapes, baby bottles, even electric drills. ... snip The Luke Arm has four fingers and an opposable thumb, and was designed to be controlled by muscular movement in the wearer's remaining limbs. But thanks to neurological advances in "targeted renervation" by Dr. Todd Kuiken...

Life of St. Luke the Evangelist The awesome figure of St. Luke looms larger and larger out of both the New Testament and the pages of documented human history so that nearly two thousand years after his death his image has no less been diminished by time than that of the Nazarene, Jesus Christ, whom he so nobly served. His fellow apostle St. Paul called him the 'glorious physician,' but that was only one of the many talents which this magnificent man applied in a service to God. He was a man of such monumental proportion as to make him...

Do you really want to hate your family or stop from having one or he wants you to be humble as your arrogance is so great that you could leave and hate your own family in the name of God? The CatalystWhat is it that makes your life different?There is always something that makes you the way you are, something that is not part of your life but it had an influence in the way you do things, what you talk about, in general your "values".A catalyst is something that produces a change, but not part of the result. Acknowledgement of...

“Three Christmases” (Luke 2:1-20)“Merry Christmas!” But which Christmas do you mean? I can see three Christmases that people might be talking about: “Pop Christmas,” “Folk Christmas,” and “Real Christmas.” First, there is what I call the “Pop Christmas” (“pop” as in “pop culture”). This is the tacky, plastic Christmas that doesn’t have a whole lot to do with the real thing. “Pop Christmas” is all about selling stuff and putting on a surface show of empty cheer. “Pop Christmas” has even been politically corrected: It’s been downgraded to “happy holidays,” but without the “holy days.” To be honest with you,...