PASTORAL BLOG

Welcome to our Sermons & Reflections page! Here, you’ll find weekly messages that offer spiritual nourishment, encouragement, and insight into God’s Word. Whether you missed a service or want to revisit a sermon, this space is designed to help you grow in faith.

Each week, I will share my Sunday sermons along with written reflections to deepen our understanding of Scripture and how it applies to our daily lives. My hope is that these messages inspire and guide you on your spiritual journey.

Stay connected, engage with the Word, and feel free to share these reflections with others. May God’s grace continue to strengthen us as we walk together in faith!

rise and go; your faith has made you well

Luke 17:11-19


Introduction

The Gospel of Luke portrays Jesus as the Savior who brings God’s mercy to those on the margins — the poor, the sinners, the foreigners, the forgotten.
Luke’s Jesus is always on the move: teaching, healing, and crossing boundaries. His journey toward Jerusalem (beginning in Luke 9:51) is not merely geographical; it is the journey of redemption. Each step reveals the heart of God — a God who goes where others will not go.

Today’s passage, Luke 17:11–19, unfolds in this context of travel and transformation. Jesus is walking between Samaria and Galilee — between two worlds — when ten lepers cry out for mercy.
In biblical times, leprosy was not only a physical disease but a social and spiritual sentence. It meant separation — from family, community, and worship.

When Jesus tells them to go and show themselves to the priests, he asks them to act in faith before seeing any sign of healing. And as they go, they are made clean.
Yet only one — a Samaritan, a foreigner — returns to give thanks. To him Jesus says the words that form the heart of our reflection today: “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”


2. Healing on the Way

Luke tells us, “As they went, they were made clean.”
Their healing happened on the way. Faith is not proven by results; it is lived by moving forward, even when the outcome is uncertain. How often do we want God to fix everything before we take a step?

We pray, “Lord, show me first — and then I’ll go.” But the Gospel replies, “Go — and you will see.”

That is how God works in real life. Healing, reconciliation, and growth happen in motion.
We discover peace not by waiting for perfect conditions, but by walking the road of trust.
“As they went, they were made clean.”
Perhaps you, too, are being healed as you go.


3. Life on the Margins

Luke tells us the lepers “kept their distance.” They had to; the law required it.
But how many people today still live at a distance?
Some are isolated by illness or age; others by fear, guilt, grief, or shame.
We keep our distance from others — and sometimes even from God or ourselves.

Notice where Jesus meets them: between Samaria and Galilee — in the borderland.
That’s where he always goes: to the in-between places, to the lives that feel excluded or overlooked.
There is no distance that the mercy of Christ cannot cross.


4. The Grateful Heart

Only one of the ten returns.
The others did nothing wrong — they obeyed Jesus’ command — but the Samaritan does something more: he turns back.

His gratitude is more than politeness; it is transformation.
He turns back, praising God, and falls at Jesus’ feet. Gratitude becomes worship.

In a world that rushes forward without noticing grace, this man teaches us to pause and turn around.
The miracle is not complete until gratitude brings us back to the Giver.

How many blessings have we received this week — health, friendship, community, daily bread — and yet rushed past them without thanks?
Gratitude doesn’t add to God’s grace, but it opens our eyes to see it.


5. Rise and Go — The Wholeness of Faith

Then Jesus says to the man:
“Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

All ten were healed in body, but only this one was made whole.
The Greek word sozo means both to heal and to save.
Healing restores the body; faith restores the soul.

“Rise” — the same word used for resurrection.
Jesus lifts him from exclusion to restoration, from gratitude to mission.

Faith that makes us well is not passive.
It moves. It returns. It goes.
It gets up again after failure, loss, or fatigue.

Each of us has moments when we need to hear Jesus say:
“Rise and go.”
Rise after disappointment.
Rise after grief.
Rise from self-pity, resentment, or fear.
Rise — because God is not done with you.


6. Living the Text — Faith in Everyday Life

This story mirrors our daily lives:

  • The distances we feel in our relationships.

  • The steps of faith we take without guarantees.

  • The gratitude we forget to express.

  • The rising again we must do after life’s blows.

Faith that makes us well isn’t about never falling — it’s about rising again through the grace of God.
It’s the quiet courage to keep walking, keep trusting, and keep thanking. 


7. Conclusion — Wholeness on the Way

Jesus still speaks these words to us today: “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Healing happens as we move. Wholeness begins when we turn back in gratitude. And faith keeps us walking — one step at a time — trusting that Christ walks the road beside us.

Rise and go.
Walk your road in faith.
May gratitude make you whole.

when little is more than enough

Luke 17:5–10


When the apostles turned to Jesus and cried, “Increase our faith!” it must have seemed like the most reasonable prayer in the world. Who among us hasn’t prayed for a stronger, deeper faith—especially when life feels heavy or uncertain? Yet Jesus’ response surprises them and us. Instead of telling them how to gain more faith, He says that even faith the size of a mustard seed is enough to uproot a mulberry tree and cast it into the sea. Then, almost unexpectedly, He follows with a short parable about servants doing their duty without expectation of reward. Through this teaching, Jesus turns our common assumptions upside down. Faith, He insists, is not measured by size, emotion, or dramatic outcomes, but by trustful obedience—a quiet confidence in God that takes root in humility.


Jesus’ words remind us that faith is not a possession we accumulate, but a relationship we live out daily. The disciples imagined that if they only had more faith, they could do greater things. But Jesus shifts the focus away from quantity to direction. Faith is powerful not because of how much we have, but because of the One in whom it rests. A mustard seed of faith—small, seemingly insignificant—can do extraordinary things when placed in God’s hands. The question, then, is not “How big is my faith?” but “Where is my faith planted?” Many of us struggle with doubt or feelings of inadequacy. We think we must reach a higher spiritual level before God can work through us. Yet Jesus tells us otherwise: what matters most is not the magnitude of our belief, but our willingness to trust Him in the moment before us. When we dare to trust, even in weakness, that small seed of faith becomes alive with divine potential.


Faith, however, is not only about what we believe—it is about how we live. That is why Jesus adds the story of the servant who, after working in the field, returns to prepare his master’s meal without complaint. The servant doesn’t expect praise or special treatment for doing what he is called to do. His faithfulness lies in showing up, fulfilling his responsibilities, and serving with a loyal heart. In this parable, Jesus reminds us that faith is practiced not in grand gestures, but in the ordinary rhythms of daily life. Every act of service, every prayer whispered, every moment of forgiveness or compassion becomes a small but powerful expression of faith. We often think faith grows only through great moments of spiritual revelation, but in truth, it matures most deeply through consistency—by reading Scripture, showing kindness, caring for those in need, and remaining faithful even when no one is watching. These ordinary acts become sacred when they are offered to God in love.


At the heart of this passage lies an essential quality of faith—humility. “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty,” Jesus concludes. At first, those words might sound discouraging. But they are, in fact, a lesson in grace. Jesus is not teaching self-deprecation; He is teaching perspective. Genuine faith is never about pride or recognition—it is about surrender. When we remember that all we are and all we have come from God’s mercy, we are freed from the need to prove ourselves. Faith-filled living means recognizing that our service to God is not a way to earn divine approval but a joyful response to grace already given. God’s love always precedes our effort. We love because God first loved us. We serve not to gain favor but because we belong to the One who calls us His own. In that humility, our hearts find rest, and our faith finds strength.


The truth of this story, then, is both challenging and comforting. Faith does not need to be impressive—it needs to be alive. Even a small, sincere faith rooted in God’s grace can move mountains, heal relationships, and transform lives. Our culture often celebrates the spectacular, but God celebrates the faithful—the ones who keep showing up, praying, serving, forgiving, and trusting, even when no one notices. When we place our little faith into God’s great hands, we discover that “little” becomes “more than enough.” The same God who multiplies loaves and fishes, who turns weakness into strength, continues to work wonders through the small seeds of faith we dare to plant.


So, let us take comfort in knowing that God is not asking us for greatness but for faithfulness. The disciples’ prayer, “Increase our faith,” remains a good and honest prayer—but perhaps Jesus would answer us the same way today: “You already have enough.” What we need is not more faith but a heart willing to trust, serve, and love in the ordinary moments of life. As we do so, that small seed of faith—nurtured by obedience and watered by humility—will bear fruit beyond anything we could imagine.

the great reversal of grace

Text: Luke 16:19–31


Introduction – The Power of Parables

The story we just heard is one of Jesus’ parables. A parable is not just a simple tale — it’s a teaching tool, a way of revealing deep truths through everyday images. Jesus didn’t lecture in abstract theology; He told stories that ordinary people could recognize: farmers sowing seeds, shepherds seeking lost sheep, neighbors knocking on doors, merchants searching for pearls.

Parables are both simple and profound. On the surface, they seem like ordinary stories, but underneath, they carry the weight of eternal truth. They invite us in, but they also challenge us. They ask us not only to listen but to place ourselves inside the story — to wonder, “Who am I here? What is God saying to me through this?”

Today’s parable, the story of the rich man and Lazarus, is not just about two men who lived very different lives. It is about the great reversal of grace — the unsettling truth that God’s kingdom does not measure life by wealth, status, or comfort, but by compassion, justice, and mercy.


Insights from Joachim Jeremias

One of the most important scholars on parables is Joachim Jeremias, a German New Testament scholar who taught that parables must be understood in their original historical context. He reminds us that Jesus’ first listeners were shocked by these stories. They lived in a world where wealth was respected and poverty often ignored. Jesus’ parables disrupted that expectation.

Jeremias highlights three important lessons for us:

  1. Historical Context: Understanding the social and economic world of first-century Palestine gives depth to the parables.
  2. Element of Surprise: Parables contain twists that force listeners to confront their assumptions.
  3. Kingdom Focus: Parables point not just to the future but to the present reality of God’s kingdom breaking in.

Takeaway for preaching: Parables are not just moral lessons; they are invitations to experience God’s kingdom in real life. They challenge us, provoke us, and call us to live differently today.


Reading the Parable

Let’s look at Luke 16:19–31 through this lens:

1. Historical Context
In Jesus’ time, wealth was often seen as a sign of divine favor, and poverty as a sign of curse. The rich man, who had everything, is nameless. The poor man, Lazarus, is named — “God helps.” Jesus is asking: Whose names do we remember? Whose faces matter to us — the powerful or the suffering?

2. Element of Surprise
After death, the rich man is in torment, and Lazarus is comforted. Even in suffering, the rich man still treats Lazarus as a servant. Abraham’s response is clear: “They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.” No miracle will soften a hardened heart.

3. Kingdom Focus
The parable is about more than the afterlife. It is a call to live differently now. The kingdom is already here, and it calls us to act with justice, mercy, and compassion. Lazarus represents those on the margins who will be lifted up in God’s reign.


Transition – From Story to Our Lives

And so the question comes to us, right here and now. If parables are meant to draw us in, we cannot stand at a distance. We have to ask: Where am I in this story? Am I like the rich man, so absorbed in my own comfort that I overlook the Lazarus at my gate? Or am I open to seeing, to listening, to responding with compassion?

Jesus is not simply talking about the future. He is talking about today — about the choices we make, the people we notice or ignore, the way we use what God has placed in our hands. This parable presses us to bring the kingdom into our neighborhoods, into our church, into the way we treat one another.


Practical Application – Living the Parable Today

The story of the rich man and Lazarus is not meant to leave us with fear, but with clarity. Jesus is reminding us that the kingdom of God breaks in when we learn to see those around us with new eyes.

Who is Lazarus at our gate today? Maybe it is the neighbor who is lonely and forgotten. Maybe it is the single parent working two jobs who still cannot make ends meet. Maybe it is the refugee, the immigrant, or the child who struggles at school. Maybe it is the person right in our pews who quietly carries pain we have not noticed.

This parable is also a word for the church. We are called not to measure our life together by numbers, budgets, or buildings, but by the depth of our compassion. A church that lives this parable is a church that notices — that opens its doors, its tables, and its hearts to those who are often overlooked.

And it is a word for each of us personally. God has entrusted us with blessings — time, talents, resources, opportunities. The question is not how much we have, but how we use what we have. Do we share it? Do we give generously? Do we let God’s grace flow through us so that others are lifted up?

The rich man’s tragedy was not his wealth; it was his blindness. The invitation of this parable is to open our eyes, to see as God sees, and to live with a compassion that reflects the kingdom of heaven here and now.


Conclusion – The Great Reversal of Grace

The parables of Jesus are not meant to crush us with guilt but to awaken us to grace. The story of the rich man and Lazarus is not just a warning; it is an invitation. An invitation to open our eyes, to notice the people God has placed before us, to live with mercy and generosity.

The good news is that God’s grace makes this possible. We cannot change our hearts on our own — but Christ can. He is the one who crossed the great chasm for us, who left the riches of heaven to enter our poverty, who gave His life so that we might be lifted into the arms of God.

And because of Him, the great reversal has already begun. The last are becoming first, the forgotten are being remembered, and the poor are being called by name.

So let us live as children of that kingdom. Let us see Lazarus at our gate, not as a burden but as a brother, not as a stranger but as a sister. And let us trust that in God’s hands, even the smallest act of compassion can carry eternal weight.

For the kingdom of God is here. And the grace of Christ is more than enough. Amen.