Gardner Taylor, the great preacher and Civil Rights leader, began a sermon on Luke’s third chapter by slowly reading the names and titles of the authorities. “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of … Continue reading Luke 3:1-20 Everything We Know About Power, Undone
Simeon’s song is sung at night, during compline. When I first arrived as chaplain to Kenyon College, the students were saying compline together in the chapel every evening. I was in my early thirties, only eight years older than the seniors, still young and trying to negotiate the questions that our culture imposes on youth: who … Continue reading Luke 2:22-52 Age and Youth
Here's the second of the illuminated text workbooks that I'm making to accompany the Diocese of Southern Ohio's study of the Gospel of Luke. The full workbook is available as a .pdf at the bottom of the page. Have fun drawing and coloring, and share any completed illuminations with me, if you want to! Download … Continue reading Annunciation and Magnificat – An Illuminated Text Workbook for Kids
The Gospels claim, and Christians believe, that divinity is entangled with humanity. The evangelists go even further. When Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God, he is saying that creation itself is shot through with divinity. Divinity is all around us, and it always has been. Poets and mystics alike attempt to see through the … Continue reading Luke 2:1-21 Divinity Entangled with Humanity
When Elizabeth gives birth to John, her neighbors and relatives gather around in joy. This is the second gang of people we’ve seen in Luke’s Gospel, the first being the crowd at the temple who gathered around Zechariah after he emerged from his encounter with an angel. I think it’s fair to say that they … Continue reading Luke 1:57-80 Joy, Community, and Wilderness
KPB Stevens 