Where I’m writing from, we’re at the end of the first real week of a fundamental shift. This is the first week of working exclusively remotely and of not having access to toilet paper. The first week of not being able to run out to a restaurant for lunch or catch up on my email in the coffee shop a block away. The first week that virtually every event on my calendar for the next few months was cancelled.
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Inconvenience and My Own Idols
“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” – Philippians 2:4-8
This week, many of us are settling into a “new normal,” one that may last for a couple of weeks or perhaps longer. At this point, who knows?
As a part of our company’s culture building, we’ve developed a list of 21 Standards that define who we are, what we do and how we do it. Prominently displayed in the office, the standards are designed to be daily reminders for everyone of how our culture and ethos differentiates us from the competition. This year, one of Drew’s ides to help reinforce the standards at a personal level is to have everyone pick a standard or two and write a short essay on what the standard means to them. Here’s my 3rd standard:
As a part of our company’s culture building, we’ve developed a list of 21 Standards that define who we are, what we do and how we do it. Prominently displayed in the office, the standards are designed to be daily reminders for everyone of how our culture and ethos differentiates us from the competition. This year, one of Drew’s ides to help reinforce the standards at a personal level is to have everyone pick a standard or two and write a short essay on what the standard means to them. Once again, it’s my turn.
As a part of our company’s culture building, we’ve developed a list of 21 Standards that define who we are, what we do and how we do it. Prominently displayed in the office, the standards are designed to be daily reminders for everyone of how our culture and ethos differentiates us from the competition. This year, one of Drew’s ides to help reinforce the standards at a personal level is to have everyone pick a standard or two and write a short essay on what the standard means to them. I have the first one, the Golden Rule.
This post is a reflection on the Parable of the Persistent Widow and the Unrighteous Judge in Luke 18. But before considering this parable, I’d like to start by reflecting upon a Psalm:
Actually, this morning we come to the Parable of the Prodigal Son, probably one of the more famous parables that Jesus told. It’s a fairly straightforward parable that concludes a trilogy of teachings about the heart of the Father towards his wayward and sinful children. To refresh your memory from last week, we’ve been looking at Luke chapter 15.
This morning we approach the parable of the Great Banquet. This is a continuation of the same event that we studied last week. To refresh your memory, it is the sabbath and Jesus has been invited to the home of a ruler of the Pharisees. While there, he starts off with what is to them is a scandalous action: recall that he heals a man and then challenges them on whether or not such a healing is among the works that should be counted as a violation of God’s sabbath (as opposed to their customs). Then, after exposing their hypocrisy, he proceeds to instruct them in true humility.
We’re continuing a study on the parables of Jesus as recorded in the gospel of Luke and once again, last week it was my turn to teach a lesson on Luke 12:35-48, which is a short passage, but a surprisingly challenging one! Depending on your version of the Bible, you might have a heading before this section that reads “You Must Be Ready” (or something similar) or maybe one that says “The Faithful Servant & the Evil Servant”. So let’s jump right in and study this passage….
