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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=JoeParrish@compuserve.com href="mailto:JoeParrish@compuserve.com">Joe
Parrish</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Cc:</B> <A title=PROPERTALK.topic@ecunet.org
href="mailto:PROPERTALK.topic@ecunet.org">PROPERTALK.topic@ecunet.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, March 06, 2010 11:07 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Sermon Points - Luke 13:1-9 - Part 1</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Those preaching on this passage might do well to press these
questions: Do we build our lives upon those rationalizations that allow us to
get through the day feeling blessed, safe, and able to presume upon a better
fortune than that of our Haitian and Chilean sisters and brothers—both the
victims and the still-impoverished and perpetually at-risk survivors? Or, do we
build our lives on the knowledge that God's judgment is certain? Do we build
them on the efforts that God, like the parable's gardener, undertakes to prepare
us for that judgment? God transforms us through grace, a grace that calls us to
be generous toward those still trapped under the weight of poverty, want, and
devastation of all kinds. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><A
href="http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?lect_date=3/7/2010#"><FONT
size=4>http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?lect_date=3/7/2010#</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Matt Skinner</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>
<P>It was commonly believed that pain and premature death were signs of God’s
adverse judgement. Now we read of two events where people died prematurely and
unexpectedly: one group (“the Galileans”, v. 1) doing God’s will, killed
intentionally as they sacrifice to him in the Temple; the other group (“those
eighteen”, v. 4, possibly construction workers) killed accidentally. In both
cases, Jesus says, there is no link between early death and sin; however, these
deaths do show the fate of those who fail to “repent” (vv. 3, 5), to turn to
God.</P></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/archive/clnt3m.shtml">http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/archive/clnt3m.shtml</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Chris Haslam </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=3><EM>Verse 1</EM>: </FONT>...another
[interpretation:] The contemporary historian </FONT><FONT
size=4>Josephus</FONT><FONT size=4>, in <EM>Antiquities of the Jews</EM> 18:3:2,
says that when Pilate used Temple funds to build an aqueduct into Jerusalem,
some Jews opposed it. Pilate used a ruse to murder some Jews: his soldiers
mingled with the crowd, and beat them down with clubs they had concealed. The
obvious interpretation would be in accord with what is known of Pilate’s
character.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><A
href="http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/archive/clnt3l.shtml">http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/archive/clnt3l.shtml</A></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Chris Haslam </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Josephus reports a massacre at Mt Gerizim of Samaritans in
similar circumstances, but this is about Galileans.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>...an alternative approach: to see the resurrection not as the
reversal, but as the affirmation of the crucifixion: this love and vulnerability
is God’s way. It was not an exception to God’s way, an interim stunt that had to
be reversed. This is life and, paradoxically, only by affirming it do we find
life.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/LkLent3.htm"><FONT
size=4>http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/LkLent3.htm</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>William Loader</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<P align=justify><FONT size=4>Jesus' harshest words of judgment are towards the
unrepentant:</FONT></P>
<UL>
<LI>
<P align=justify><FONT size=4>10:13 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you,
Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and
Sidon, they <B>would have repented</B> long ago, sitting in sackcloth and
ashes. </FONT></P>
<LI>
<P align=justify><FONT size=4>11:32 The people of Nineveh will rise up at the
judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they <B>repented</B> at
the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!
</FONT></P></LI></UL>
<P align=justify><FONT size=4>It seems that the crux of Jesus' message (which
continues in Acts) is a call to repentance. It is not primarily a call to
worship or praise God. Such actions without repentance are meaningless. What
brings the greatest joy in heaven is the repentance of sinners. As I noted
earlier, the present tense of the verbs in our text indicate living repentantly,
rather than seeing repentance as an occasionally act. </FONT></P>
<P align=justify><A href="http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/luke13x1.htm"><FONT
size=4>http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/luke13x1.htm</FONT></A></P>
<P align=justify><FONT size=4>Brian Stoffregen<BR>- - - - -</FONT></P>
<P align=justify><FONT size=4>Jesus' example, however, contains a twist.
In the first instance--Pilate's random violence--Jesus undermines the idea that
the people who suffered were "sinners" (<EM>hamartoloi</EM>) and thus deserved
it. In the second instance--the falling tower--Jesus undermines the idea
that bad things happen to people who are in <SPAN
style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline">debt</SPAN> (<EM>opheiletai</EM>).</FONT></P>
<P align=justify><A
href="http://www.progressiveinvolvement.com/progressive_involvement/2010/03/lectionary-blogging-luke-13-19.html"><FONT
size=4>http://www.progressiveinvolvement.com/progressive_involvement/2010/03/lectionary-blogging-luke-13-19.html</FONT></A></P></DIV>
<DIV align=justify><FONT size=4>John Petty </FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=justify><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
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