Weekly Greeting - September 12, 2025
While I realize that this of my own design, I am excited that this Sunday affords me my first chance at Bethlehem to preach from a gospel text!
And what better way to start than the Gospel of Luke!
Let me tell you what I like most about Luke. Luke talks about food and tables and meals more than the other three gospel writers combined. In fact, scholars have sometimes called it “the eating gospel,” and that’s the feature that makes it near and dear to my heart.
Anytime you’re reading Luke’s gospel — or hearing Luke’s gospel or hearing someone talk about Luke’s gospel — and Luke starts talking about food or a table or a meal, you should assume that what Luke is talking about is the Kingdom of God. For Luke, the table is a metaphor for God’s kingdom, and what happens around the table is a picture of what God’s kingdom looks like.
Just for fun, think about the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. You know the story — the younger of two sons asks their father for his portion of the inheritance, which he spends wastefully. When he runs out of money and the land where he is living faces a famine, he decides to return home and ask his father if he can be one of his father’s servants. And the father, who has been watching for him to come home, runs to meet him. He brings him into the house, puts a robe on his back and a ring on his finger, and tells the servants to throw a blowout party to celebrate his son’s return.
This is God’s Kingdom. People who walked away from God are welcome at the table, people who came back to God are welcome at the table, people who have always known they had a place at the table are welcome at the table.
In Sunday’s scripture, Jesus will be a guest at a table. I hope that before Sunday you will read Luke 7:36-50. What does this story teach us about God’s Kingdom?
I’ll see you then!
Mary Beth