Sermon from 6/29/25 by Pastor Sierra Ward
Luke 9:51-62 NLT
As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival. But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. So they went on to another village.
As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”
He said to another person, “Come, follow me.”
The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”
But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”
Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.”
But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”
(from the MET website) “This picture, probably painted in 1878, shows a renowned spot in the White Mountains of New Hampshire at Franconia Notch. Blakelock had visited the site on his honeymoon voyage. The romantic excitement of the deep cleft in the rocks and the threatening boulder so precariously lodged above the icy stream has been presented, paradoxically, with great directness and objectivity. The entire painted surface is made interesting with strong contrast of light and dark and by the alternation of smooth and roughened textures that is a characteristic technique of Blakelock's.”
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