St. Luke's Blogs

Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

The sixth chapter of the Gospel of John is a powerful chapter, filled with signs and wonders from the life and ministry of Jesus. The chapter opens with Jesus and his disciples at the Sea of Galilee. Followed by thousands, Jesus performs one of the most powerful signs during his life on earth. With just a few loaves of bread and a few small fish, Jesus feeds the multitude.

Immediately following the feeding of the five thousand, the disciples went down to the sea and got into a boat to go to the other side. It was just a while later when Jesus approached the disciples in the middle of the sea, walking on the water. The disciples were terrified and could not believe what they were seeing, but Jesus spoke the comforting words of peace to them, “It is I, do not be afraid.” Jesus climbed into the boat and finished the journey with the disciples.

The next day the crowd tracked Jesus down…

“And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.” – Matthew 14:19-21

One of the more powerful scenes in all of the Gospels is the feeding of the five thousand (Matthew 14:13-21). This miracle shows the grace, compassion, and power of Jesus as he provides food for the large crowd who had followed him into the wilderness. The Disciples wanted to send the crowd away so that they could feed themselves. The crowd followed Jesus from the city, and they brought little to no provisions with them. All that was found among them were five loaves of bread and two fish. The grace of Jesus would never allow him to send his people away. He cares for them.

The feeding of the five thousand does not just reflect Jesus’ grace, compassion, and power, it also shows his humanity. Matthew 14 starts with the death of John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus. After hearing about John’s death, Jesus withdraws by himself. I can only imagine that Jesus was deeply saddened at John’s passing…

“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” – John 21:15

The grace of God is truly amazing. Wrapped into our understanding of grace are so many wonderful parts of our life of faith. Grace is God’s presence in our lives. We are not alone as we walk the journey of life. Deuteronomy states, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be in dread of them: for it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

A recent act of kindness helped to remind the world that a small, intentional act can remind us of God’s great love. A sudden rainstorm happened in Washington D.C.  It caught many people off guard, including several people who were walking down a busy sidewalk. A family of three, including one person in a wheelchair, was standing under a tree, along a busy street. The person in the wheelchair was holding a newspaper over their head, attempting to find some shelter from the sudden downpour.

A driver with a dashboard camera captured a wonderful moment when another driver stopped on the busy street, jumped out of their car…

Knowing how important prom is to most high school students and how much fun they have, I was saddened to read about Austin Roberts. Austin is a senior in Nebraska. Just a few weeks ago, he was in a severe automobile accident. He suffered several major injuries. Austin’s condition kept him in the hospital at the Nebraska Medical Center for several days. Thankfully, he will recover, however he missed his prom.

The staff at the Nebraska Medical Center were saddened to learn that Austin had missed his prom. They wanted to do something special for Austin and his girlfriend, Hannah. Austin had made great strides in recovery, but was still in the hospital and a wheelchair…

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

No fisherman expects to have to call the fire department after a quick trip to the neighborhood pond, but that is exactly what happened to a Kansas City fisherman. A local veteran left his home on his motorized wheelchair to spend some time fishing. When he arrived at the pond, he became stuck on the uneven ground. He did all he could to free his electric chair from the rut…

“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.” – John 20:19-20

They had endured the trials of that holy week in Jerusalem. Jesus entered the city to the waving of palms and the shouting of “Hosannah.” Shortly after that, Jesus was betrayed, arrested, brutalized, and killed. This struck fear into the hearts of the ones who followed Jesus so closely. They knew the tomb was empty that Sunday. Some of the disciples had seen the empty tomb for themselves. They were filled with hope that Jesus was alive. They were also filled with fear that they would be arrested and persecuted next.

In John’s Gospel, in the very chapter that tells of the empty tomb, Jesus’ resurrection, and His appearance to Mary Magdalene, we find many of the disciples locked in a room, fearing for their lives. I can only imagine what was going through their minds as they hid in fear…