Earlier this week the bishops of our denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,  wrote a letter that addresses the civil unrest we’re experiencing, saying “our faith compels us to stand where Jesus stands–with and for those whom society often seeks to exclude, erase or diminish.” The letter reminds us that “Our shared confession, that every person is created in the image of God, (Genesis 1:27) grounds us in the conviction that all people possess inherent dignity.

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom of acorns nestled at the bottom of a huge old oak tree. The acorn citizens who lived there went about their daily business with great purpose and energy. They would spend all day oiling, polishing and shining their outer shells. They believed this would improve their longevity and overall well-being.

How many of us have ever prayed something like, “Lord, increase my faith”?
Not in the quiet moments when things are going well, but in the middle of chaos—
when the pain of the world feels overwhelming,
when forgiveness feels impossible,
when your soul is tired.

The students in my preaching course at the Lutheran School of Theology are all preaching on this text this coming week. The class works on a two-week cycle: we all study a shared text one week, and then they all prepare sermons on that text for the following week. So, this last Monday we sat in a circle asking questions about this passage from Luke. I asked them to read the text silently, see where questions arose for them, and then we went around sharing one or two of our questions.