Jewel Lake Parish Sermon Podcast

The Great Awakening laid groundwork for the American Revolution a few decades later. But more importantly, it taught the church a lesson about missional effectiveness and the work of the Holy Spirit. Is it time to learn that lesson again? Pastor Luke teaches from John 4:35 in "White Fields," part 6 of his 8-part series, "Presbyterian Rebellion."

At the time of independence, most of the countries in Europe had established (state) religions. So did many the former colonies in the new United States. Why don't we have them anymore? What persuaded religious people that state support for their religious activities wasn't really a good idea? Pastor Luke looks at John 18:36 in "Antidisestablishmentarianism," part 5 of his 8-part series, "Presbyterian Rebellion."

Once you’ve declared your independence, then what? When you escape tyranny, are you going to have a government? What kind of government do you want to have? What makes a government good, anyway? It turns out, you can get really good results when you think the worst of people. How were the Framers influenced by the Reformed Tradition? Pastor Luke preaches from Mark 10:42-43 in "If Men Were Angels...," part 4 of his 8-part series, "Presbyterian Rebellion."

America's Founders and the public they represented were immersed in Christian doctrine which taught that "The Powers That Be are Ordained of God." How could people so well-versed in teaching about submission to civil institutions arrive at a decision to rebel against it? How do we navigate that decision in our own society? Pastor Luke teaches from Romans 13:4 in "To Throw Off Such Gov't," part 3 of his 8-part series, "Presbyterian Rebellion."

George Washington is famously described as the "Father of His Country." But should Christians honor him, or the other Founders? If Christians are called to submit to the "Powers that be" (Romans 13) how can it be right to rebel against the king? Pastor Luke teaches from Acts 4-5 in "Father of His Country," part 2 of his 8-part series, "Presbyterian Rebellion."

For most Americans, "don't tread on me" is one of our highest values. We often distrust the government and (depending who's running it) are tempted to be ungovernable. But Christians believe we should obey the government. How do we reconcile that as Americans? How did the Founders, 250 years ago? Pastor Luke teaches from 2 Kings 11:17 in "To Secure These Rights," the first message in a new series, "Presbyterian Rebellion."

In this installment of “Ask Me Anything,” Pastor Luke addressed four questions. This message was delivered in gathered worship on Sunday, May 31, 2026 at Jewel Lake Parish in Anchorage, Alaska. TIMESTAMPS 00:14 how many Presbyterians signed the Declaration of Independence? 03:02 what is the Abomination of Desolation? 11:16 is the "fear of the Lord" really "fear" or something else? 16:06 what are your thoughts on Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens (Note: In answering the second question, Pastor Luke misattributed some ways that Antiochus IV profaned the Temple with how Pompey profaned it. Daniel might have foreseen either, or both, or something else entirely.) Pastor Luke preaches from Acts 15:1-39 in "Ask Me Anything."

Christians call Pentecost "the Birthday of the Church." That sounds fun. But the fun comes after some pretty weird events. What's that about? What does Pentecost have to do with Jesus, and what does it have to with us today? Pastor Luke preaches from Acts 2:1-21 in "The Outpouring."

Christians believe that Christ has set us free from everything that holds us captive. But sometimes, they seem to provide a whole new list of obligations to people who have been set free. How does that work? Pastor Luke preaches from Galtians 4:21-31 in "Mother Love."

In this installment of “Ask Me Anything,” Pastor Luke addressed four questions. This message was delivered in gathered worship on Sunday, April 26, 2026 at Jewel Lake Parish in Anchorage, Alaska. TIMESTAMPS 00:18 How long have I been studying the Bible? 03:40 What is the meaning and importance of the Jerusalem Council? 11:15 What is "blaspheming the Holy Spirit?" 18:03 How are Bibles formatted in print, and how does that relate to books, chapters, and verse divisions? Pastor Luke teaches from Acts 15:1-39 in "Ask Me Anything."

Jesus called his disciples — all of them, including the ones walking around today — to carry out the Great Commission by making disciples. But a lot of Christians don't even try, and many who do try aren't very good at it. Is there a better approach to evangelism? Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 9:9-13 in "Levi's Party."

Matthew's biography of Jesus spans 28 chapters, and within it there are countless lessons and applications for contemporary readers. But anyone who wants to understand the good news about Jesus should start at the end, with the last five verses, the passage that Pastor Luke calls the "Great So-What." Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 28:16-20 in "Going Places."

In the broader culture, Easter isn't nearly as big a holiday as Christmas. But in the church, Easter is much bigger. That's because, on Easter, we remember the weirdest thing that Jesus ever did. Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 28:1-10 in "Risen."

People have expectations of God — even non-religious people will question how a good God could do, or fail to do, certain things. And since we have expectations, we also have disappointments. But on Palm Sunday, we remember there is still good news for people who have been disappointed with God. Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 21:1-13 in "Wasn't Meant to Be."

Jesus criticized the religious leaders for building monuments to prophets? What's wrong with that? We have monuments all over the place -- just look at the Mall in Washington DC. Is there somethng wrong with building monuments? Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 23:29-39 in "Except We're Better," the concluding message in his series, "Mountain Goat."

Some of the strongest language Jesus used in the New Testament was directed against hypocrites. Why? Jesus ate and drank with tax collectors and sinners and they seemed to like him too. Why not hypocrites? What's so bad about hypocrisy? Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 23:25-28 in "Outside Inside," part 4 of his 5-part series, "Mountain Goat."

You probably have a pretty good idea about what kind of things God doesn't like. (Even atheists and agnostics can make those lists.) But is your list the same as anyone else's list? Are any of those lists even correct? Fortunately, Jesus made it possible to focus on what really matters. Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 23:23-24 in "Gnats and Camels," part 3 of his 5-part series, "Mountain Goat."

We don't know what the future holds, so we look for ways to get out of our commitments in case something goes wrong. Jesus wasn't a fan of that approach. He had a different one. Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 23:16-22 in "By Golly," part 2 of his 5-part series, "Mountain Goat."

The strongest words that Jesus is recorded as uttering are found in Matthew 23. The good news is that he didn't direct them at us! But since he cares so much at these things, it's worthwhile for us to learn why ... because he wants us to care too. Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 23:13-15 in "Mountain Goat," the first message in a new series, "Mountain Goat."

Sleep can be the cushion or padding people use to take up slack in other parts of our lives. This is one reason why we sleep less than our grandparents did. It solves some problems, but it creates all new ones. Fortunately, Jesus shows us how we can solve them. Pastor Luke looks at Mark 4:35-41 in "Soft Landing," the concluding message in his series, "Padding."