The disciples doubted and the demons didn't. Discover how doubt can be a spiritual tool.

We all have crucifixion moments in our lives — when darkness, despair, pain, or grief seem to get the upper hand. But with resurrection, the worst thing is never the last thing. This week Pastor Mia invites us to resurrected life, where there is joy and hope. That's how it was for the first witnesses to the resurrection, and how it is for us today.

In Luke 16 The Story of the Dishonest Steward is a parable that was meant to shock the first audience to hear Jesus. In this lesson, a rich man fires his manager for wasting his estate and the manager responds by writing off debt owed to the rich man. Then story concludes with the unexpected; the rich man applauds the manager’s cleverness. So what is the point of this surprising outcome? As Pastor Mia shows, the shrewd use of money is an important part of a spiritual life.

This week Pastor Mia guides us through Luke’s account of the events leading up to the Crucifixion. During those five days in Jerusalem, Jesus preached about peace to an audience who didn’t get the point of his teachings. Jesus’s message didn’t sink in for his disciples as well. “Do you understand what I am saying to you,” he asked them during the Last Supper. Jesus wants us to answer that question as well. How will we respond?

This week, Pastor Mia takes us on the journey Jesus made from Galilee to Jerusalem. Luke’s account of the trip includes many great stories. In one narrative, Jesus cures ten lepers and in another he sees the pure heart of a despised tax collector. In both of these encounters, Jesus doesn’t scorn the outcasts. Instead he takes opportunity to heal and set free.

Luke’s Gospel includes sixteen stories in which Jesus uses familiar examples to make a spiritual point. The characters include righteous Pharisees, rich men, tax collectors, the homeless, and ungrateful children. And in story after story, Jesus describes how the sinners get it right and the religious folks don’t. When we hear the parables, Pastor Mia encourages us to ask the question, “Which character am I?”

We absorb sexism, even when we don't want to, but Jesus wasn't like that. In Luke 7:36-50, a nortious sinner barges into a dinner party so she can annoint Jesus's feet with valuable oil. In this story, Jesus doesn't see the sexism. Instead he sees the dignity and worth of a person showing up for her faith. This story isn't Luke's only example highlighting the prominence of women in Jesus's ministry. This week, Pastor Mia calls attention to stories about women that you won't find in any of the other Gospels.

The Gospel of Luke includes stories in which Jesus lifts up the lowly. In one, Zechariah and Elizabeth, a couple well beyond their years, were blessed with a pregnancy and their son grew up to became John the Baptist. In the other, a teenage girl named Mary learns that she will give birth to Jesus. These stories are just two examples of God performing great acts through people who are “not right.” This week, Pastor Mia explores reasons why God works in ways that lift up the lowly.