The First Sunday of AdventLuke 21:25–36 “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, you know that God’s kingdom is near.” God’s kingdom is near. What does that mean? … [Read more…]
Christ the King SundayJohn 18:33-37 The Gospel of John. On the surface it’s the simplest of stories. Clear, plain, ordinary, direct. Just as easy to read as a calm, smooth sea, and just as two-dimensional. It’s only as you get into the boat and set out on the water that you notice, concealed beneath the … [Read more…]
The Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost1 Samuel 1:4-20, 2:1-10 The text this morning from 1 Samuel is not an easy one. On first reading, it seems fairly straightforward. It follows one of the bible’s familiar storylines: the storyline of the childless woman. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was infertile until she was 90 years old, when she gave … [Read more…]
The Twenty-firth Sunday after PentecostRuth 3:1-5, 4:13-17 The Hebrew Bible lesson this morning reminds me of an old James Brown song. “Man made the cars to take us over the road. Man made the trains to carry the heavy loads. Man made electric light to take us out of the dark. Man made the boat … [Read more…]
All Saints SundayRevelation 21:1-6a Imagine with me for a moment. You’re outside. It’s a cold but clear fall day. Early afternoon. You’re busy doing something. Maybe you’re doing some yard work or working on the car, but you’re busy… and maybe a little distracted. Distracted enough that you just barely notice that it’s getting chilly. … [Read more…]
The Twenty-fourth Sunday after PentecostHebrews 5:1–10 Last week I mentioned that Hebrews is erroneously labeled in some Bibles as Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews. However, it is not written by Paul. It’s an anonymous work and no one really has a clue who wrote it. It’s not an epistle, either, which is just a funny … [Read more…]
The Twenty-third Sunday after PentecostHebrews 4:12–16 This week and next week, we’re going to be looking a little more closely at the readings from Hebrews. Just a little bit of background. This book is sometimes referred to as Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews. However, it definitely isn’t written by Paul, it is not an epistle, … [Read more…]
The Twentieth Sunday after PentecostJob 1:1, 2:1-10 Job is a very strange book of the bible. It’s been one of the very hardest books to interpret. No one knows when, or by whom it was written, but it seems to be set a very long time ago, around the time of Abraham and Sarah. None … [Read more…]
The Eighteenth Sunday after PentecostMark 9:30-37 In last week’s gospel passage, we found Jesus struggling with his identity as God’s anointed one, God’s Messiah, God’s Christ. He knew that he was the Messiah. His disciples agreed that he was the Messiah. But they didn’t agree on what the Messiah was. Peter and the other disciples … [Read more…]
The Seventeenth Sunday after PentecostMark 8:27–38 It’s not what we would normally expect from Jesus, but here in the Gospel of Mark today, Jesus seems to be having an identity crisis. We’re used to thinking that Jesus is all-knowing, that he has everything under complete control, that he is entirely sure about his own mission … [Read more…]