A Smoking Fire Pot

The Second Sunday in LentGenesis 15:1-12, 17-18 Abraham is quite an interesting character. You’ve probably heard of him before. Father Abraham. He is an important figure in three of the … [Read more…]

The Test

The First Sunday in LentLuke 4:1–13 Jesus, after his baptism, is led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. He spends forty days and forty nights out there in the … [Read more…]

Love Your Enemies

The Seventh Sunday after the EpiphanyLuke 6:27–38 “I say to those of you who are listening, Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse … [Read more…]

A Shrub in the Desert

The Sixth Sunday after EpiphanyJeremiah 17:5–10 The text from Jeremiah today offers a nice, concise saying of wisdom. There were two plants. One was out in the desert. The other was … [Read more…]

One Untimely Born

The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany1 Corinthians 15:1–11 Bar none, I am the most humble-estNumber one at the top of the humble listMy apple crumble is by far the most … [Read more…]

Luv

The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany1 Corinthians 13:1–13 Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the presence of these witnesses, to join together … [Read more…]

Reading with Sense

The Third Sunday after PentecostNehemiah 8:1-10 There are more copies of the Bible in the world than any other book. Every bookstore has several editions. You can find it at … [Read more…]

My Beloved

Baptism of the LordLuke 3:15–17, 21–22 It’s the story of Jesus’s baptism in the Gospel of Luke. I could do the sort of thing I usually do in a sermon, … [Read more…]

Another World

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 … [Read more…]

Hannah

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 … [Read more…]

Ruth

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 … [Read more…]

The Order of Melchizedek

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 … [Read more…]