The Fifth Sunday in LentPhilippians 3:4b–14 I love the way that Paul starts out in the passage today from Philippians. He’s in the middle of an argument with some Judean missionaries. They are trying to convince the Christian community in Philippi that they need to be circumcised in order to be truly right with God, … [Read more…]
The Third Sunday in Lent1 Corinthians 10:1–13 During this season of Lent, we have lots of time to reflect on wilderness. The forty days of Lent parallel the forty days that Jesus spent being tested in the wilderness and the forty years that the Hebrew people spent in the wilderness after being liberated from slavery … [Read more…]
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 world’s major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He’s considered by some to be the world’s first monotheist, the first person to consider that there might … [Read more…]
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 desert. It’s reminiscent of the forty days that Noah and his family spent on the ark, and of the forty years that the Hebrew people … [Read more…]
Transfiguration SundayLuke 9:28–36 It’s time that I confessed something. My name is David and I’m a huge Star Trek fan. I have been for a long time. I own all the movies, I’ve seen all the series, even the new ones For a while, I even co-hosted with my friend Colby an Annual Star Trek … [Read more…]
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 you. Pray for those who mistreat you.” Easy right? Just love your enemies. No problem. In fact, it’s incomprehensibly difficult. So what is it supposed … [Read more…]
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 next to the stream. Both were doing fine. But then, severe droughts came. And when they did, the plant out in the desert was anxious. If there were … [Read more…]
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 crumble-estBut I act like it tastes bad outta humblenessThe thing about me that’s so impressiveIs how infrequently I mention all of my successesI pooh-pooh it … [Read more…]
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 these two people in holy matrimony…. Wait a minute… that’s not right. I guess I heard the reading from 1 Corinthians 13 and got a … [Read more…]
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 the library. When you stay at a hotel, you’ll find a copy right there in the nightstand, just in case you want to pick it … [Read more…]
The Second Sunday after the EpiphanyJohn 2:1–11 In the Gospel of John, things are never as they seem. The story is never as simple as it appears on first reading. Every detail seems to hold a hidden and metaphorical meaning. John always seems to be operating at two different levels, the story on the surface … [Read more…]
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, talk about how Luke’s version is different from Matthew, Mark, and John—how Luke skips over narrating the baptism all together, and Jesus never sees the … [Read more…]
The Fourth Sunday of AdventMicah 5:2-5a; Luke 1:47-55 This morning we are examining two scriptural songs. The first is a Messianic prophecy from the prophet Micah, words that foretell the coming of the Christ. The second is the Song of Mary, the prophetic proclamation of Jesus’s mother about God’s plans for the world and Mary’s … [Read more…]
The Third Sunday of AdventLuke 3:7-18 I don’t understand it. He starts out the sermon by calling his audience a “brood of vipers.” And by the end they’re thinking that he must be the Messiah. Many of you have experience in public speaking. As a general rule, it’s not a particularly good idea to start … [Read more…]
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…]