Living the Lectionary

Malachi 3:1-4 The offerings of Judah and Jerusalem have been less than pleasing and have wearied the Lord. Blind, lame and sick animals are ...

Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-10; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36 So here we go again. Pastors will find people in the pews wondering ...

Luke 21:25-36 So is the future day a Christian version of 2012 or can we get out of this thing with a little less noise? I’m afraid it may j...

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 The Thessalonians were worried that the day of the Lord had come and gone and they had been left behind or it hadn’t ...

Psalm 25 Be mindful of your mercy and your steadfast love but do not remember the sins of my youth, but in the forgetting of my sin don’t fo...

Jeremiah 33:14-16 We’ve spent the week of Thanksgiving camping on the Texas gulf coast for years and as our departure grows closer I can pra...

Christ the King Year B – Daniel 7:1-18; Psalm 93; Revelation 1:4-8; John 18:33-37 I have been an every Sunday Lutheran since I was baptized ...

John 18:33-37 “What is it you have done?” It could have been the name calling. You brood of vipers. You white washed tombs. You blind guides...

Revelation 1:4-8 The letter that vividly describes a violent and final end for so many begins rather nicely for the seven churches. Of cours...

Psalm 93 The Lord is more majestic than the waves of the sea. By this time next week I will be sitting on a Texas beach watching the waves o...

Daniel 7:1-18 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit was troubled within me and the visions of my head terrified me.” There is endless commentary and...

Pentecost 24b – Daniel 12:1-3; Psalm 16; Hebrews 10:11-25; Mark 13:1-8 Do not be alarmed. This word of Jesus is the faithful response to ala...

Mark 13:1-8 I imagine years later upon reading the Gospel of Mark the unnamed disciple was relieved he remained anonymous. After all moments...

Hebrews 10:11-25 Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds… It reminds me of “I double dare you” on the grade school...

Psalm 16 This is a psalm of confidence as opposed to a confidence psalm. By that I mean the psalmist is confident in God who counsels and ma...

Daniel 12:1-3 The only trouble with writing a daily lectionary based blog is you can’t pick the easy scriptures or avoid the more difficult ...

Pentecost 23b - 1 Kings 17:8-16; Psalm 146; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44 The texts for Pentecost 23b are connected by the unexpected. The ...

Mark 12:38-44 I remember attending a Christmas Eve mass at the Anglican Cathedral of Liverpool and being absolutely captured by the pageantr...

Hebrews 9:24-28 Once for all, that is the way the writer of Hebrews describes the sacrifice of Jesus. Instead of the high priest repeating t...

Psalm 146 This psalm begins with a double dose of praise and rightly so. While the plans of princes perish with them the Lord is forever. Th...