Living the Lectionary

The Adoration of the Shepherds  by  Caravaggio , 1609 Galatians 4:4-7 The fullness of time is the pregnant pause in the history of human...

Psalm 148 Psalm 148 is an all inclusive “Praise the Lord!” song but unless “Sweet Jesus!” or other less pastor- like expletives count as p...

Isaiah 61:10  -  62:3 It is hard to imagine righteousness and praise springing forth on a cold and cloudy day in Fort Worth, Texas but the...

Romans 16:25-27 The secret kept hidden for long ages but now disclosed never-the-less remains a mystery. God in human flesh, not just as a...

Luke 1:46-55 The “great thing God has done for me” made Mary great with child without her betrothed's participation or consent. That...

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 David may believe his desire to upgrade God from tent to temple is all about God but truth is David is embarrassed Isr...

John 1:6-8,   19-28 Not the Messiah, not Elijah, not the prophet (Jeremiah not Mohamed) John is just a voice that makes straight the way f...

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 I don’t know about you but there are very few things I do that can be followed by “always” or “unceasing” or “in a...

Psalm 126 The first four verses of Psalm 126 remember the dream come true as exiles returned home and mouths were filled with laughter a...

Isaiah 61:1-11 Isaiah 61 is the measure of whether one has been anointed by the spirit of the Lord or not. Good news for the oppressed not...

Mark 1:1-8 The beginning of Jesus’ story anticipates the end of our story which (because of Jesus) will not be as final as it otherwise m...

2 Peter 3:8-15 So how are we to “regard the patience of the Lord as salvation” while the rest of the world is toast when the thief in the ...

Psalm 85 We could all use a long embrace with steadfast love and faithfulness and more public displays of affection between righteousnes...

Isaiah 40:1-11 “Comfort, comfort” is a doubly welcome word when it feels like you’ve paid double for whatever it was that required you to ...

Mark 13:24-37 2000 years is a long time to stay awake so I can understand how the church has dozed off now and then. It is true for yo...

1 Corinthians 1:3-9 It is a gracious beginning for a letter dealing with divisions in the body of Christ prompted by people puffed up w...

Psalm 80 The psalmist does not stop talking to God even when fed on the bread of tears or drinking from the bowl of weeping. When life lau...

Isaiah 64:1-9 “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence…” but not today,...

Matthew 25:31-46 The sheep didn’t recognize Jesus in the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, imprisoned stranger but they provided help anyway. ...

Ephesians 1:15-23   Paul writes more run on sentences than I do and sometimes his thoughts and mine can be lost in the language so let m...