Living the Lectionary

  John 1:1-18 These opening verses of John’s gospel are like an overture to a grand symphony. The themes and images and theology that will m...

Ephesians 1:3-14 Paul spent a good bit of time in Ephesus but it was not as pleasant as the opening of his letter might lead one to believe....

Jeremiah 31:7-14 In  Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy and Fairytale  the American theologian, Frederick Buechner, writes “th...

Colossians 3:12-17 Paul’s fashion advice to the Colossians begins with the remembrance of who they are in Christ. Remember you are chosen by...

Psalm 148 There's a Psalty Kids Praise CD that says when a cow goes moo it’s praising God. I don’t mean to be a naysayer when it comes t...

  1 Samuel 2:18-26 This is just the beginning of Samuel’s story but the beginning of the end for Eli. It is a tragic tale of a father who ca...

Luke 1:39-56 Mary went with haste to the hill country for good reason. To be unwed and pregnant was not a condition a woman wanted to be fou...

  Hebrews 5:5-10 “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings.” Really? Di...

  Psalm 80:1-7 The lectionary offers the option of using Mary’s song, “My soul magnifies the Lord..” in place of the psalm, but I think the ...

  Micah 5:2-5a The lectionary for Advent 4C begins with verse 2 of Micah chapter 5 and ends before the fifth verse is finished. Maybe becaus...

Luke 3:17-18 We don’t hear many “Brood of Vipers” sermons in the Lutheran church. It’s not that we don’t all need and even welcome a stern w...

  Philippians 4:1-13  “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice” is a four part round I sang for years at church camp. It's on...

Isaiah 12:1-6 Isaiah 12:2-6 is the text for  The First Song of Isaiah  by Jack Noble White. The first time I heard it was some eighteen year...

Zephaniah 3:14-20 These are the last verses of the short book of Zephaniah. The rest of the book reads more like the first verse of the prop...

Luke 3:1-6 Luke names the powers that rule the world because he is writing an orderly account for the  most excellent Theophilus and though ...

Philippians 1:3-11 If the Galatians and Corinthians were like thorns in Paul’s flesh then the Philippians were the healing balm for the pain...

Luke 1:68-79 The lesson that occupies the place of the psalm this Sunday is Zechariah’s Song and expresses the hopes and dreams of a people ...

  “Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple” by New Zealand artist Michael Smither, 1972 (Victoria University of Wellington Art Col...

Luke 21:25-36 I’m afraid it may just be hard wired into our anxious DNA to divide the world into those who faint from fear at the end of all...

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...