Living the Lectionary

1 Corinthians 9:16-23 “I have become all things to all people” is not such a good thing to be unless it is “all for the sake of the Gospel” ...

Psalm 147 The God of abundant power, who can hurl down hail like crumbs and whip up a winter storm on a whim, is the same God who heals the ...

Isaiah 40:21-31 “Why do you say, my way is hidden from the Lord?” is the complaint of a person wearied by life’s demands. And having been “t...

Mark 1:21-28 Speaking as a scribe – with an unclean spirit - I‘m not sure what to think about this. I’m not saying I’m possessed; unless we’...

1 Corinthians 8:1-13 Differences in theology and practice rarely lead one side to change behavior so as not to offend the other. The more na...

Psalm 111 The gracious and merciful Lord is ever mindful of his covenant, which is to say God remembers us even if we forget to give thanks ...

Deuteronomy 18:15-20 I speak “a word” about God everyday without worrying about the Deuteronomy consequences. But maybe in light of the warn...

Mark 1:14-20 Jesus has a one sentence sermon that says it all. The time is fulfilled – which means the future has come into the present. The...

1 Corinthians 7:29-31 If the appointed time has grown short the present form of this world is taking its sweet time passing away. That’s not...

Psalm 62:5-12 Waiting in silence is not something that comes naturally to most, especially when unsteady circumstances call for a rock and s...

Jonah 3:1-10 God’s mind was changed but Jonah's heart was not. In the beginning of the story Jonah tries to avoid going to Nineveh becau...

John 1:43-51 Apparently Nathaniel’s disparaging remark about Nazareth is just plain old prejudice and doesn’t count as deceit. Or it could b...

Laughing Dove - Range includes Israel Mark 1:4-11 I’ve always thought the Holy Spirit descending like a dove was an odd way for the Holy Spi...

Acts 19:1-7 The book of Acts makes it sound as easy as 1-2-3. All it takes is a one sentence explanation and these disciples of John who hav...

Psalm 29 You might want to take cover when the small g gods ascribe to the Lord the glory due God’s name. That’s because they recognize the ...

Genesis 1:1-5 The debate about creation tends to argue about how long it took to get the formless void to take the shape we recognize.  Pers...

Luke 2:22-40 This is another Biblical story I learned by means of the Lutheran liturgy before I could read. We sang the “Nunc Dimittis” (Lat...

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

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

Isaiah 61:10  -  62:3 It is hard to imagine that the captives returning unto Zion found reason to rejoice when they first saw the ruins of t...