Rev. Chelsey Harmon lives in Vancouver, BC and is a bivocational pastor at The Bridge Community Church (CRC) in Langley, BC. Chelsey is also on staff at Churches Learning Change, a non-profit that aims to help congregations and leaders pursue personal and congregational transformation. She earned her M.Div. at Calvin Theological Seminary (2009), a ThM in Spiritual Theology at Regent College (2023) and is currently a part-time PhD student at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Divinity where she studies historical examples of Trinitarian mysticism and theology.
Chelsey has been writing sermon commentaries for the CEP website since 2019.
John 1:29-42
Commentary
Epiphany 2A
A theme in the Gospel of John is that of testimony, or being a reliable witness. Throughout the whole text, Jesus is establishing himself as needing no other witness. Here at the beginning of the narrative, we see John pointing to this reality through his own witness, supported by the witness of the prophecy he…
Matthew 3:13-17
Commentary
Epiphany 1A
Unlike in the other baptism accounts in the gospels, where Jesus is the one who has an epiphany of sorts, Matthew lets us know that John the Baptist witnesses the revelation of heaven. In Mark and Luke, the words that boom down are “You are my Son,” but here John hears along with Jesus, “This…
John 1:10-18
Commentary
Christmas 2A
The world didn’t know what it has, but God keeps giving anyway. That grammatically incorrect sentence is my best quickfire attempt at summing up this Christmas dip into the Gospel of John’s prologue. The world didn’t know that it had a gift waiting to be recognized and enjoyed. And because it could not recognize the…
Matthew 2:13-23
Commentary
Christmas 1A
Well this is a real “Merry Christmas!” story, isn’t it? While not all of us have had a warm and fuzzy Christmas, many of us have had the privilege and joy of spending time with loved ones, relaxing, and enjoying the holidays. This story shocks us out of the feel-goods and brings us back to…
Matthew 1:18-25
Commentary
Advent 4A
We don’t know much about Joseph but what we do know is of pretty good quality. Even in our passage this week—where Joseph doesn’t even utter a word—we are given a number of positive characteristics to understand what kind of person Joseph is. Joseph is righteous; he also is not one to bear a grudge….
Matthew 11:2-11
Commentary
Advent 3A
Even the stalwart in faith wonder during times of difficulty. Of course, we know this to be true even for Jesus, who prays to have the cup of suffering taken from him in the Garden. But in our passage today, we see it on full display in the strong-in-faith-and-purpose John. John was the one who…
Matthew 3:1-12
Commentary
Advent 2A
It’s time for our annual Advent trip to the banks of the Jordan River and to come to terms with whether we are ready—prepared—to repent and receive the kingdom of heaven. One like John the Baptist was prophesied by Isaiah: a voice crying out in the wilderness, both as a prayer and a call to…
Matthew 24:36-44
Commentary
Advent 1A
Advent begins with the humbling reminder that though we can be confident in Christ’s return, and there is plenty “knowing” and “unknowing” to go around. Jesus’s opening words in our passage this week make rather clear that “no one knows” the day of judgment that will usher in the new heaven and new earth—not even…
Luke 23:33-43
Commentary
Proper 29C
On this the last Sunday of the year, we remember Christ as the one who reigns, or, Christ the King. In the upside-down kingdom of the gospel of Luke, it seems so fitting for us to be here at the cross of death, even as the hope of Advent is about to begin. At every…
Luke 21:5-19
Commentary
Proper 28C
When Luke wrote this passage of Scripture, including Jesus saying, “But not a hair of your head will perish,” people following Jesus had already been arrested, persecuted, handed over to synagogues and prisons, brought before kings and governors because of the name of Jesus—people like James and Stephen. The witness of the martyrs had already…
About Chelsey Harmon