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Rev. Douglas Bratt is a Minister of the Word in the Christian Reformed Church in North America. After serving Christian Reformed churches in Iowa, Michigan and Maryland, he retired in July, 2024. He enjoys spending time with his grandchildren, reading good literature, and watching televised sports in his free time.
Doug began writing sermon commentaries for the CEP website in 2006 and started writing weekly in 2012.
Ephesians 1:15-23
Commentary
Proper 29A
I am physically near-sighted. But I grew up in an era before schools did systematic vision-testing. So neither my parents nor I knew that I was near-sighted until we went to a Detroit Tigers baseball game when I was in the sixth grade. When I told my mom and dad that I couldn’t read its…
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Commentary
Proper 28A
In the northern hemisphere the days are becoming noticeably shorter. If the Lord tarries, where I live, for example, there will be nearly 13 minutes less daylight on this coming Sunday than there were just last Sunday. That contributes to the sense that this is a dark time of the year. That darkness, however, helps…
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Commentary
Proper 27A
No matter how strong Jesus’ friends’ faith is, the death of someone we love can be immensely difficult. Among other things, it sometimes forces survivors to make painful adjustments that may take many months, if not years. Death, however, also raises troubling questions about the fate of those who have died. Such questions seemed to…
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
Commentary
Proper 26A
What we call “post-modernism” heavily influences 21st century Western culture. One characteristic of that worldview is a kind of moral relativism. In other words, the idea that most ideas are equally valuable profoundly shapes our culture. No “word” carries any more moral authority than another. In a post-modern culture that offers a buffet of religious…
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
Commentary
Proper 25A
Though the sheer volume of sermons on them seem to belie the claim, preaching on the epistles can and perhaps even should be rather challenging. Reading Epistolary Lessons is, after all, as one colleague has pointed out, a bit like reading someone else’s mail. Preaching on this Sunday’s particular Epistolary Lesson is perhaps even more…
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Commentary
Proper 24A
Larry (not his real name) was as crusty a person as I’ve ever met. While he professed to be a Christian, he’d alienated nearly everyone, including members of his family and church. His long-suffering wife was one of the few people who continued to stand by him, perhaps as much out of pity as almost…
Philippians 4:1-9
Commentary
Proper 23A
In a world that knows so little peace, this Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson’s references to “the peace of God” [eirene tou Theou]* are very attractive. In fact, preachers may want to comb media reports shortly before they preach on Philippians 4 in order to cull some contemporary examples of that lack of peace. We probably won’t…
Philippians 3:4b-14
Commentary
Proper 22A
The Spirit inspired the apostle Paul to pack this Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson with poetic and vivid imagery. Commentaries on the CEP website from 2016 and 2020 delve into some of these images. However, preachers whom the Spirit prompts to move in a slightly different direction might consider Paul’s imagery of “taking hold” (12, 13). It,…
Philippians 2:1-13
Commentary
Proper 21A
This Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson offers preachers a virtual embarrassment of theological riches. Its verses 5-11’s celebration of Jesus’ humiliation and exaltation are among Christians’ favorite passages. They, in fact, make up the Epistolary Lesson’s reading on each Palm Sunday. However, as the New Testament scholar Troy Troftgruben notes, this 17th Sunday after Pentecost also offers…
Philippians 1:21-30
Commentary
Proper 20A
John Wooden was the hugely successful coach of America’s UCLA’s men’s basketball team. He also sought to be a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. Wooden once famously said, “The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.” This Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson’s Paul would probably have agreed. After all,…
About Doug Bratt