Content related to 2 Samuel

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2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

Advent 4B

It would be very difficult to pick a more fitting text for this last Sunday of Advent.  After focusing with ever growing intensity on the coming of God’s salvation, we are just 5 days away from our celebration of the birth of the long-promised Messiah. This text is “the mother of all Messianic prophecies,” “the…

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2 Samuel 23:1-7

Proper 29B

Like other great leaders of Israel before him (Jacob in Genesis 49 and Moses in Deuteronomy 33), David concludes his life with famous last words.  Though he undoubtedly spoke other words after this (cf. opening chapters of I Kings), “[t]hese are the last words of David” in an official way, his last pronouncement, his prophetic…

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2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33

Proper 14B

In the long story of God’s covenant relationship with his beloved but rebellious child Israel, the story of David and his beloved but rebellious child, Absalom, occupies 6 long and painful chapters.  It is one of the most gripping and heart wrenching stories in all of literature.  Indeed, it has been the inspiration for some…

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2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a

Proper 13B

The world is full of people who seem to get away with murder, and theft, and adultery, and lying, and abuse, and rape.  Oh, every once in a while someone gets caught and punished, like the Golden State Killer.  But for everyone who gets caught, how many aren’t?  It sure seems as though you can…

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2 Samuel 11:1-15

Proper 12B

When my family lived in West Germany in the early 70’s, teenagers celebrated New Year’s Eve by lighting firecrackers.  Among their favorites were strings of firecrackers that they linked together.  One lit fuse would eventually produce a whole string of small explosions. 2 Samuel 11 is a bit reminiscent of those firecrackers.  After all, just…

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2 Samuel 7:1-14a

Proper 11B

Some of the people to whom we proclaim 2 Samuel 7 feel a little like David.  After all, Israel’s king has been very busy battling both Israel’s internal and external enemies.  He has also just finished fighting a domestic “battle” with his wife, Michal. Some people will come to our churches from “battling” neighbors, co-workers…

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2 Samuel 6:1-5; 12b-19

Proper 10B

2 Samuel 6 contains enough action and vivid images to fill a whole Netflix series.  It, after all, features a mysterious box, stumbling oxen and impetuous priest.  Our text also gives us a dancing king, livid queen and one great big party. David has spent many years running from Saul.  However, as 2 Samuel 6…

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2 Samuel 5:1-10

Proper 9B

When North Americans think of politics, even some Christians sometimes think only of endless campaigns and slick advertising.  We sometimes relegate talk about God’s involvement in politics to the conversations of people we think of as religious zealots.  At least some Christians are especially reluctant to talk about God’s role in putting people into political…

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2 Samuel 1:1,17-27

Proper 8B

This may, at first glance, seem like a rather odd passage to proclaim in the twenty-first century.  The entirety of 2 Samuel 1, after all, mentions the Lord only twice.  What’s more, David’s eulogy never mentions God. So if this were the only or last message I was ever going to proclaim, I wouldn’t choose…

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2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

Advent 4B

2 Samuel 7’s David has been busy battling both Israel’s internal and external enemies.  He’s also just finished “battling” his wife, Michal.  So some who proclaim and hear 2 Samuel 7 feel a little like David.  We come from dealing with, sometimes even “battling” people in our neighborhoods, families (and even churches). So we some…

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