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1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Proper 27A
Paul begins this Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson by claiming he does not want his brothers and sisters in Christ to be “uninformed [agnoein*] about those who sleep in death [koimomenon]” (13). He then goes on to conclude 1 Thessalonians 4 with verse 18’s call to “encourage [parakaleite] one another with” what he has just written. In…
Matthew 25:1-13
Proper 27A
This story definitely wants us to pay attention to the mistakes of the foolish: they are unprepared and do not care to plan or to think about what they need to do in their role as a bridesmaid. Thus, when the big moment comes for them to escort the groom to the house where the…
1 John 3:1-3
Proper 26A
Note: Since this passage is the suggested one for All Saints Day rather than Proper 26, preachers who wish to preach on 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 may feel free to consult previous commentaries on it found on this site at (https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2023-10-30/1-thessalonians-29-13-3/) and (https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2020-10-26/1-thessalonians-29-13-2/). In a culture that was once enamored with the concept of love,…
Matthew 23:1-12
Proper 26A
Jesus has confounded and humbled the leaders by his words, challenging them in such a way that they have had to realize that they do not, in fact, know it all. As we ended last week, the leaders of the synagogue are not able to answer Jesus’s question about the Messiah and now they do…
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
Proper 25A
In verse 4’s heart of this Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson lies a perhaps largely unnoticed but most extraordinary claim: God has “entrusted” [pisteuthenai*] Jesus’ friends “with the gospel [euangelion].” No news is greater than that of salvation through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that we receive with our faith. Yet the apostle audaciously…
Matthew 22:34-46
Proper 25A
These two sections seem like odd bedfellows, as though Jesus seized the opportunity of having the Pharisees “gathered together” to give them a little food for thought. But maybe they are more connected than they seem. Are these the same Pharisees that sent their servants to challenge and entrap Jesus earlier in the chapter (last…
Matthew 22:15-22
Proper 24A
The challengers come to Jesus feeling sly and like they have an Ace in their pocket. They leave their encounter with Jesus amazed even though they have “lost.” You’d think they had just watched a street performer do the most amazing trick they’ve ever seen! What’s probably happened, though, if they were truly listening to…
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Proper 24A
It sometimes seems as if the RCL editors had their eyes not just on the church year calendar, but also the secular one. After all, this Sunday on which Paul fills its Epistolary Lesson with expressions of thanksgiving falls between Canadian and Americans’ Thanksgiving Days. Some Thanksgiving traditions include a variation of the “What are…
Matthew 22:1-14
Proper 23A
This is the third in a series of parables targeting the temple leaders. It all started as they confronted Jesus about his authority because of the way he disrupted their domain. Jesus first challenged them to consider their obedience to God, then he challenged them to consider the way they were abusing God’s gifts to…
Philippians 4:1-9
Proper 23A
Paul devotes much of his letter to Philippi’s Christians talking literally about their minds. As we’ve already noted, he summons them to a faithful and obedient reception of God’s grace. However, the apostle also speaks to them at some length about their attitude or mindset. So while preachers might, with the Spirit’s guidance, organize our…
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