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Mark 10:2-16
Proper 22B
These two texts are more than a bit difficult to homiletically combine. They mostly share a setting, as Jesus and the disciples transition from a conversation with the Pharisees and enter yet another house where children are present. In terms of the lectionary sequence, we’ll be staying put in chapter ten for the whole month…
Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12
Proper 22B
During a recent Sabbath dinner, a Jewish acquaintance asked my wife and me, “Who do you pray to – Jesus or God?” I told her that while it was very hard to explain, we profess that Jesus is God. However, for Jewish people who are deeply steeped in monotheism this is almost impossible to understand….
Mark 9:38-50
Proper 21B
They were arguing about who among them was the greatest. Let’s not forget that context while we read this week’s lectionary text. The disciples were afraid because they didn’t understand what Jesus was talking about, so they turned to an ego boosting exercise that backfires. They know they aren’t showing much maturity, staying silent when…
James 5:13-20
Proper 21B
Jesus’ most faithful followers are often people of faith in action. We want to actively love God above all and our neighbors as ourselves. Christians feel called and expected by God to do things like share the gospel, worship the Lord, care for people who are materially needy and be good stewards of God’s creation….
James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
Proper 20B
I recently conducted a wedding of a dear brother and sister in Christ. Since they weren’t especially fussy about the shape and substance of the wedding service, they largely left its planning to me. That left to me the question of whether to ask the bride to “submit” to her husband. After all, the order…
Mark 9:30-37
Proper 20B
God gives us many opportunities to learn humility. As we join Jesus and the disciples on the road, we are met with an all too recognizable human pattern of response to such chances. Jesus has returned to what’s about to happen, talking with his disciples about his suffering, dying, and rising while they walk. This…
James 3:1-12
Proper 19B
It’s not a little ironic that most of us who preach this Sunday on the potential dangers and blessings of the use of our tongues will do so with our tongues. So we do well to let the Spirit speak to us through James 3 before we even begin to preach. After all, it strongly…
Mark 8:27-38
Proper 19B
This week’s text is a masterclass in understanding confession and repentance in the grandest sense possible. When it comes down to what we confess with our mouths, what do we believe in our hearts and minds? And what consequences does it have in our lives? Jesus asks his disciples what they’ve heard other people believe…
Mark 7:24-37
Proper 18B
Past sermon commentaries have talked about the uneasy conversation between Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman so I invite you to explore those by using the passage filter on our website. This week, I’d like to think about the things that are similar in both of the healings in our lectionary passage. In Mark the Messianic…
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