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Colossians 1:11-20
Proper 29C
The contrast between the images of the Son of God presented by this Sunday’s Epistolary and Gospel lessons could hardly seem starker. Preachers might find fertile homiletical ground in that space – perhaps especially on this Christ the King Sunday that falls so close to the beginning of the Christmas season. Preachers might follow the…
Luke 23:33-43
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…
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Proper 28C
“Doing what is good [kalopoiountes*]” (13) can be very hard work. It can be “tiring” [enkakesete]. Doing good can, in fact, be downright exhausting. Especially when the Scriptures appear to summon Jesus’ friends to do things those Scriptures call “good” but seem to us to be at least somewhat harmful. Preachers prompted by the Holy…
Luke 21:5-19
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…
Ephesians 2:1-10: You Were Dead – Lent 4B
You were dead. That’s how the Apostle Paul opened this section of his letter to the Ephesians. You were dead. It’s a startling thing to hear, when you think about it. It also doesn’t make a whole lot of sense on the face of it. Oh, sure, now and then you may run across someone…
Luke 20:27-38
Proper 27C
This exchange is less about the topic and more about motive. The Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection so their question is not in good faith, but is actually an attempt to prove how unrealistic the whole concept is. Underlying the Sadducees’ subject choice are two interconnected things: their love of Scripture and the way…
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17
Proper 27C
I grew up near a college that tried to take the Scriptures quite literally. One of the most memorable bumper stickers that “graced” at least some of its faculty and students’ cars read “In the case of the Rapture this car will be unoccupied.” As I matured, I wondered what havoc Rapture would wreak on…
Luke 19:1-10
Proper 26C
Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he… You probably know the song. But have you ever wondered why it only tells part of the story in Luke 19.1-10? We sing of Jesus inviting himself over, but we never voice the part about what happens when Zacchaeus fully welcomes Jesus…
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12
Proper 26C
This Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson returns to one of last Sunday’s themes that is suffering for the sake of Jesus Christ. However, while last Sunday’s Lesson largely addressed Paul’s suffering for his faith, this week’s focuses mostly on the Thessalonian Christians’ suffering for their faith. By the power of the Holy Spirit, preachers might let 2…
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
Proper 25C
I’ve always wondered if Paul’s hands didn’t shake at least a bit as he wrote, “The time for my departure [analyseos*] is near [ephesteken] (6).” Or if his brow furrowed with a sort of defiance as he penned in verse 7, “I have fought [egonismai] the good fight [kalon agona]” (7). Or if the aging…
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