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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…
James 2:1-10 (11-13), 14-17
Proper 18B
“Faith without works is dead.” In a world where so many things divide Christians, nearly all sides unite to claim this famous verse for themselves. Both “progressives” and “traditionalists” cling tenaciously to this profession. While some see it as a call to a strict(er) obedience to God in response to God’s grace, others focus on…
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Proper 17B
This passage is a turning point in the Gospel of Mark. After this exchange on living according to tradition, Jesus will start to interact with non-Jewish people. Given the fact that Mark’s gospel audience were likely Gentile, they were hearing an added layer of good news about Jesus breaking yet another barrier to belonging. And…
James 1:17-27
Proper 17B
Were you to ask North American citizens of the 21st century, “What is God like?” you might get, especially in some culturally diverse areas, as many as 15-20 answers. Some of them would reflect long-standing religious traditions. Others might reflect a kind of DIY theology. And some answers might reflect an atheism or agnosticism. Few…
John 6:56-69
Proper 16B
It’s the last of John 6 and the last of the gospel of John for a while—next week we jump back into Mark. As it comes to reactions to Christ, the end of John 6 is a mixed bag. Even while excluding the verses about Judas’s impending betrayal and including Peter’s declaration of faith and…
Ephesians 6:10-20
Proper 16B
It’s not surprising that preachers and scholars generally pay most of our attention to this Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson’s military imagery. After all, while Paul’s images are easily misunderstood and misapplied, they’re also prominent in this text, vivid and memorable. We’ve even managed to cram some of them into things like Vacation Bible School weeks. So,…
John 6:51-58
Proper 15B
Here we are in the homestretch of our time in John 6. Between this week and next you have your chance to say whatever has been left on the sermon cutting room floor about the flesh and blood of the Bread of Heaven. As for me and these sermon commentaries, I feel as though we’ve…
Ephesians 5:15-20
Proper 15B
Does any subtle difference exist in tone and meaning between a summons to “Be careful” and “Be very careful”? There may be an added urgency that comes through with the addition of the adjective “very.” When, for example, my wife drives home alone from caring for our grandchildren, I always try to ask her to…
John 6:35, 41-51
Proper 14B
Comparisons to manna continue this week. One of those comparisons is subtle, hidden in the description of the people: they began to “complain” (NRSV), “grumble” (TNIV), or “murmur” (NLT) about Jesus. Just like our ancestors had the habit of grumbling about God. And just like our ancestors, the true Bread of Heaven is being given…
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