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Luke 13:1-9
Lent 3C
On the surface, this exchange about suffering as punishment for sins seems simple enough to understand, but there is a lot more to reckon with. To be sure, the need for everyone to repent—and soon—is the clear point Jesus is making. Not only does his parable make the point that time is short, but he…
Luke 13:31-35
Lent 2C
There is an undercurrent throughout these lenten gospel texts. Flowing through most of the accounts is some emphasis or use of time or timing. For instance, last week, along with the length of Jesus’s time in the desert, there was the way Satan tried to tempt Jesus with early (false) glory. And next week, Jesus…
Philippians 3:17-4:1
Lent 2C
Some biblical truths resonate with me more deeply than not just other truths, but also more than those truths did even a few years ago. Among them is this Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson’s Paul and Timothy’s assertion that we “eagerly await [apekdechometha*]” the return of our Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20). For me that eagerness is…
Every Creature
Like many of you when on vacation, my family and I also had a nice summertime opportunity to enjoy the outdoor world of God’s creation on our recent trip to northern Michigan. We climbed the Sleeping Bear Dunes and marveled afresh at what a colossal pile of sand the winds have heaped up there over…
Romans 10:8b-13
Lent 1C
In the United States across the last decade or so, partisan political divides have been more evident in society than has been true in a very long time. But it’s not just society. Christian congregations have been riven over such issues too. A recent study showed that during and after the COVID pandemic, many congregations…
Luke 4:1-13
Lent 1C
For many of us in more evangelical traditions, we think of retreats as pleasant and uplifting spaces where we can reconnect with God, be refreshed, and maybe even have a “mountaintop” spiritual experience. Retreats are hard to make space and time for, so it really isn’t surprising to me that most of us modern Christians…
Luke 9:28-36
Transfiguration Sunday C
Comments, Questions, and Observations The liturgical calendar gives us a glimpse and experience of glory before reminding us that we are dust and to dust we shall return. Transfiguration Sunday ends Epiphany even as our heels are nipped by Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent—a season where we will try our very hardest to…
2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2
Transfiguration Sunday C
It may be a good thing that Transfiguration Sunday happens only once a year. After all, it’s not just that Jesus’ transfiguration is even to his closest friends among the most puzzling moments in his earthly life. It’s also that the RCL editors seemed to struggle to find passages outside of the gospels that speak…
Luke 6:27-38
Epiphany 7C
From the highs of naming names and giving the high and mighty the what for last week, we come down to the realization of what God’s mercy means for all of us this week. It turns out that those who are blessed are meant to love, do good towards, and bless and pray for those…
1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50
Epiphany 7C
The Scriptures’ “perspicuity” is for some Christians a familiar but sometimes misunderstood concept. By it Jesus’ followers basically mean that the Holy Spirit makes clear what God wants to communicate through the Scriptures to God’s people and world. So we sometimes say the Spirit makes perspicuous the Scriptures’ central truths like God’s creation of everything…
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