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Luke 12:49-56
Proper 15C
As we continue in a time of great polarity and hostility, many of us know all too well the feeling of “father against son… and daughter against mother.” Does Jesus’s own frustration make us feel any better about the situation? Not really. But his commitment to the struggle can bolster our own. Jesus’s teaching and…
Hebrews 11:29-12:2
Proper 15C
This Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson continues Hebrews 11’s exploration of faith. It offers more examples of God’s people who were so sure of what they hoped for and certain of what they could not yet see that they lived lives of faithful obedience. However, Hebrews 11:29ff. offers examples not just of the blessings God extends to…
Luke 12:32-40
Proper 14C
“Do not be afraid… You also must be ready…” These opening and closing statements from Christ tie this week to last week’s passage. The lectionary skips over another meaningful message about our possessions and our fears and hones in on our stewardship, or being rich towards God through our obedience. Last week, the rich farmer…
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
Proper 14C
While it doesn’t explicitly identify Christian faith’s Object, this Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson begins with what some of God’s adopted children consider to be the classic definition of Christian faith. In verse 1 Hebrews’ unnamed author says, “Faith is confidence [hypostasis*] in what we hope for [elpizomenon] and assurance [elenchos] about what we do not see…
Colossians 3:1-11
Proper 13C
Two of our grandchildren transferred to a different school at the beginning of this past academic year. While their adjustment was, by God’s grace, quite smooth, it was also quite large. Among other things, our grandchildren had to put on different clothing. They had to swap the uniforms of their previous school for their new…
Luke 12:13-21
Proper 13C
Jesus is speaking to a rather large crowd that is eager to hear from him—according to 12.1, they are even trampling one another to get close. Somehow, a voice from that crowd rises above the rest and the question asked and sparks Jesus’s warning about greed. What Jesus says about greed relates to what he…
Colossians 2:6-15, (16-19)
Proper 12C
At the time my wife and I knew Missy, she was the delightful 6 year-old daughter of our wonderful friends. She had an age-appropriate faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. But while other Old Testament stories fascinated other children, Genesis’ account of Abraham’s circumcision especially fascinated Missy. She even retold the story in…
Luke 11:1-13
Proper 12C
This rich collection of Jesus’s teaching on prayer is made all the more significant given the passage that we looked at last Sunday. At Martha and Mary’s house, Jesus encouraged the women to sit at his feet and choose the better portion, being with God. Now, Jesus describes a practice of being with God in…
Luke 10.38-42
Proper 11C
As soon as I read this week’s text, I remembered the last person who was described as sitting at the feet of Jesus: the Gerasene man after the demons were exorcised (Luke 8.26-37). If there is a place to be that is good, it is at God’s feet. At his feet, we are people who…
Colossians 1:15-28
Proper 11C
My maternal grandfather had to drop out of school after completing the sixth grade in order to help his widowed mother provide for his ten siblings. Yet while his formal education was limited, my Grandpa Steenbergen remained a lifelong learner. His almost insatiable appetite for learning made him a voracious reader. One of the books…
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