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Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
Trinity Sunday C
There are better texts for this Trinity Sunday than these words about wisdom in Proverbs. The New Testament readings from John 16:12-15 and Romans 5:1-5 are much more Trinitarian, since they at least mention Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Of course, you will still have to interpret that three-ness/one-ness language. And, if you are willing…
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
Pentecost C
This week, instead of a sermon commentary, I have provided a sample sermon: Psalm 104:24-34, 35b: How Many Are Your Works?: Pentecost C
Psalm 97
Easter 7C
A few years ago the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship produced a new hymnal based on the Psalms. Its title is “Psalms for All Seasons.” The title is apt because as most of us know, the Hebrew Psalter is a collection of varied prayers that matches life’s many and varied seasons. As C.S. Lewis and…
Psalm 148
Easter 5C
Some years back at a worship service we used St. Francis of Assisi’s poem “Canticle of the Sun” as part of a responsive reading. There was, alas, a slight typo in the bulletin that made it sound at one point as though we were worshiping Mother Earth. This led a rather conservative member of my…
Psalm 23
Easter 4C
Presidential funerals always draw a huge television audience. We saw that recently with the funeral services for George H.W. Bush. We have seen it for Gerald R. Ford, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon. But when you watch such services, you need not have the funeral program in your hands to guess that probably at some point…
Psalm 30
Easter 3C
A friend of mine, when noting life’s oft-difficult circumstances, likes to sound a hopeful note by saying, “Ah well, joy cometh in the morning.” Or at least joy may come in the morning but most of us know altogether too well that sometimes it doesn’t. Or the “morning” in question ends up being pretty far…
Psalm 150
Easter 2C
Whether it’s a Broadway play like Les Miserables or a classic movie like The Sound of Music, most people enjoy a good musical. But have you ever wondered what it is about such productions that appeals to us? After all, musicals are decidedly unlike real life. In The Sound of Music people burst into song…
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
Easter Day C
Call it the little Psalm that could. Call it the Psalm of stealth and surprise. Call it the Psalm that fits the Gospel bill. Why? Because out of all the 150 psalms in the Hebrew Psalter, many people have their favorites but those favorites—most anybody’s “Top 10 Greatest Hits of the Psalter” list—would likely not…
Isaiah 65:17-25
Easter Day C
Every preacher knows what a challenge it is to preach on Easter. On the one hand, it is the epicenter of the Gospel, the event that makes or breaks the claims of Jesus, as Paul says in I Corinthians 15. So, how can we mere mortals do justice to such a world changing moment in…
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