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Genesis 21:8-21
Proper 7A
If only the narrator of the Old Testament text that the Lectionary appoints for this Sunday had just quit at verse 8. After Isaac is weaned, Abraham throws a big soiree. Period. It would have made for a happy ending that would send everyone home happy. But that’s not the way Genesis 21 ends. Pain…
Psalm 100
Proper 6A
It is not hard to figure out what Psalm 100 is. The superscription says simply, “For Giving Thanks.” Thus, it was probably used as liturgical accompaniment when a thank offering was given in the Temple. Perhaps it called on those who offered such a sacrifice to have the proper attitude of worship, rather than just…
Genesis 18:1-15, (21:1-7)
Proper 6A
“The trouble with a lot of religion,” my colleague John Buchanan once said in a sermon on Genesis 18, “is that it is so predictable; there is no room for surprise in it.” He then goes on to quote the theologian Sam Keene as saying that surprise – and wonder – is at the heart…
Psalm 8
Trinity Sunday A
On this Trinity Sunday, the other three Lectionary readings can legitimately be used for sermons on that great Mystery. Both Matthew 28 and II Corinthians 13 explicitly mention Father (God), Son, and Holy Spirit. Genesis 1 is a bit more difficult. Although many scholars express reservations about such exegetical movements, an enterprising preacher can work…
Genesis 1:1-2:4a
Trinity Sunday A
Questions about the age of the universe, earth and the human race intrigue at least some 21st century Christians. Some wonder just how God guided the development of creation and its creatures. So God’s people sometimes turn to passages like this Genesis 1 and 2 for answers to those hard questions. However, it’s important to…
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
Pentecost A
Many scholars suggest that we could use Psalm 104 to put environmentalist spin on Pentecost, because of verse 30. “When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.” Imagine a Pentecost version of the secular Christmas carol. “Have yourself a merry little environmental Pentecost!” I agree with that…
Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35
Easter 7A
Psalm 68 is known as the most difficult Psalm, but it is a fine choice for this Seventh Sunday of Easter, also known as Ascension Sunday. The connection to Christ’s Ascension is rooted in the way the early church read it, as evidenced most clearly in Paul’s use of verse 18 in Ephesians 4:8-13. Within…
Psalm 66:8-20
Easter 6A
On this Sixth Sunday of the Easter season, Easter is frankly fading from our minds. The trumpets are stored away, the lilies have long been consigned to the trash, and we’re moving on to Ascension Day and Pentecost. So it’s a good thing to preach on Psalm 66 today, because it reminds us that every…
Psalm 31:1-5; 15-16
Easter 5A
“In this Psalm the panic of the people of God troubled by the persecution of all the heathen, and by the failing of faith throughout the world, is principally seen.” Those words could have been written by any alert observer of the world-wide religious scene in 2017, as we witness, for example, the cruel persecution…
Psalm 23
Easter 4A
On this Fourth Sunday after Easter, all three years of the lectionary cycle have us reading Psalm 23. No wonder some parts of the worldwide church call this Good Shepherd Sunday. It is always good to revisit this beloved piece of pastoral poetry, but it does challenge the preacher and this writer, who wrote on…
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