1 Corinthians 1:18-25
Lent 3B
[…] However, in verse 25 the apostle also refers to God’s “weakness” .” Between those apparently contradictory brackets, God’s people find not only the beating heart of our Lenten observance. We also find the heart of the gospel. By beginning this Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson with the word gar (“for”), Paul connects it to what he […]
Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
Lent 4B
Psalm 107:2 invites people to tell their stories. Ironically no sooner does that begin to happen in this poem and the Lectionary has us stop reading to jump over a lot of the stories that get told! Truth is, Psalm 107 is semi-repetitive but it is structured that way to make a point about the […]
Hebrews 5:5-10
Lent 5B
[…] clear. Jesus submitted to the Father’s will, though it cost him unspeakably (7b). Though Jesus was and is God’s Son, he suffered immeasurably (8). There is p lenty right there for preachers to further explore with our hearers. What’s more, most of 9b’s assertion is graciously clear. Jesus, Hebrews author reminds us there, “became […]
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Psalm 27
Lent 2C
While this Psalm has been the source of inspiration and consolation for many believers, there’s a sense in which it is a troubling Psalm. There is a great tension in it. Perhaps dichotomy is a better word. It is composed of two entirely different parts. The one is a magnificent confession of unshakeable trust in…
Genesis 12:1-4a
Lent 2A
The Old Testament lesson the Lectionary appoints for this Sunday reminds us that the God whom we worship in Jesus Christ is a God who calls. Yet it also reminds us that God always calls for a purpose. So we listen, not just for God’s call, but also for what purpose God calls us. At…
Philippians 2:5-11
Lent 6B
Has such lofty theology ever been put to greater pastoral use on the ground level of life? Whether or not these verses in Philippians 2 represent Paul’s citation of an early Christian song, the fact is that these verses represent a very high Christology. What’s more, an entire sub-branch of Christology, Kenosis Christology, got launched…
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Lent 6B
Isaiah 50:4-9a’s juxtaposition of beauty and brutality is so jarring that it may be disconcerting. Yet that combination is part of what helps make our text in so many ways reminiscent of daily life. After all, it sometimes feels as if we’re almost constantly moving from beauty to brutality (and then, so often, right back…
Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
Lent 1C
It is an unhappy fact that with very little effort, we could update the language of Psalm 91 to fit our present age (and although the RCL only takes the first and last few verses, this Sermon Commentary will encompass the whole psalm). Talk of a “fowler’s snare” sounds suspiciously like the kind of traps…
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
Lent 2C
[…] and he demands proof that God will really do what God has promised. In this sense, Abraham is just like us as we journey along in this Lenten season, believing but questioning, trusting but doubting, looking for certainty in the darkness. The only certainty is the God who always initiates, who always responds, who […]
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