Matthew 4:1-11
Lent 1A
[…] preach grace right alongside of preaching the bad news of our sin and our proneness to temptation. For believers, grace always has the last word (especially in Lent!). True, true, true. BUT . . . let’s also not forget that sometimes living lives of grace means living lives of suffering and self-denial. Jesus was […]
Psalm 95
Lent 3A
[…] hymn tune credit, though: that sudden dark ending to this song is precisely what happens to this otherwise positive and exuberant poem. As an RCL selection for Lent 3A, one wonders if it was that final stanza of judgment that was the rationale for making this a Lenten Psalm because the rest of Psalm […]
Genesis 12:1-4a
Lent 2A
[…] you.” “Can we get a map for how to get there?” Philip soon asks. “No,” Jesus replied, “I am the map, I am the way. Stay close!” Lent is a good time to ponder all this, which is why I suppose Genesis 12 is assigned for the Second Sunday in Lent in Year A […]
Psalm 95
Lent 3A
[…] is precisely what happens in the otherwise positive and exuberant poem that just is Psalm 95. As a Revised Common Lectionary selection for the Third Sunday in Lent during Year A, one wonders if it was that final stanza of judgment that was the rationale for making this a Lenten Psalm because the rest […]
Exodus 20:1-17
Lent 3B
[…] value familiarity, conviviality, and casual latte-sipping atmospheres over a sense of a grand encounter with the God of the galaxies. That may be bad enough but in Lent we can reflect on this from also another angle: a failure to engage fully with who God is and what his vision for shalom is really […]
Psalm 32
Lent 4C
On this Fourth Sunday of Lent, we’re a little past mid-point on our journey to the cross, and Psalm 32 gives us an opportunity for a mid-course correction. It is very easy to make light of Lent by giving up something that doesn’t really matter or by playing at spiritual disciplines. Psalm 32 reminds […]
Romans 10:8b-13
Lent 1C
This may seem like a rather peculiar text to proclaim at the beginning of the season of Lent. After all, we generally think of Lent as a season of repentant preparation for our celebration of the two most important events of the Christian year, Good Friday and Easter. Romans 10, however, may seem like […]
Mark 1:9-15
Lent 1B
We’ve gotten snippets of this lectionary text in Epiphany, a bit of an echo as we enter the lenten journey. In fact, knowing that we’re starting Lent this Sunday may help you frame this week’s message built on these three snippets from Mark. Among other things, Lent is a time of preparation; often it […]
Psalm 31:9-16
Lent 6B
The Revised Common Lectionary has two suggested readings from the Psalms for this Sixth Sunday of Lent, Palm Sunday. The first, Psalm 118, emphasizes the positive side of this day with lots of verses that anticipate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The second, Psalm 31:9-16, zeros in on the tragedy of Palm Sunday, the […]
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