Reading for Preaching
“Angels,” in Beyond Words: Daily Readings in the ABC’S of Faith
Additional content related to Angels
Luke 2:1-20: Christmas Day A
To You Psychologist Jonathan Haidt once published some very intriguing data on what he calls “elevation,” which is the opposite of disgust. We all know that there are any number of things that disgust us or cause us to feel revulsion. When we witness hypocrisy, cruelty, betrayal, and the like, we recoil–there are even certain…
Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12
During a recent Sabbath dinner, a Jewish acquaintance asked my wife and me, “Who do you pray to – Jesus or God?” I told her that while it was very hard to explain, we profess that Jesus is God. However, for Jewish people who are deeply steeped in monotheism this is almost impossible to understand….
Luke 1 & 2: Christmas A
Flutter of Angels The Advent world is a world of angels. It’s a world alive with the flutter of angels. Our world, in contrast, is inhospitable to angels. It seems totally void of angels. This discrepancy between the Advent world and our world is the thought behind H. G. Well’s story, “The Wonderful Visit.” One…
Luke 1:26-38
Biblical scholars call passages like Luke 1 “type scenes.” A modern kind of “type scene” might be something like this: one evening while channel-surfing, you run across a movie already in progress. It’s obviously a Western with two cowboys standing about thirty yards apart in the middle of a dusty street. Each man is glaring…
Mark 1:4-11
Fans of Peter Jackson’s films in The Lord of the Rings trilogy will recall the opening sequence in the final film, The Return of the King. As the movie opens, we are taken back hundreds of years from the main action of the trilogy to the time when Smeagol finds the Ring of power, murdering…
Luke 2:1-20
CEP is offering a sample sermon for Christmas rather than a commentary for this day. Luke 2:1-20 Note: Our specific Year A Advent and Christmas Resource page is now available for you to check out sample sermons and other ideas for the Advent Season.
2 Kings 6
Comments, Observations, and Questions to Consider. What do we do with the people we can’t stand? The co-worker who daily makes you look stupid. The classmate who gets the glory for your hard work. The brother-in-law who always has to get his way. Pick up a pop magazine in any grocery checkout lane and you’ll…
Luke 1:5-25
Introduction of important themes – teeing up the text Luke’s gospel begins with his acknowledgement that he is not an eyewitness but a researcher, corresponder and narrator of what he will share with us. The author has done his homework. Seen as a unit, Luke and Acts reveal a keen awareness of important theological themes…
Preaching Connection: Angels