Home »
Matthew 16:13-20 Sermon Commentary
Proper 16A
Matthew 16:13a is not important, right? We can just skip to verse 13b, yes? We can just start with the question “Who do people say that I am?” That’s the core if it all here, right? Wrong! We cannot skip the geographical marker in this incident. If we do, we miss the key piece of…
Psalm 138 Sermon Commentary
Proper 16A
It’s only 8 verses long and yet Psalm 138 pulls off a pretty nifty feat: it encapsulates most of the major themes of the entire Hebrew Psalter! Let’s make a list of the kinds of prayers and motifs that get mentioned across these very few verses: A vow to praise God continually A vow to…
Romans 12:1-8 Sermon Commentary
Proper 16A
“We have a cognitive bias to see ourselves in a more positive light than others see us.” So begins a provocative, insightful article published on April 26, 2004 on the Scientific American.com website. The article refers to national surveys that suggest that most business people believe they are more moral than other business people. Psychologists…
Exodus 1:8-2:10 Sermon Commentary
Proper 16A
Our RCL reading for last week was a story of triumph, the surprising climax of the story of Joseph that ended the Patriarchal narrative with an Aha, a Whee, and a Yeah (you have to read it to get it). Our reading this week is a story of transition, the surprising beginning of the story…
Commentary posted on August 17, 2020
Proper 16A Sermon Commentary
The Proper 16A Sermon Starters include commentary and illustration ideas for Matthew 16:13-20 from the Lectionary Gospel; Exodus 1:8-2:10 from the Old Testament Lectionary; Psalm 138 from the Lectionary Psalms; and Romans 12:1-8 from the Lectionary Epistle.
Related Reformed confession: Lectionary Gospel: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 84 (Lord’s Day 31)