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Isaiah 61:10-62:3 Sermon Commentary
Christmas 1B
Rejoicing in Salvation For those churches that celebrate a strict Advent fast from Christmas hymns, this Sunday lands with all the pent-up energy of the season. Church musicians stuff this service full of all the carols that wouldn’t fit on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning worship. There are plenty of “Joy to the Worlds” and…
Galatians 4:4-7 Sermon Commentary
Christmas 1B
Ask almost any school-aged Christian why we celebrated Christmas, and she’s likely to answer something like, “Because it was Jesus’ birthday!” While she might have a harder time identifying why Jesus’ birthday is important, most mature Christians know that Jesus’ birthday is important because he grew up to redeem us from our sins. On this…
Luke 2:22-40 Sermon Commentary
Christmas 1B
We have a number of characters in this story. There’s the rather passive Jesus, who is brought to the Jerusalem for a dedication by Mary and Joseph. Then there’s Simeon and Anna, seemingly fixtures of the temple community. What links all of these characters is one trait: piety. Specifically, each participant’s piety is borne from…
Psalm 148 Sermon Commentary
Christmas 1B
No moment on the annual calendar gets more associated with popping champagne corks than New Year’s Eve. So it is appropriate that on this last Sunday and day of 2023 the Lectionary directs us to Psalm 148, which is in its own way a fizzing and frothing bottle of champagne in word form. It is…
Commentary posted on December 31, 2023
Christmas 1B Sermon Commentary
The Christmas 1B Sermon Commentaries include reflection and illustration ideas for Luke 2:22-40 from the Lectionary Gospel; Isaiah 61:10 – 62:3 from the Old Testament Lectionary; Psalm 148 from the Lectionary Psalms; and Galatians 4:4-7 from the Lectionary Epistle.
Related Reformed confession: Lectionary Epistle: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 36 (Lord’s Day 14)