Commentary posted on October 9, 2017

Proper 23A Sermon Commentary

 

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Matthew 22:1-14 Sermon Commentary

Proper 23A

In a seminar on Matthew’s gospel, Tom Long pointed out that in Matthew, it’s never a good thing to be addressed as “friend.”  Every time someone is called a friend in Matthew, what follows is not pleasant!  Jesus himself was referred to as a “friend” by the religious authorities in Matthew 11 but it was…

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Psalm 106:1-6, 9-13 Sermon Commentary

Proper 23A

Back in the day, a radio commentator named Paul Harvey became famous for the way he reported the news.  He would remind his listeners of a well-known news item and then he would tell “the rest of the story,” the other side of the story that everyone thought they knew.  That’s exactly what we have…

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Philippians 4:1-9 Sermon Commentary

Proper 23A

I imagine they blushed a fairly deep shade of magenta.  I imagine them sitting there as part of the Sunday worship service, surrounded by the rest of the congregation.  On this particular Lord’s day, in addition to the usual components of the liturgy, they had the added special blessing of hearing a letter from their…

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Exodus 32:1-14 Sermon Commentary

Proper 23A

Almost all of us have experienced our text’s Aaron’s feelings at one time or another.  He’s caught, after all, quite literally between a rock and a hard place.  Aaron is trapped between a glorious past and an uncertain future. Israel’s memories of her escape from Egyptian slavery remain as clear as a dry, cool night…

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