Psalm 148
1st Sunday after Christmas C
When I was a pastor, I liked every sixth year when Christmas Day fell on a Sunday. First, it eliminated the need for an extra service and second, it eliminated conversations with leadership as to whether to hold any extra services in case . . . well, in case Christmas Day fell on a […]
Matthew 11:2-11
Advent 3A
“The War on Christmas.” We have heard about this a lot in recent years. Some while back people assailed Starbucks for removing the word “Christmas” from their holiday coffee cups. Some were upset some years ago that the White House wished a blanket “Happy Holidays” instead of specifically mentioning Christmas. And some while back […]
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
Advent 3B
We often connect much of the Christmas season to happiness. God’s people love to sing, “Joy to the World.” We decorate our homes, stores and communities with bright lights. Most of us like to celebrate with both the young in age and the young in heart. This Sunday, however, is also a part of […]
Matthew 2:13-23
1st Sunday after Christmas A
[…] morning—and if their pastor follows the Gospel Lectionary, then they will get jolted by a story about dead babies. Happy New Year! But wait, wasn’t it just Christmas seven days ago? Didn’t we all just get to visit the manger again, sing all those wonderful carols, feel aglow in the wash of twinkling lights […]
Isaiah 63:7-9
Christmas 1A
The Old Testament reading for this First Sunday after Christmas is a delightful little snippet of poetry commemorating what God has done to save his people. It’s neat and clean and lovely and it fits this liturgical season perfectly. The only problem is that its context is anything but neat and clean and lovely. […]
1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26
1st Sunday after Christmas C
[…] the focus of his own life’s work for God. That’s the side-by-side picture you get if you nestle in this Old Testament lection for the Sunday after Christmas (Year C) next to the Gospel lection regarding the boy Jesus at the Temple. The language of the two texts is a near echo of each […]
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Advent 3B
[…] this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”), and play with the Greek word thelema a bit, we could preach on the whole text as “God’s Christmas List.” Our children spend a great deal of time making a list of all the things they want for Christmas. Well, our text shows us exactly […]
Advent 1A: Steady and Ready
[…] shopping is best, life sometimes seems like that the latter. There’s no real goal. It’s not headed anywhere in particular. One year rolls into the next. One Christmas blends into another. We pack up and move from one house to another, but then we may move again in a few years. We’re sort of […]
Advent 1A: The Days of Noah
[…] not going to come again to make all things new and fully usher in his kingdom, then to be honest, there’s not much left to celebrate at Christmas. If the second coming is not true, then the first coming has all the meaning of the Grinch who stole Christmas or Rudolph’s red nose. But […]
Ascension Day: How We See Things
[…] over? No, ours is a world of hatred and strife, of children shooting children on playgrounds, of cancer and leukemia, of homegrown terrorists shooting up campuses and Christmas parties. It doesn’t look like a world ruled by a good Lord. How then can we claim the truth of Ascension Day–the truth that Jesus is […]
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