Zephaniah 3:14-20
Advent 3C
A Pastoral Word: The Christmas season can be difficult for those grieving, lonely, struggling financially. In fact, any time of year is difficult for those in distress. But the particular difficulty of Christmas is the temptation to throw tinsel and lights on the outside without attending to the realities on the inside. For this […]
Psalm 148
Christmas 1A
The time between Christmas and Epiphany is one of those flex times in the Revised Common Lectionary—sometimes there are two Sundays after Christmas and before January 6 and sometimes just one in case Epiphany falls exactly on the second Sunday after Christmas. So sometimes Psalm 148 is in the Lectionary mix and sometimes it […]
Micah 5:2-5a
Advent 4C
[…] in Jeremiah, Malachi, and Zephaniah gave various twists on the theme of God’s coming action on behalf of (and sometimes against) God’s people. Now, two days before Christmas we have this crystal clear prediction about a ruler being born in the city of David who will shepherd God’s people into eternal peace and security. […]
Colossians 3:12-17
Christmas 1C
[…] of the old year may seem like jumping right to Good Friday and Easter. That’s part of the reason why we remember that many Christians just celebrated Christmas because of what happened on the first Good Friday and Easter. Had the baby Jesus not also grown up to be the crucified and risen Christ, […]
Matthew 3:1-12
Advent 2A
[…] stuff. It shook people up. It would shake us up. The Second Sunday in Advent may be a time to ponder all the paradoxes of Advent and Christmas—paradoxes that would shake us all up if only we took the time to note them. Of course, the problem is that many people even in the […]
Luke 1:68-79
Advent 2C
[…] mention Jesus’ birth at all. But Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all recognized that no gospel would be complete without John the Baptist. A gospel may skip Christmas but it may not skip John. Why? Because as Zechariah knew already when John was just eight days old, John was going to be the necessary […]
Psalm 148
Christmas 1C
Whether it is Lectionary Year A, B, or C, if it’s the first Sunday after Christmas, you will see Psalm 148 as the psalm reading. Somebody along the way must have determined that this is such a fitting post-Christmas Day psalm that no Lectionary cycle would be complete without it. Many years that Sunday […]
John 1:(1-9), 10-18
Christmas 2B
[…] mouths to join the mirth. Because here it is the first Sunday of a new year and really the first Sunday in the 2014-2015 holiday season after Christmas is officially finished. For weeks now, starting well before American Thanksgiving even, it’s been all Jesus, all the time. The Muzak pumped into the shopping malls […]
Hebrews 10:5-10
Advent 4C
What on earth is this whole Christmas business about? Why is it worth all the effort so many people put into celebrating it? To answer that, not just the Church but also the world needs to know just why Jesus came to be not only born in Bethlehem, but also to grow up to […]
John 1:(1-9), 10-18
Christmas 2A
[…] mouths to join the mirth. Because here it is the first Sunday of a new year and really the first Sunday in the 2019-2020 holiday season after Christmas is officially finished. For weeks now, starting well before American Thanksgiving even, it’s been all Jesus, all the time. The Muzak pumped into the shopping malls […]
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