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Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 Sermon Commentary
Comments, Questions, and Observations Our text today closes with this beautiful description: to truly be instructed in God’s kingdom is to be able to share new treasures alongside old. Our faith isn’t just an “old-time religion” but a living one that continues to grow and have impact. Each generation adds to the treasures of heaven…
Genesis 29:15-28 Sermon Commentary
Fitting this Story into the Whole At the beginning of chapter 29, Jacob arrives in Paddan-aram. In this text, we see all the ways Laban lords it over Jacob. At the end of chapter 30, Jacob gains the upper hand over Laban and in chapter 31, we see Jacob, along with all his accumulated household…
Psalm 119:129-136 Sermon Commentary
Psalm 119 is something of a poetic wonder in the Jewish-Christian Scriptures. As everyone knows, it’s the longest “chapter” in the entire Bible and by a lot at that. Luke 1 wins the prize for longest chapter in the New Testament, clocking in at 80 verses. Psalm 119 looks at that and says, “Tell you…
Romans 8:26-39 Sermon Commentary
Over the years God has graced me with people whom we sometimes call “prayer partners.” Those brothers and sisters in Christ not only promised to pray for me but also received my promises to pray for them. God used those partnerships to bless me in more ways than I can even begin to count. In…
Sermon Commentary From Other Lectionary Cycles
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 Sermon Commentary
Proper 12A
In our seminary preaching classes, we familiarize our students with Paul Scott Wilson’s little mnemonic device to ensure sermon unity: The Tiny Dog Is Now Mine or TTDINM in which each of those letters is preceded by the word “One” as in “One Text,” “One Theme,” and so on with the “I” being “One Image.” …
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 Sermon Commentary
Proper 12A
Probably most of us have benefitted from mnemonic devices at some point. We might remember the primary colors in the visible light spectrum by remembering the name Roy G. Biv (which in turns gives us Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet). A strange one used by my junior high science teacher has nevertheless…
Psalm 119:129-136 Sermon Commentary
Proper 12A
Given a choice, what busy preacher would preach on this reading from Psalm 119? I mean, it is stanza #17 in an endlessly long, apparently meandering, often boring meditation on a subject that most of your listeners won’t care about at all, namely, the importance and beauty of God’s law. Some brands of Christianity don’t…
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This Week's Commentary
Proper 12A
The Proper 12A Sermon Commentaries include reflection and illustration ideas for Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 from the Lectionary Gospel; Genesis 29:15-28 from the Old Testament Lectionary; Psalm 119:129-136 from the Lectionary Psalms; and Romans 8:26-39 from the Lectionary Epistle.
Related Reformed confession: Lectionary Epistle: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 49 (Lord’s Day 18)