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Matthew 10:40-42 Sermon Commentary
The lectionary gives us a whole sermon to focus on what translators like to label as the “Rewards” section of Jesus’s mission instructions. What a misleading title! I mean, it makes sense why we like the title: who doesn’t like a prize? And we’ve also been chugging along for a few weeks now listening to…
Genesis 22:1-14 Sermon Commentary
This is one of the simplest stories in the whole Bible. That may surprise you but it’s true. From the standpoint of Hebrew language — vocabulary, grammar, syntax, that sort of thing — this story is remarkably straight-forward. In fact, for this reason, many beginning Hebrew students are assigned this text for their first translation…
Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18 Sermon Commentary
Across its somewhat sprawling 52 verses, Psalm 89 has a little bit of everything. We begin with the first 4 verses assigned by this Year A lection with vows to praise God across the generations (something we will read again next week in Psalm 145). Then there is a whole section on the splendors of…
Romans 6:12-23 Sermon Commentary
This Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson invites Jesus’ friends to think of both sin and salvation in perhaps fresh ways. In it, after all, Paul reminds Rome’s Christians that sin is not, as some Christians assume, just an activity. Sin is also a power. What’s more, as the apostle shows in Romans 6, salvation is not just…
Sermon Commentary From Other Lectionary Cycles
Matthew 10:40-42 Sermon Commentary
Proper 8A
“I have always relied on the kindness of strangers.” That is the famous closing line spoken by the character Blanche DuBois in the play A Streetcar Named Desire. In Matthew 10 Jesus basically tells the disciples that they, too, must rely on the kindness of strangers when they go out to proclaim the good news…
Matthew 10:40-42 Sermon Commentary
Proper 8A
“I have always relied on the kindness of strangers.” That is the famous closing line spoken by the character Blanche DuBois in the play A Streetcar Named Desire. In Matthew 10 Jesus basically tells the disciples that they, too, must rely on the kindness of strangers when they go out to proclaim the good news…
Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18 Sermon Commentary
Proper 8A
Psalm 89 is one of the darkest of all the Psalms, the better looking twin of the exceedingly dark Psalm 88, which ends with “the darkness is my closest friend.” Psalm 89 rallies from that kind of despair with bright opening words. In our reading for this Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time, it’s a new…





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This Week's Commentary
Proper 8A
The Proper 8A Sermon Commentaries include reflection and illustration ideas for Matthew 10:40-42 from the Lectionary Gospel; Genesis 22:1-14 from the Old Testament Lectionary; Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18 from the Lectionary Psalms; and Romans 6:12-23 from the Lectionary Epistle.
Related Reformed confession: Lectionary Epistle: Heidelberg Catechism: Q&A 43 (Lord’s Day 16)