Psalm 65:(1-8), 9-13 Sermon Commentary
Proper 10A
Even after a couple decades writing sermon commentaries on Revised Common Lectionary texts, it remains a mystery to me just what it means when they place some verses inside parentheses. And in the case of Psalm 65 that means just over half of the psalm is so designated. In any event there is very little…
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 Sermon Commentary
Proper 10A
We have the benefit of Jesus’s own interpretation for this parable, though the parable itself is told to one group and the explanation is only given to the disciples. It shouldn’t surprise us that Jesus emphasises the nature of the ground onto which the sower throws the seeds because it reveals his heart: as the…
Genesis 25:19-34 Sermon Commentary
Proper 10A
Commentator’s Note: The genius of the latter half of Genesis is the way it tells stories of fascinating characters — interesting to us not primarily because they are foreign or strange but precisely because we see our own families, stories, dramas, traumas and redemptions on display. What I’ve created here is a narrative, created under…
Romans 8:1-11 Sermon Commentary
Proper 10A
This Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson brings to mind a ceramic plate that I received for serving on the Calvin University’s Board of Trustees’ Student Life Committee. Its multi-layered motto of Calvin’s Student Life ministry surrounds a lovely image of the symbol of the Spirit that is a dove whose wings are outstretched. The plate reads “Learning…
Romans 7:15-25a Sermon Commentary
Proper 9A
Both Benjamin Franklin and George Washington reportedly quoted Edwin Sandys’ insistence, “Honesty is the best policy.” Yet this Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson may make its proclaimers wonder if honesty is really the best policy. Some of Jesus’ followers like to quote Scriptural passages such as Psalm 38:18 as insisting confession is “good for the soul.” Yet…
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 Sermon Commentary
Proper 9A
Commentator’s Note: The genius of the latter half of Genesis is the way it tells stories of fascinating characters — interesting to us not primarily because they are foreign or strange but precisely because we see our own families, stories, dramas, traumas and redemptions on display. Over the next two weeks, I’ve written a narrative,…
Psalm 145:8-14 Sermon Commentary
Proper 9A
Psalm 145 occurs twice in each of the Revised Common Lectionary’s Years of A, B, and C. But it’s never the whole psalm for some reason. This Year A reading carves out some of the middle of this song while other assigned lections in other years include the first verses, the last verses, the middle…
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 Sermon Commentary
Proper 9A
Over the next number of weeks the lectionary will be giving us pairs of verses that skip over sections. Although some of us will feel relieved to not have to address things like the “woes” that are in verses 20-24 of chapter 11, some of us might feel like an interpretative angle has been forced…
Romans 6:12-23 Sermon Commentary
Proper 8A
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 Library
Our weekly sermon commentaries are Lectionary-based, which across its three-year cycle, encompass a vast array of biblical texts. Filter the Sermon Commentary Library to search Scripture texts by book and chapter to find commentary, illustrations, and reflections to spark ideas.
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