Romans 8:26-39 Sermon Commentary
Proper 12A
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…
Psalm 119:129-136 Sermon Commentary
Proper 12A
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…
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 Sermon Commentary
Proper 12A
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
Proper 12A
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…
Romans 8:12-25 Sermon Commentary
Proper 11A
I have an acquaintance who not long after she graduated from college had to destroy all of her credit cards. She did so because she’d become so deeply indebted to the company that had eagerly given her those cards that she’d put herself in financial danger. My acquaintance had literally become a debtor. Few financially…
Psalm 86:11-17 Sermon Commentary
Proper 11A
We do not know for certain if David wrote all of the psalms that are attributed to him (probably not seems to be the consensus of many scholars). The Hebrew phrase “Of David” can mean multiple things. Yes, it can indicate authorship but it could also be “in the style of David” or “in honor…
Genesis 28:10-19a Sermon Commentary
Proper 11A
Genesis 28 comes on the heels of Jacob stealing his older brother’s birthright or legitimately buying it in trade for a bowl of stew, depending on who is telling the story. What we will see play out in later chapters is, indeed, the younger brother receiving the blessing historically passed down to the first-born. This…
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Sermon Commentary
Proper 11A
In the midst of a number of parables about the Kingdom, Jesus gives us another one leaning into the imagery of seeds and plants and weeds. This one is told to the crowd but only explained to the disciples. We might read some significance into the fact that Jesus is expounding upon the muckiness of…
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…
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.
Looking for something else? View our Heidelberg Catechism sermon resources and our Reformed Connections to the RCL section that traces Lectionary texts to specific parts of the Heidelberg Catechism and the Belgic Confession.