Year A
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Eleventh Sunday after
Pentecost - July 27, 2008
MATTHEW 13:31-33, 44-52 More parables of the kingdom,
obviously gathered from many occasions, point out various
characteristics of God’s reign in human affairs. "Heaven" refers not
so much as a place to which the faithful go beyond death but to a
future experience of the whole universe. |
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Tenth Sunday after
Pentecost - July 20, 2008
MATTHEW 13:24-30, 36-43 The parable
reveals something about the hostile environment which the early
church encountered. As a parable about the kingdom of heaven, it
should looked at from God’s point of view, not that of the apostolic
church or the church today. |
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Ninth Sunday after
Pentecost - July 13, 2008
MATTHEW 13:1-9, 18-23. The familiar parable of the sower and
the seed describes varying types of spiritual growth and failure to
grow. The second part of the reading presents a typical allegorical
explanation of it. |
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Eighth Sunday after Pentecost - July 6, 2008
MATTHEW 11:16-19, 25-30. Jesus likely uttered these three
quotations attributed to him at quite different times. The first
saying not only describes a children’s imitative game of biblical
times, it also tells of the frustration of teaching without visible
response. The prayer in vss. 25-27 may not be Jesus’ words at all. |
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Seventh Sunday after Pentecost - June 29, 2008
MATTHEW 10:40-42. Being received in Christ's name is the
thrust of this brief reading at the end of Jesus' discourse of
instructions to his disciples. It reflects an ancient Jewish
oral tradition which required that a man's emissary be received with
the same hospitality as would be given the man himself. |
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Sixth Sunday after Pentecost - June 22, 2008
MATTHEW 10:24-39 These sayings were included in Jesus'
instructions to the twelve (vss. 5-42), but may have come from
several sources rather than being a verbatim account of one message. |
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Fifth Sunday after Pentecost - June 15, 2008
ROMANS 5:1-8 Few passages in the whole of
the NT have had such influence in the church since the time of the
Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. Legend has it, though it
has often been repeated as historical fact, that Martin Luther's
study of this passage inspired him to post his "Ninety-five Theses
Against Indulgences" on the church door of the Wittenburg Castle. |
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Fourth Sunday after Pentecost - June 8, 2008
MATTHEW 9:9-13, 18-26 These three incidents raised opposition to
Jesus' ministry yet widely extended his fame. All of them signaled
his sole desire to help people as the way to reveal God's love and
inspire them to believe in him. He also knew that not every one
would respond. So he sternly rebuked the super-religious Pharisees
for their opposition. He was interested in people who sensed their
need, not in those who had it all. |
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Third Sunday after Pentecost - June 1, 2008
MATTHEW 7:21-29 It is probable that the short bits and pieces
of the Sermon on the Mount were spoken by Jesus at different times
and in different places. This ending to the "sermon" challenges us
to live what we believe, rather than just go through the routines of
devotion. |
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Second Sunday after Pentecost - May 25, 2008
MATTHEW 6:24-34 This well-known passage from the Sermon on
the Mount … Our grateful response to God's plentiful grace, not
anxious materialism and manipulation of economic and financial
systems, will bring about the universal prosperity God wants all of
us to enjoy. |
| Trinity Sunday - May
18, 2008
MATTHEW 28:16-20 Many scholars hold that the original gospel
text may have ended at verse 17 and that the closing commission was
added in the 2nd century. It does bring the gospel to a fitting
conclusion. |
| Pentecost Sunday -
May 11, 2008
JOHN 20:19-23 Unlike the other gospels and Acts, this is a
different account of the way Jesus gave the Spirit to his disciples. |
| Seventh Sunday of
Easter - May 4, 2008
JOHN 17:1-11 It is most unlikely that these are actual words of
a prayer by Jesus himself. More probably they are a meditation by
the author of the Gospel on the humanity and divinity of Christ as
seen in his earthly ministry |
| Ascension Sunday -
May 1, 2008
LUKE 24:44-53 In an unusual alternative to the passage from Acts
1, Luke presents another version of the ascension of Jesus. |
| Sixth Sunday of Easter
- April 27, 2008
ACTS 17:22-31 Paul's only recorded attempt to convert pagan
philosophers in Athens was not particularly successful. It was the
resurrection which so puzzled his audience. |
| Fifth Sunday of
Easter - April 20, 2008
ACTS 7:55-60 Stephen's martyrdom introduces the young man
Saul, soon to be converted to become the apostle Paul. But the main
character of the whole narrative of The Acts of the Apostles is not
any one of the apostles. That role belongs to the Holy Spirit. |
| Fourth Sunday of
Easter - April 13, 2008
JOHN 10:1-10 We have here words which may not be directly
from Jesus, but are John's own interpretation of who Jesus was in
the light of the many Old Testament references to God as the
shepherd of Israel. |
| Third Sunday of
Easter - April 6, 2008
LUKE 24:13-35 This favorite resurrection story traces the
disciples' despair at the death of Jesus to the joy of knowing
that he is alive and still with them. |
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Second Sunday of Easter - March 30, 2008
1 PETER 1:3-9 Here again we have the essential gospel
message of the Apostolic Church, though probably from an early
2nd century author using Peter’s name. |
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Palm/Passion Sunday through Holy Week
and Easter Sunday
permalink
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| Palm/Passion
Sunday - March 16, 2008
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PSALM 118:1-2,
19-29 |
| MATTHEW 21:1-22 Clearly, the narrative of the triumphal
entry had its basis in the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9-10. Matthew
describes the event as the deliberate attempt by Jesus to reveal
himself as the peaceful Messiah. Hence the choice of his mount,
the humblest of beasts of burden. |
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ISAIAH 50:4-9a |
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PSALM
31:9-16 |
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PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11 |
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MATTHEW 26:14-27:66 |
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Monday
| ISAIAH 42:1-9 |
| PSALM 36:5-11 |
| HEBREWS 9:11-15 |
| JOHN 12:1-11 The
conflict between Jesus and the Jews reached a crucial point with
this incident because the raising of Lazarus, Mary's brother,
had drawn many of the people to Jesus. |
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Tuesday
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ISAIAH 49:1-7 |
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PSALM 71:1-14 |
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I CORINTHIANS 1:18-31 |
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JOHN 12:20-36.
John has Jesus predict his own death and
resurrection. Through his sacrifice, like a seed planted to grow
and bring forth much fruit, a new relationship with God would be
established. |
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Wednesday
| ISAIAH 50:4-9a |
| PSALM 70 |
| HEBREWS 12:1-3 |
| JOHN 13:21-32
Generally speaking, John's Gospel did not treat Judas kindly. In
this instance he suggests that Jesus not only knew about the
plot against him, but urged Judas to do what he was fated to do. |
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Thursday
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EXODUS
12:1-14 |
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PSALM
116:1-2, 12-19 |
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I
CORINTHIANS 11:23-26 |
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JOHN
13:1-17, 31b-35. John's version
of Jesus' last meal with his disciples is very different from
that found in the other gospels. Instead of instituting the
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper by sharing bread and wine, he
performed a ritual of foot washing which some parts of the
church still practice as a sacrament |
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Good Friday
| ISAIAH 52:13-53:12 |
| PSALM 22 |
| HEBREWS 10:16-25 |
| HEBREWS 4:14-16; 5:7-9 |
| JOHN 18:1-19:42
The majesty of the Passion narratives in the four Gospels lies
in their distinctive contributions to our understanding of the
death and resurrection of Christ. It is not possible to create a
harmonized version that is convincingly cohesive. |
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Holy Saturday
| JOB 14:1-14 |
| LAMENTATIONSs 3:1-9, 19-24 |
| PSALM 31:1-4, 15-16 |
| 1 PETER 4:1-8 |
| MATTHEW 27:57-66
The apprehensive sealing and guarding of the tomb by the
priests and Pharisees present a striking contrast to the gentle
solemnity of the burial by Jesus' friends. But at that point did
anyone really believe that the resurrection would occur? |
| JOHN 19:38-42
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Easter Day - March 23, 2008
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ACTS
10:34-43 |
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PSALM 118:1-2,
14-24 |
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COLOSSIANS 3:1-4 |
| JOHN 20:1-18 The
Easter story always leaves us with more questions than answers.
Note who it was that first found the stone rolled away from the
tomb. Doesn't that say something about the importance of women
in the early church? Could Mary Magdalene herself have been the
original source for this report? |
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| Fifth Sunday in Lent
- March 9, 2008
John 11:1-45 While the miracle of raising Lazarus from
the grave shows Jesus' divine power over death itself, it also
shows him as a wonderfully sensitive human being. His love for
Lazarus and his sisters is palpable. |
| Fourth Sunday in
Lent - March 2, 2008
EPHESIANS 5:8-14 Behind this passage stands the belief
that pagans and unbelievers are not just in darkness, but are
darkness personified. Sadly, similar attitudes are found in most
religions, ancient and modern, where so-called "true believers"
exclude others and regard them as inherently evil. |
| Third Sunday in Lent
- February 24, 2008
JOHN 4:5-42. Jesus' conversation with a Samaritan woman is
perhaps the most unusual of all those reported in the New
Testament. |
| Second Sunday in
Lent - February 17, 2008
JOHN 3:1-17 John regarded this meeting between Jesus and
Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews, as one of the most significant
events in the theological conflict of early Christianity with
Judaism. |
| First Sunday in Lent
- February 10, 2008
MATTHEW 4:1-11. Lent recalls the forty days in the
wilderness Jesus spent in preparation for his ministry. However
the experience of his being tempted may be interpreted, Jesus
had to make some very meaningful choices. |
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Ash
Wednesday - February 9, 2008
MATTHEW 6:1-6, 16-21. Jesus sarcastically condemns the
ostentatious piety of almsgiving and fasting as utter hypocrisy.
He balances this sarcasm by telling how private religious
practices produce a more effective way to express a sincere
relationship with God. |
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Transfiguration Sunday - February 3, 2008
PSALM 2 Rightly or wrongly, the early Church interpreted
this psalm as referring to Jesus as the Messiah. In its original
form it was probably a poem encouraging confidence in an unnamed
king of Israel at the time of his accession or an anniversary of
that event. |
| Third Sunday
after Epiphany - January 27, 2008
1 CORINTHIANS 1:10-18 There appear to have been some
serious divisions within the Corinthian congregation. Paul seeks
to address these by calling on all who are quarrelling to
remember that they belong to Christ, not to the particular
apostle who may have baptized them. |
| Second Sunday
after Epiphany - January 20, 2008
JOHN 1:29-42 Note that this gospel never states that John
baptized Jesus. Two kinds of baptism are described. John says
that while he baptized with water, Jesus would baptize with the
Holy Spirit. It is also John, not Jesus, who saw the Spirit
descending as a dove. |
| First Sunday
after Epiphany - January 13, 2008
ACTS 10:34-43. The Christian celebration of Epiphany is
intended to mark the globalization of the gospel. In reading
this passage we should remember that we are "the Gentiles" to
whom the NT scriptures so frequently refer. |
| Epiphany of our Lord - January 6, 2008
MATTHEW 2:1-12 Matthew's much-loved story of the visit of the magi bringing gifts to the infant Jesus may well be an interpretative story,
or midrash, on Isaiah 60. This in no way denies its importance for the early Christians for whom it was written or for us who hear or read it twenty centuries later. |
| First Sunday
after Christmas - December 30, 2007
HEBREWS 2:10-18 The Letter to the Hebrews is not really a
letter at all, but a theological essay by some unknown leader of
the early Christian church. This brief passage affirms the birth
of Jesus, known in Christian doctrine as the Incarnation. |
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Advent
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First Sunday of
Advent - December 2, 2007
ROMANS 13:11-14. Paul earnestly believed in the imminent
return of Christ to complete history by bringing in the
reign of God. The present moment, he urges Christians in
Rome, is the time to prepare for that glorious event. |
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Second Sunday of Advent -
December 9, 2007
ROMANS
15:4-13. The church in Rome in Paul's time included both
Jews and Gentiles. Paul appears to be justifying why Jesus had
to be a Jew by quoting from the Jewish scriptures. |
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Third Sunday of Advent -
December 16, 2007
MATTHEW 11:2-11. Jesus did not appear to be the kind of
Messiah even John the Baptist expected. Perhaps John had hoped
that if Jesus was indeed the Messiah, he would free John from
prison as Isaiah 61:1 had promised. |
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Fourth Sunday of Advent -
December 23, 2007
MATTHEW 1:18-25. The two narratives of Jesus' birth in
Matthew and Luke do not agree in any detail. Matthew tells the
story as if from Joseph's point of view. The preceding genealogy
attempts to prove that Jesus was descended from Abraham and
David |
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the Nativity
of Our Lord - December 24-25, 2007
LUKE 2: 1-20 Luke's Nativity story is a beautiful prose
poem, but cannot be regarded as reliably historical.
Nonetheless, it still enhances our festive celebrations quite
apart from scholarly dispute. |
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Reign of Christ 2007 -
November 25, 2007
LUKE 23:33-43.The key to the Christian view is the more profound
theological hope for God's intervention in human history through
ordinary human beings willing to live and love sacrificially to
establish a permanent reign of justice, security and peace. |
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Twenty Fifth Sunday after
Pentecost - November 18, 2007
LUKE 21:5-19. This passage is part of an edited version taken
from Mark 13 known as "The Little Apocalypse." Many scholars believe
that it was originally a Jewish document adapted for use in the
Christian mission, but also incorporating some genuine words of
Jesus. |
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Twenty Fourth Sunday
after Pentecost - November 11, 2007
LUKE 20:27-38. The story is particularly ironic in that this
sect of Judaism did not believe in resurrection. The trick question
had only a malevolent intent. Jesus gave a blunt response: There's
no marriage or sex in heaven! |
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Twenty-Third Sunday after
Pentecost - November 4, 2007
LUKE 19:1-10 Jesus continually challenged the traditional
view of who is faithful. In Roman times, tax collecting was rented
out to the highest bidder who then could extort whatever he could
from the general populace. When Zaccheus promised to be generous to
the poor and repay what he had taken by fraud, Jesus praised him as
a son of Abraham, the Jewish ideal of a faithful servant of God. |
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All Saints Day - November 1, 2007
LUKE 6:20-31. Luke's version of the Beatitudes can be
compared with those listed in Matthew 5:3-11, but the two are not
identical. Each reflects the special purpose of the two gospel
authors. |
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Twenty-Second Sunday
after Pentecost - October 28, 2007
LUKE 18:9-14. This parable would have had a varied response
from those who first heard it. The Pharisees were devoutly
religious, meticulous in keeping ritual laws, politically powerful
and unsympathetic toward those less committed. Even less popular
were the tax-collectors. |
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Twenty-First Sunday after
Pentecost - October 21, 2007
2 TIMOTHY 3:14-4:5. Debate continues whether or not the
letters to Timothy were written by Paul or by an early 2nd century
church leader using his name and familiar with his teaching and
correspondence. |
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Twentieth Sunday after
Pentecost - October 14, 2007
LUKE 17:11-19. This is one of those fascinating stories
showing Jesus' attitudes in direct conflict with the majority of his
fellow Jews and especially the religious and political leadership. |
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Thanksgiving - October 8
(Canada)
JOHN 6:25-35. In words attributed to Jesus
in response to a demand that he reveal a sign as to who he was, he
reminded his audience of the manna which fed the Israelites during
their wandering in the desert. |
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Nineteenth Sunday after
Pentecost - October 7, 2007
LUKE 17:5-10. In response to his disciples’ request that he
increase their faith, Jesus paints two quite different pictures from
everyday life in ancient Palestine. Both carry striking spiritual
truth, but neither is to be taken literally. |
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Eighteenth
Sunday after Pentecost - September 30, 2007
LUKE 16:19-31. This parable has sparked some controversy due
to its forceful attitude toward wealth and poverty. The futility of
dependence on wealth to the neglect of the poor is as strongly
stated here as anywhere in scripture. |
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Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost - September 23, 2007
I TIMOTHY 2:1-7
The theological and historical situation implicit in
this passage point to a much later date that the 50s C.E. when Paul
carried on his ministry to the Gentiles with Timothy as a co-worker.
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Sixteenth
Sunday after Pentecost - September 16, 2007
1 TIMOTHY 1:12-17 Bible scholars still debate whether the
Letters to Timothy and Titus were from the apostle Paul or from
another Christian leader of a later generation who knew the
apostle's earlier correspondence very well. |
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Fifteenth
Sunday after Pentecost - September 9, 2007
LUKE 14:25-33 Asked by a newly designated candidate for
ministry what she might expect as she pursued this goal, a
long-experienced pastor replied, -Don't go into it, if you can stay
out. |
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Fourteenth
Sunday after Pentecost - September 2, 2007
LUKE 14:1, 7-14. Party
time! Jesus had been invited to the home of a leading Pharisee for
the sabbath meal. Then he nearly broke up the party by healing a man
afflicted with dropsy |
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Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost - August 26, 2007
LUKE 13:10-17 As he often did, Luke placed
a woman at the centre of the story. The lay leader of a synagogue
challenged Jesus indignantly. Was he more concerned about protecting
his turf and buffering against anticipated criticism from more
orthodox fellow Jews? |
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Twelfth
Sunday after Pentecost - August 19, 2007
LUKE 12:49-56 This apocalyptic vision of conflict about what
Jesus means presents us with a picture of what may have actually
happened in the community for which Luke was writing his gospel in
the second last decade of the 1st century. |
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Eleventh
Sunday after Pentecost - August 12, 2007
LUKE 12:32-40 This passage reveals that a
common tradition existed about the meaning of Jesus’ life, death and
resurrection. He came to inaugurate God’s reign of love in human
affairs. |
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Tenth Sunday after Pentecost - August 5, 2007
HOSEA 11:1-11. The image of God behind this dramatic appeal
to Israel is that of a loving, compassionate parent. Indeed, here
God is described as the Mother of Israel. |
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Ninth Sunday after
Pentecost - July 29, 2007
GENESIS 18:20-32. In recent years some Christians have
grossly misused the sorry tale of Sodom and Gomorrah in the struggle
against homosexuality. |
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Eighth Sunday after
Pentecost - July 22, 2007
COLOSSIANS 1:15-28
Modern versions of this passage divide it into three paragraphs. Few
statements of the whole gospel Paul proclaimed have the sweep of
this one. |
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Seventh Sunday after
Pentecost - July 15, 2007
LUKE 10:25-37 One of the most familiar parables answers two
universal questions: who is our neighbour and how we are to relate
to others with whom we have little in common, or even a deep sense
of mistrust and hostility. |
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Sixth Sunday after
Pentecost - July 8, 2007
GALATIANS 6: (1- 6), 7- 16 Those who choose to live according
to the shifting values of the secular world will find themselves
isolated from the effective moral and spiritual life. This life
exemplifies love incarnate and is fulfilled in the life beyond
death. |
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Fifth Sunday after
Pentecost - July 1, 2007
GALATIANS 5:1, 13-25
Here the Christian ethic is writ large so that he/she who runs may
read it. It is God the Spirit who gives us the basis for our ethical
intentions and actual performance as Christians in the local
contexts in which we live and move. |
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Fourth Sunday after Pentecost - June 24, 2007
LUKE 8:26 39 Is this a garbled story of the demoniac being
healed after his frantic outcries had panicked the pigs? Or did
Jesus fail to convince the unbelieving Gadarenes who had lost their
pigs of God's compassionate love? |
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Third Sunday after Pentecost - June 17, 2007
LUKE 7:36- 8:3 The point of the whole incident is that
forgiveness depends on our faith in God's compassionate love, not on
how righteous we may strive to be. |
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Second Sunday after Pentecost - June 10, 2007
LUKE 7:11-17. This passage tells of Jesus raising a widow's
only son is reminiscent of a similar miracle performed by Elijah.
Undoubtedly that Old Testament story influenced Luke's narrative, as
the people's astonished reaction shows. |
| Trinity
Sunday - June 3, 2007
JOHN 16:12-15. In Jesus' final discourse to his disciples,
John defines for his own community the purpose of the gift of the
Spirit at Pentecost. This is the closest any New Testament author
comes to a statement of the doctrine of the Trinity. |
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Pentecost Sunday - May 27, 2007
ACTS 2:1-21. The Jews celebrated Pentecost long before
the Christian Church adopted it as the anniversary of the gift the
Holy Spirit. John's Gospel refers to it by its Jewish name, "the
Festival of Weeks." |
| Seventh
Sunday of Easter - May 20, 2007
JOHN 17:20-26 This prayer almost certainly contains few if
any actual words of Jesus. Rather, it is John's interpretation of
what Jesus' life, death and resurrection meant for the Christian
community for which he was writing late in the 1st century. |
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Ascension of the Lord - May 17, 2007
EPHESIANS 1:15-23 This is the heart of a typical Hebrew
berakah, or celebratory prayer of praise and thanksgiving. Here
Paul, or some other author writing in his name, celebrates the
sovereignty of God represented by the redemptive work of Christ. |
| Sixth
Sunday of Easter, May 13, 2007
JOHN 14:23-29. In these words attributed to Jesus John summed
up the essential meaning of the Christ coming among us… He is the
ever present Lord available to everyone in all of life’s daily
experiences. |
| Fifth
Sunday of Easter - May 6, 2007
JOHN 13:31-35. In his death, which Judas was about to
initiate, Jesus would glorify God. John had emphasized this theme
from the very beginning of his gospel. To John, Jesus' death was a
sacrificial offering to God worthy of God's holiness and love. |
| Fourth
Sunday of Easter - April 29, 2007
ACTS 9:36-43. The story of Peter healing Dorcas, the disciple of
Lydda, presents the apostle in the role of continuing the ministry
of Christ. It demonstrated to the early church that Jesus was alive
and still ministering through the apostles. |
| Third
Sunday of Easter - April 22, 2007
JOHN 21:1-19. Scholarly consensus regards this chapter as an
appendix to the Gospel. Jesus appeared in Galilee to several
disciples who had returned to fishing. |
| Second
Sunday of Easter - April 15, 2007
JOHN 20:19-31. The story of Thomas' doubt about Jesus'
resurrection has a very relevant message for us who still wrestle
with our faith. The passage probably ended the original Gospel of
John. Chapter 21 was added at a later date |
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Easter - the
Resurrection of the Lord - April 8, 2007
ACTS 10:34-43, ISAIAH 65:17-25, PSALM 118:1-2,
14-24, 1 CORINTHIANS 15:19-26, LUKE 24:1-12,
JOHN 20:1-18 In John's Gospel, women play an unusually large
part in the story. Here it is Mary Magdalene who is the first
witness to the resurrection. It has even been speculated that she
herself may have been "the Beloved Disciple". (also Easter
Evening Readings) |
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Year C - Sixth Sunday of Lent
- April 1, 2007
PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11.
Paul may have found this hymn in use in one of the congregations he
visited, or he may have created it himself. Note that while it does
equate Jesus with God (vs. 6,) Jesus did not exploit that honour |
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Year C - Fifth Sunday of Lent - March 25, 2007
PHILIPPIANS 3:4b-14. Despite his background as a zealous
Pharisee, Paul tells of giving up a promising career as a rabbi to
follow Jesus. The one source of power for his new life came from his
faith in the resurrection of Jesus, in which he longed to share. |
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Year C - Fourth Sunday of Lent - March 18, 2007
LUKE 15:11-32.
The parable of the lost son welcomed home by his forgiving father
tells the whole gospel of God's reconciling love in Jesus Christ in
short story form. But what of the elder brother? Did he ever become
reconciled? |
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Year C - Third Sunday of Lent - March 11, 2007
1 CORINTHIANS 10:1-13. Paul draws on the
story of the Israelites in the wilderness breaking their covenant
with God to challenge the Corinthians to live differently than the
morally and spiritually corrupt society in which they lived. |
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Year C - Second Sunday of Lent - March 4, 2007
LUKE 13:31-35. Knowing full well the risks it entailed, Jesus
had determined to end his challenge to Israel's establishment only
in Jerusalem. |
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Year C - First Sunday of Lent - February 25, 2006
LUKE 4:1-13. Immediately after his baptism, the Spirit led
him into the wilderness for a time of prayer and fasting. The
so-called temptations came to Jesus as inner reflections about how
to do what he now perceived his divine mission to be. |
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Year C - Ash Wednesday - February 21, 2007
2 CORINTHIANS 5:20b - 6:10. Paul quite rightly linked the
Christian message of reconciliation with God to the ministry of
every Christian. He cited plainly the many difficulties he had
experienced in carrying out this ministry and the plethora of
spiritual gifts he had been given to do it. |
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Year C - The
Transfiguration - February 18, 2007
LUKE 9:29-43. Luke tells of the transfiguration of Jesus with
the same Old Testament lesson in mind to make the same point Paul
made: Jesus represents God and God?s authority along with Moses and
Elijah. |
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Sixth Sunday after Epiphany - February 11, 2007
LUKE 6:17-26. Comparing Luke's version of the Beatitudes, and
the Sermon on the Plain which they introduce, with those found in
Matthew 5, can provide an interesting study. |
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Fifth Sunday after Epiphany - February 4, 2007
LUKE 5:1-11. Behind the gospels as we now have them, there
was a long tradition of stories about Jesus' teaching and miracles
repeated by word of mouth before being put into written form. |
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Fourth Sunday after Epiphany - January 28, 2007
LUKE 4:21-30. By telling the audience in his home town that
they are witnessing the inauguration of the new age of God's rule in
all of life, Jesus challenged his hearers to believe in him. They
ran him out of town. |
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Third Sunday after Epiphany - January 21, 2007
1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-31a. Paul's image of the disciple
community as the body of the risen Christ has stood the test of
time. It still speaks with power to our generation. He moved from
this powerful metaphor to show how this could be done through the
best gift of all - love. |
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Second Sunday after Epiphany - January 14, 2006
JOHN 2:1-11. John's Gospel took its shape
from a series of signs revealing Jesus as the Messiah, Son of God,
and Saviour of the world. This miracle story described the first of
these signs. |
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First Sunday after Epiphany - January 7, 2006
LUKE 3:15-17, 21-22. Luke gives a much briefer account of Jesus'
baptism than the other gospels. It seems little more than an ending
to his narrative about the ministry of John the Baptist. |
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Epiphany - January 6, 2007
EPHESIANS 3:1-12. Paul cites his understanding of the mystery
of Christ which had been revealed to him in his conversion from a
radical Pharisee to a Christian apostle. The liturgical Season of
Epiphany celebrates this revelation. |
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First Sunday after Christmas - December 31, 2006
We have the unusual opportunity of choosing between several lessons
celebrating distinctive aspects of the liturgical and secular
calendars: The First Sunday after Christmas; The Holy Name of Jesus;
and The New Year. All three sets of lessons are set out below. |
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Nativity of the Lord -
Christmas Eve/ Day - December 24&25, 2006
The Revised Common Lectionary follows the tradition of listing Propers
1-3 in the liturgy for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This
Introduction combines the Lessons for this festive occasion into one
format as the simplest way of analyzing them for preaching purposes |
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Reign of
Christ - November 26, 2006
JOHN 18:33-37. This exchange between
Jesus and Pilate tells us what the early church believed about
the true nature of Jesus' sovereignty. |
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Twenty Fourth Sunday after Pentecost -
November 19, 2006
HEBREWS 10:11-14, (15-18), 19-25. The
author of this theological essay clinches his argument regarding
the supremacy of Christ by appealing to his audience to hold on
to their faith. |
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Twenty Third Sunday after Pentecost -
November 12, 2006
MARK 12:38-44 The
pilgrimage to Jerusalem is over. While teaching in the temple
precincts, Jesus condemned the hypocrisy of the scribes (experts
in religious law). This was a very controversial thing for him
to do. |
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Twenty Second Sunday
after Pentecost - November 5, 2006
RUTH 1:1-18. The delightful short story of Ruth has an
unusual place in the Old Testament. Several different hypotheses
have been proposed as to its origin and purpose, none of them
entirely satisfactory |
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Twenty First Sunday
after Pentecost - October 29, 2006
MARK 10:46-52. The healing of the blind man in Jericho
emphasizes the point that Mark has made throughout his gospel. |
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Twentieth Sunday
after Pentecost - October 22, 2006
JOB 38:1-7, (34-41). Job's friends have all said their
pieces. None have satisfactorily answered the eternal question:
Why do the innocent suffer? |
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Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost - October 15,
2006
MARK 10:17-31. This passage may be difficult for us to
hear in our consumer age where wealth and possessions matter so
much. |
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Canadian
Thanksgiving - October 8, 2006
JOEL 2:21-27. In every culture the harvest season is a
time of thanksgiving. Such celebrations occurred in ancient
Israel as this excerpt from one of their minor prophets shows |
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Eighteenth Sunday
after Pentecost - October 8, 2006
Mark 10:2-16 In Jewish society, men could divorce their
wives for any reason, but wives had no such right without their
husband's consent. In vv.10-12, Jesus put women on an equal
footing. |
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Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost - October 1,
2006
Mark 9:38-50 The warning remains clear nonetheless.
Preventing others from following Jesus in even the simplest of
ways can be virtually an unpardonable sin against the Holy
Spirit. |
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Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost - September 24,
2006
PROVERBS 31:10-31. This is one of the few Old Testament
passages which gives prominence to the role of women in ancient
Israel. |
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Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost - September 17,
2006
PSALM 19. No greater evidence of the glory of God exists,
says this psalmist, than the majestic order of creation and the
orderliness of God's law. |
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Fourteenth Sunday
after Pentecost - September 10, 2006
ISAIAH 35:4-7A. This is another passage which envisions the
Shalom of God, God?s reign of peace, justice and love. |
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Thirteenth Sunday
after Pentecost - September 3, 2006
SONG OF SOLOMON 2:8-13. Biblical scholars still debate
what this beautiful collection of poems with vividly erotic
metaphors really is. Is it dramatic dialogue? Is it a manual for
love within the marriage relationship? |
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Twelfth Sunday after
Pentecost - August 27, 2006
JOHN 6:56-69. Jesus' discourse on the nature of the
spiritual life he offered to all who believed so challenged many
that they turned away. Would his disciples also leave him, an
option he freely gave them? |
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Eleventh Sunday after
Pentecost - August 20, 2006
JOHN 6:51-58. The controversy with the
Jews continued as they protested Jesus? claim that they eat his
flesh and drink his blood to gain eternal life. John wrote this
reflection in story form as if Jesus had said this himself. |
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Tenth Sunday after
Pentecost - August 13, 2006
JOHN 6:35, 41-51. So different from the other gospels,
John adds this discourse to the story of Jesus' feeding of the
five thousand. |
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Ninth Sunday after Pentecost - August 6, 2006
EPHESIANS 4:1-16. This exhortation to live the Christian
life in all its fullness emphasizes the gift of the Spirit to
bring unity to the church |
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Eighth Sunday after Pentecost - July 30, 2006
2 SAMUEL 11:1-15.
David's adultery with Bathsheba remains to this
day the symbol of a very human failure: through pride and the
mistaken assumptions about their power, even the great leaders
often bring about their own demise |
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Seventh Sunday after Pentecost - July 23, 2006
EPHESIANS 2:11-22.The
church is only now beginning to realize how fully open and
universal is the gift of God's Spirit to create a new humanity
through faith. This has great significance in the pluralist age
in which we live. There can be no closed doors in the fellowship
of believers. |
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Sixth Sunday after Pentecost - July 16, 2006
EPHESIANS 1:3-14. While the address of this letter cites
Paul as its author, many scholars attribute it to someone who
knew his other letters and teaching very well, but also
summarized and extended his thought even further. |
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Fifth Sunday after Pentecost - July 9, 2006
MARK 6:1-13. Jesus' hometown folk felt uneasy with him in
their midst, especially when he taught in their synagogue on a
Sabbath. So Jesus adopted another strategy. He gathered his
disciples together and sent them out "with authority over the
unclean spirits." |
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Fourth Sunday after Pentecost - July 2, 2006
MARK 5:21-43. To Jesus human need and God's willingness
and power, not the demonstration of good faith, makes the
difference. |
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Third Sunday after Pentecost - June 25, 2006
1 SAMUEL 17:32-49. The story of David and Goliath reads
as one of the great feats of Israel's legendary hero-king. As it
presently exists, the story has been combined with a later
source and still later edited into a long narrative that is at
times inconsistent. |
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Second Sunday after Pentecost - June 18, 2006
I SAMUEL 15:34-16:13 The working out of God's purpose to
create a universal reign of love in this world is the task to
which all peoples of faith must now turn. |
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First Sunday after Pentecost - Trinity Sunday - June 11, 2006
JOHN 3:1-17. Some people look at verse 16 as the secret
for obtaining eternal life beyond death. In this passage,
however, John makes the point that God is as much concerned
about how we live in this life now as with what happens to us
afterward. |
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Pentecost Sunday - June 4, 2006
ACTS 2:1-21. For Christians, Pentecost celebrates the
climax of the Gospel. On this day all the benefits of the death
and resurrection of Jesus Christ rush into our lives and into
the church through the gift of the Holy Spirit. |
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Ascension Day -
May 25, 2006
EPHESIANS 1:15-23. The idealism of this passage remains
as the charter of the church to this day. Bound by institutional
prejudices, we have difficulty recognizing this universal aspect
in the modern church. To use Spong's metaphor, Christians must
become "Christians in exile" from contemporary denominational
bondage. |
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Sixth Sunday of Easter - May 21, 2006
JOHN 15:9-17 Quoting Jesus, John takes us to the heart of
the Christian discipleship: Love for others as God has loved us.
John thus interprets the meaning of Jesus' death on the cross as
his loving sacrifice of himself for us. |
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Fifth Sunday of Easter - May 14, 2006
1 JOHN 4:7-21. Perhaps the finest definition of God is
given here: "God is love." Like partners in a dance, we are
invited to love each other as God loves us. |
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Fourth Sunday of Easter - May 7, 2006
ACTS 4:5-12. it might be worth using this text to focus
on the nature of the family as the fundamental unit of society
and the Christian family as inclusive of all people of faith |
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Third Sunday of Easter - April 30, 2006
LUKE 24:36-48: We can never minimize the historical fact
that the Christian Church has its origins as a new, more open
cult of Judaism and adopted for itself, albeit with a new
interpretation, all the scriptures of the Jewish tradition |
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Second Sunday of Easter - April 23, 2006
JOHN 20:19-31.
The story of Thomas, the disciple who at first doubted the
resurrection, was told to encourage those who had not witnessed
that all-important event, yet still believed. He should be the
patron saint of our post-Christendom times. |
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Ash Wednesday -
March 1, 2006
PSALM 51:1-17.
Contrary to its superscript this psalm has nothing to do
with David's adulterous relationship with Bathsheba. Nor
does it validate the doctrine of original sin. |
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First Sunday in Lent - March 5, 2006
Mark 1:9-15. Mark's brief account of Jesus' baptism
and temptation is typical of his abbreviated introduction to
the main story he wants to tell - the story of Jesus' death
and resurrection. |
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Second Sunday in Lent - March 12, 2006
ROMANS 4:13-25. Paul's argument here is that God's
promise to Abraham (our Old Testament lesson) had special
value for Christians. Like the patriarch, faith in God, not
keeping the law, makes the promise effective. |
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Third Sunday in Lent - March 19, 2006
EXODUS 20:1-17. This is the best known of three
different versions of the Ten Commandments. Comparing this
passage with Exodus 34:10-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21 leaves
those who hold to a literalist view of scripture in more
than a slight quandary. |
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Fourth Sunday in Lent - March 26, 2006
JOHN 3:14-21. John would have us believe that these
words were spoken by Jesus himself during his secret
conversation with a leading Pharisee, Nicodemus. More than
likely, however, we have John's own analysis of what the
coming of the Son of God really means. |
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Fifth Sunday in Lent - April 2, 2006
HEBREWS 5:5-10. Hebrews is not a letter, but a
theological essay written to encourage Jewish Christians
enduring persecution, perhaps even rejection by their own
families. The writer assures the faithful that Jesus
understands what they are going through |
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Sixth Sunday in Lent - April 9, 2006
Choices must be made in selecting the appropriate readings,
depending on whether to use the Liturgy of the Palms or the
Liturgy of the Passion. In the following analysis I shall
try to point to the links between the Old Testament passages
and both Gospel readings. |
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Maunday
Thursday - April 13, 2006
JOHN 13:1-17, 31b-35.
John's version of Jesus' last meal with his disciples is
very different from that found in the other gospels. |
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Good Friday -
April 14, 2006
The majesty of the Passion narratives in the four Gospels
lies in their distinctive contributions to our understanding
of the death and resurrection of Christ. It is not possible
to create a harmonized version that is convincingly
cohesive. |
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Easter - April 16, 2006
JOHN 20:1-18.
Like Matthew, John also names Mary Magdalene as one of the
women who first witnessed to the resurrection. In John,
however, Mary plays a sole and primary role. This says
something about the importance place of women in the early
church. In Jewish culture, no woman was ever allowed to be a
witness. |
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The
Transfiguration - February 26, 2006
MARK 9:2-9. Mark tells
of Jesus' transfiguration immediately after Peter's confession
that Jesus is the Messiah/Christ to show that Jesus stands in the
historic prophetic tradition of Moses and Elijah |
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Seventh Sunday after Epiphany - February 19, 2006 |
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Sixth Sunday after Epiphany - February 12, 2006 |
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Fifth Sunday after Epiphany - February 5, 2006 |
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Fourth Sunday after Epiphany - January 29, 2006 |
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Third
Sunday after Epiphany - January 22, 2006 |
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Second
Sunday after Epiphany - January 15, 2006 |
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First
Sunday After Epiphany - January 8, 2006 |
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Epiphany -
January 6, 2006 |
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First
Sunday after Christmas - January 1, 2006 |
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The
Nativity of Our Lord - December 24-25, 2005 |
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Fourth
Sunday of Advent - December 18, 2005 |
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Third
Sunday of Advent - December 11, 2005 |
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Second
Sunday of Advent - December 4, 2005 |
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First
Sunday of Advent - November 27, 2005 |
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Reign of
Christ - November 20, 2005 |
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Twenty
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost - November 13, 2005 |
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Twenty
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost - November 6, 2005 |
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All Saints Day - November
1, 2005 |
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Twenty Fourth Sunday after
Pentecost - October 30, 2005 |
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Twenty Third Sunday after
Pentecost - October 23, 2005 |
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Twenty Second Sunday after
Pentecost - October 16, 2005 |
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Twenty First Sunday after
Pentecost Canadian Thanksgiving Alternate - October 9, 2005 |
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Twenty First Sunday after Pentecost - October 9, 2005 |
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Twentieth
Sunday after Pentecost - October 2, 2005 |
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Nineteenth Sunday after
Pentecost - September 25, 2001 |
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Eighteenth Sunday after
Pentecost - September 18, 2001 |
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Seventeenth Sunday after
Pentecost - September 11, 2001 |
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Sixteenth Sunday after
Pentecost - September 4, 2005 |
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