First Reading

Lakeside with sun rising
Commentary on Isaiah 6:1-8 [9-13]

This is a word from the divine in a crisis, [...]

tracks through field of yellow flowers
Commentary on Jeremiah 1:4-10

Jeremiah can join hands across the centuries with Malala and Greta as those who started [...]

table set for feast with sunlight streaming in
Commentary on Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

The reconstituted people of Israel came together on a holy [...]

heart outline in LED lights
Commentary on Isaiah 62:1-5

The opening verses of Isaiah 62 contain a hope of a land fully embraced and [...]

landscape in Iceland -- streams converging around a volcanic mountain
Commentary on Isaiah 43:1-7

Isaiah 43 is simultaneously a comforting passage describing God’s redemptive love for Israel, and a [...]

golden resin on tree trunk
Commentary on Isaiah 60:1-6

We read Isaiah 60 at Epiphany in part because of the connection between the three [...]

Fig leaf budding out
Commentary on Jeremiah 33:14-16

This lectionary reading introduces the season of Advent, when Christians [...]

tent under starry sky
Commentary on Jeremiah 31:7-14

Jeremiah 31:7-14 is a complex theological text, which prompts the [...]

Mosaic of young Jesus in the Temple
Commentary on 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26

In some ways I am tempted to dare you to [...]

Commentary on Isaiah 62:6-12

This reading from Isaiah 62 is filled with striking and preachable bits and pieces. This [...]