Alternate First Reading

black and white photo of an open garden gate
Commentary on Exodus 17:1-7

Water is life. This Lakota truth disseminated during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests starting in [...]

photo of a fork in a mountain path
Commentary on Exodus 3:1-15

The narratives that open the book of Exodus are trying to sort out, among other [...]

photo of stacked limestone rocks
Commentary on Exodus 1:8—2:10

There is no one single biblical response to cruel systems [...]

photo of a doorway
Commentary on Genesis 45:1-15

Old Testament stories generally don’t describe the characters’ feelings, which is part of the artistry [...]

photo of a lone person at sea
Commentary on Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

The text begins with Jacob, but quickly moves to focus [...]

photo of hands breaking bread
Commentary on Genesis 32:22-31

Preachers face a temptation to emphasize everything good about the [...]

photo of bread dough rising
Commentary on Genesis 29:15-28

This story in Jacob’s life includes themes of romantic love, [...]

photo of plants
Commentary on Genesis 28:10-19a

This story both reveals God’s grace to someone who doesn’t [...]

photo of a hand scattering seeds
Commentary on Genesis 25:19-34

Isaac and Rebekah go 20 years without a child (Genesis [...]

photo of children calling to one another
Commentary on Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67

God is with people not only at mountaintop moments, but [...]