First Reading

photo of an old gray wooden boat with fishing net beneath it
Commentary on Isaiah 9:1-4

The Season of Epiphany characteristically focuses on light. One of its flagship texts comes from [...]

photo of a flying dove
Commentary on Isaiah 49:1-7

Recapitulating many of the themes articulated in Isaiah 40–48, Isaiah 49:1–7 confirms the Servant’s identity [...]

Detail from Empore Wolfschlugen. 13: Taufe Jesu.
Commentary on Isaiah 42:1-9

In Isaiah 42:1–9, God presents the servant as “my chosen, in whom my soul delights” [...]

Detail from Adoration of the Magi (San Donato in Scopeto) by Leonardo da Vinci, ca. 1482.
Commentary on Isaiah 60:1-6

At the time this poem was composed, Jerusalem was a conquered, depopulated city struggling to [...]

photo of light in darkness
Commentary on Jeremiah 31:7-14

The joyful declaration that God is the giver of every [...]

Detail from Daniele Crespi's
Commentary on Isaiah 63:7-9

In Isaiah 63:1–6, the writer recounts the failures and shortcomings of God’s people. In all [...]

photo of a lighted arm coming out of darkness
Commentary on Isaiah 52:7-10

“Beauty” is a word in the English language that gets used a lot to talk [...]

photo of earth from space at night
Commentary on Isaiah 62:6-12

Someone once said that life’s storms force us into one of three positions when pondering [...]

blurry photo of people rushing
Commentary on Isaiah 2:1-5

Isaiah 2:1–5 welcomes congregations to Advent across the globe. As the first scriptural reading of [...]

black and white photo of a Christmas parade
Commentary on Isaiah 9:2-7

In 1943, Ruth Caye Jones, burdened by the grim headlines of mounting World War II [...]