Narrative Lectionary

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Commentary on 2 Kings 22:1-10 [14-20]; 23:1-3

The story of King Josiah is a cautionary tale about [...]

Matthew 21:28
Commentary on Isaiah 5:1-7; 11:1-5

This week’s texts (Isaiah 5:1-7; 11:1-9) provide a glimpse of [...]

Person crying and rubbing eye in distress
Commentary on Hosea 11:1-9

“Sorrow and love flow mingled down” from the lines of this poem.1 The poet draws [...]

refining fire in factory
Commentary on 1 Kings 18:[17-19] 20-39

This passage is frequently titled “The Contest on Mount Carmel.”1 [...]

Kingdom divided - chess piece knocking over king piece
Commentary on 1 Kings 12:1-17, 25-29

Precedents for the tragic story of a divided Israel were [...]

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Commentary on 2 Samuel 5:1-5; 6:1-5; Psalm 150

Context, context, context! Just as location is all important for [...]

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Commentary on Ruth 1:1-17

“Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where [...]

Detail of Moses holding the tablets of the Ten Commandments, from a door at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
Commentary on Deuteronomy 5:1-21; 6:4-9

A lot has happened with God, Moses, and Israel since [...]

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Commentary on Exodus 1:8-14 [15—2:10]; 3:1-15

Tyranny emerges at times of transition and change; times in [...]

Vision after the Sermon (Jacob Wrestling with the Angel), Paul Gauguin, 1888.
Commentary on Genesis 32:[9-13] 22-30

This episode of the Jacob story narrates the well-known wrestling [...]