Second Reading

Photo of The Sanctuary of Christ the King in Almada, Portugal.
Commentary on Colossians 1:11-20

[Note: This will address 1:1-20.] Colossians is a beautiful tribute [...]

photo of an earthquake crack in a desert highway
Commentary on 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

In early May of 2011, while I was teaching undergraduates, [...]

photo of a butterfly on an orange flower
Commentary on 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

I grew up with the legendary R.E.M. song, “It’s the [...]

Commentary on Ephesians 1:11-23

Every Pauline letter opens with either a thanksgiving prayer or [...]

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Commentary on 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12

Second Thessalonians has traditionally been understood as a short follow-up [...]

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Commentary on Romans 3:19-28

Our lectionary reading is part of an answer to the question, “What advantage does the [...]

Detail from a fresco of Fresco of the Pharisee and the Publican, at Basilika Ottobeuren.
Commentary on 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

The late comedian Mitch Hedberg joked about the difference between [...]

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Commentary on 2 Timothy 3:14—4:5

Sometimes the theological controversies we know so well, the conflicts [...]

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Commentary on 2 Timothy 2:8-15

Today’s epistle lesson—I’ll refer to the lesson itself, without rehashing [...]

Detail from Vincent Van Gogh's
Commentary on 2 Timothy 1:1-14

“There are two questions that we have to ask ourselves. [...]