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The portion of Proverbs before us constitutes the sixth of twelve readings for the Vigil of Easter where, in some liturgies, it is accompanied with the descriptor, “The wisdom of God.” The response is Psalm (...)

Just what’s going on out there in the wilderness, anyway? It’s a fair question, because Mark devotes only two verses to the occasion. Congregations may be familiar with the three tests the devil puts before (...)

Amos 7 as the First Reading on this Sunday in July complements the Gospel Reading from Mark 6:14-29. Both passages concern prophetic figures — Amos and John the Baptist — who are confronted because of (...)

Psalm 85 is a communal prayer for help and verses 8-13 express confidence that the help prayed for will indeed come. Thus, the lectionary reading comprises the portion of the psalm that announces and describes (...)

The texts for this Sunday provide the preacher with a whole kaleidoscope of themes and images. We hear of snakes in the desert (Numbers 21, John 3:14), shipwrecks at sea (Psalm 107), and grace, faith, (...)

This text from Hebrews is part of an exposition on the high priestly character of Jesus that begins at 4:14. The subject is picked up again at the end of chapter six and is the (...)

Why is it called “Maundy Thursday?”1 That was my question as I began looking at these texts for the Thursday of Holy Week. You’d think I would know the answer to that question, having attended (...)

As the story begins, the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, erects a massive golden statue and commands that all must bow before it. Initially, it appears that the central conflict of the story involves idolatry. However, as (...)

The first Easter drastically changed how Christians understand God’s activity in the world. Today’s first reading features a similar paradigm shift in Christians’ understanding, regarding how wide-reaching God’s favor truly is. I. The literary context: (...)

After a long season of Lenten preparation we are ready to get a good hold on our resurrected Jesus and settle down for a bit, but Mark does not make him available for us. [Looking (...)