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“Guess what the first words out of her mouth were?!” I overheard the fragment of a conversation rushing to my gate. Later, as the plane lifted into the clouds, I reflected on the significance of (...)

From its opening lines, Psalm 37 closely resembles the didactic tone of the book of Proverbs.1 For example, Proverbs 23:17 counsels, “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always continue in the fear of the (...)

Republicans won’t budge on guns. And women and children are dying. Democrats won’t budge on abortion. And women and children are dying. You should NOT begin your sermon here (though I did steal the first (...)

Many years ago, I was sitting in a lecture by a Jewish scholar who was explaining how Jewish children, before there were books, when literacy and scroll ownership were all but nonexistent, learned the Psalms. (...)

How often do congregations hear a sermon that uses Hebrews as its primary text? This Sunday gives preachers a reason to bring this book’s challenging, grace-filled voice into congregational life. It presents itself as not (...)

Week 3 (Aug. 22, 2021) Preaching text: Revelation 6:1-8 and 7:9-17; accompanying text: John 14:1-4 Threatening visions The scenes of praise and celebration in the previous chapters give way to threatening visions. The four horsemen (...)

Week 1 (Aug. 8, 2021) Preaching text: Revelation 4:1-11; accompanying text: John 17:1-5 God the Creator Revelation’s vision of the heavenly throne room now introduces people to God, who is the Creator. The scene pictures (...)

Why read 2 Corinthians?1 It is probably one of Paul’s most difficult letters to decipher. For one thing, its tone oscillates widely — from expressing deep love to angry rebuke. For another, it does not (...)

In the conventional understanding, the Psalm in the weekly lectionary is chosen to meditate on the First Reading and, like that reading, to anticipate the Gospel. In that case, the insistence that God has searched (...)

Psalm 86 is classified by most scholars as a psalm of individual lament, in which an individual expresses the pain of his present condition and seeks relief from God. However, most of the elements of (...)