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This psalm is a prayer of penitence, confession, remorse, owning mistakes made, and seeking a fresh start of new life with a restored soul upon receiving God’s forgiveness.1  Psalm 51 is traditionally attributed to David, (...)

Where to begin with such an embarrassment of riches? Seen from one angle, the parable of the Samaritan showcases the style of our narrator, particularly when they slow down the narrative to “show” mercy (verses (...)

As we enter a week marked by both the U.S. presidential inauguration and Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Matt Skinner reflects on mission, justice, and bearing witness to God’s love in a difficult world. In (...)

The woman bathing the feet of Jesus and anointing them appears in all four gospels: Mark 14:3–9, Matthew 26:6–13, John 12:1–8, and Luke 7:36–50. For an incisive comparison between Luke’s version and the other three (...)

Paul has often been viewed as the hero of (Protestant) Christianity, and indeed, his contribution is significant. Among the 27 books of the New Testament, 13 letters are attributed to him. Many people have appreciated (...)

In 2006, pastor and professor Marvin McMickle examined the sad state and the lamentable landscape of preachers in the United States. He saw preachers who had become parochial promoters of culture wars, passive, acquiescent backers (...)

All too often, “doing” church devolves into fixation upon continuing customs and meeting expectations associated with worn understandings of congregational life, instead of giving birth to a renewed community from belief in Christ.  Can you (...)

Unlike the traditions about Jesus’ infancy and childhood in Luke 1−2, Luke’s synoptic counterparts contain substantial parallels to the accounts of John the Baptist’s preaching and Jesus’ baptism in Luke 3:1−22 (Mark 1:2−11; Matthew 3:1−17). (...)

The theme linking the first reading and the Gospel passage for this Sunday is chosenness. In Luke’s account of Jesus’ baptism, Jesus is the chosen one. After the Holy Spirit rests upon him, a heavenly (...)

Isaiah 60:1–6 resonates strongly with Epiphany’s theme of the manifestation of Jesus as the light to the Gentiles and is thus paired this week with Matthew’s account of the visitation of the magi. Even though (...)