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As we celebrate the baptism of our Lord this week, it is worth considering what role Jesus was being baptized into. As I have been writing across the past several weeks, we may choose to (...)

The Bible does not come with instructions. When a Christian opens the Bible, literally or electronically, she does not hear the voice of Oprah Winfrey or James Earl Jones, telling her how to organize the (...)

Here is the promise: God is with us, so that we might live.1 God is with us, so that we might believe. God is with us, because it is hard to believe, and God knows (...)

Paul’s greeting in his letter to the Romans (1:1–7) immediately focusses the audience’s attention on what is of ultimate significance: the gospel of God (verse 1), which is the good news that Jesus Christ is (...)

There are many striking features of Romans 15:4–13 that might stimulate a preacher’s imagination. It begins and ends with God-given hope (verse 4, 12–13). It is filled with exhortations to glorify God because of God’s (...)

The prophet Haggai is a familiar figure from Sacred Scripture. He is mentioned in our passage under consideration as well as repeatedly in the Book of Haggai and twice in the Book of Ezra. He (...)

In Luke 14:25–33, Jesus’ teaching takes a sobering turn as he underlines the demands of discipleship. Preparing to engage this from the pulpit, preachers may wish first to render vividly the crowds’ joyous amazement at (...)

Hebrews 13:1–8, 14–15 offers wisdom for churches as they continue to emerge from pandemic lockdowns and for pastors who navigate the shifting landscape of the church in the American context. It would be inadequate to (...)

Amos describes a basket of summer fruit shown to him by God. This visual image serves as an icon, linked to the content of the divine word. A play on words forms the link, the (...)

This week’s Old Testament lectionary reading contains my favorite ambiguous antecedent in all of Scripture. Let me acknowledge from the outset that “favorite ambiguous antecedent in Scripture” is a pretty niche category. It’s not like (...)