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Talk about treasure in a field! Some weeks it can seem that the appointed Gospel yields slim pickings, but this week, we have five rich parables with which to work. For those of you who (...)

Today’s Old Testament lesson is the famous text where Solomon asks God for wisdom. Somewhat oddly, the lection begins and ends in mid-paragraph (according to NRSV and NIV), and it might be better to include (...)

For me at least, this is one of those biblical texts that cannot be read without hearing music. In the midst of puzzling over the visions and sayings of Zechariah, it comes as a refreshing (...)

It is easy to miss the wonder of a well-known biblical passage. This is certainly the case with the opening creation narrative in Genesis 1:1-2:4a. Few passages have endured as much scrutiny for a variety (...)

Sermons on this passage require preachers to inject some storytelling into their messages. It’s one of the lectionary’s more bizarre selections, and that’s no slight honor. The main problem is that the action described in (...)

Of all the ecclesial images employed in Peter’s letter to the exiled converts of Asia Minor, the root metaphor that best describes the Christian community is the “spiritual house” (oikos pneumatikos) or “household of God” (...)

The promise to Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 12:1-4 marks one of the most dramatic transitions in the entire story of the Old Testament. The Transition from Genesis 1-11 to Genesis 12:  Deep Background  In (...)

The familiarity of the beatitudes presents the preacher with a challenge. Our hearers may have pre-conceived ideas of what they are about, or skepticism of our ability to say anything fresh about them. The beatitudes (...)

Isaiah 49:1-7 comprises the second of the so-called “Servant Songs” (Isaiah 42:1-9; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12), a designation that I indicated in last Sunday’s commentary on Isaiah 42:1-9 to be problematic. Rather than be restricted to (...)

It is quite peculiar that a text from Jeremiah disrupts a series of Isaianic texts in the lectionary calendar. The five Sundays that precede the Second Sunday of Christmas all contain texts from Isaiah for (...)