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When I saw him, his jet-black hair coiffed, swooped up and slicked up, the dark glasses, white leather jacket with tassels and beads, largish belt buckle, turquoise, and all the rest, I just knew he (...)

Christians share a common theological conviction with the authors of Isaiah 2:1-5: Our most precious promises are attached to tangible realities like land, mountains, temples … bread, water, and wine. In these concrete ways, God (...)

The year begins with a benediction!1 This familiar benediction has long been used by the church (and Jewish communities) to conclude services of worship. But it is wise to remember that this blessing stands at (...)

This Sunday presents us with a portion of Peter’s first public sermon, preached on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit has come upon the disciples with power, just as Jesus promised (Acts (...)

Expectation. Birth. Manger. Shepherds. Angels. Witness. Many such details constitute the common ingredients in any veteran preacher’s Christmas Eve message. Indeed, if you have been involved in the vocation of preaching for a while, you (...)

Jonah, the book, is a great story with fantastical imagery, from a great fish swallowing Jonah to cattle in sackcloth. It’s a story told around campfires to make a point. Or recited in Sunday School (...)

Today’s reading, 2 Corinthians 4:3-6, gives us profound insight into how we are transfigured by a double manifestation — of the Messiah’s glory as the image of God and of God’s glory in the face (...)

Most congregations would drown in this text’s cascade of details. “Six days later.” “A high mountain apart.” “Elijah with Moses.” “Let’s make three dwellings.” “A cloud overshadowed them.”  Each of these items chimes with the (...)

This Sunday’s lection comprises three episodes: Jesus’ baptism (Mark 1:9-11), his temptation (1:12-13), and his inaugural preaching (1:14-15). The preacher could justifiably dedicate a sermon to any of these. I suggest an alternative: so tightly (...)

Nearly everything about this text feels far removed from 21st-century life.1 It chafes against both our theological sensibilities and our scientific good sense. Surely God does not send poisonous snakes to punish human beings for (...)