Search Results

This passage from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians should be seen in light of his ongoing appeal for his ministry in Corinth. Paul writes to persuade the Corinthians of the truth of his teachings, (...)

First Corinthians 10:1–13 appeals to several stories from the Hebrew Bible to argue that the Corinthians should be careful about the challenges of interacting with people, ideas, and practices beyond their Christ-community. The particular challenge (...)

The text before us records an interlude within the larger story of the gospel coming to Samaria in Acts 8:4–13 and 8:18–25. In the larger frame, the crowds respond to Philip’s preaching of the gospel, (...)

The Greek meaning of “epiphany” is to reveal or uncover.1 Yet every season, Jesus is “uncovered” or “revealed” twice.  Luke “reveals” the identity of the baby in the songs of the angels, so we celebrated (...)

Regardless of how one decides the question of the authorship of the letter to Titus, it is easy to spot a characteristic Pauline theme: the grace of God (verse 11). In keeping with what we (...)

Psalm 24 is an entrance liturgy.1 It is very likely that the liturgy was designed to accompany a procession into the Temple.2  The theme of entrance unifies the poem—it describes humans entering God’s space (“Who (...)

The art of preaching biblical poems might helpfully involve being captivated by an image that shapes the imagination.1 In Isaiah 25:6–9, the mountain feast dominates the poem’s vision. It has the capacity to “figure the mind”2 with (...)

The lectionary texts from Hebrews for the previous week, this week, and the coming two weeks revolve around the identity of Jesus as the great high priest, the manner of his priestly service, and the (...)

Following hot on the heels of the rich young man who goes away grieving, this week we have another famous story.1 Oh, James and John, you foolish boys. Of course, following Jesus doesn’t mean being (...)

The story of Joseph begins in Genesis 37 and ends in Genesis 50. At 14 chapters, it is the longest continuous narrative in Genesis, occupying roughly a quarter of the whole book. It traces a (...)