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The poets and compilers of the Book of Psalms were clearly in touch with a perennial human issue — happiness. “Happy” is the very first word in the Psalter, and the repetition of “happy” in (...)

What gives us the courage to do the right thing—to act on what our conscience calls us to do—when we know that we often will not be rewarded for it in this life? Can we (...)

This Sunday’s pairing of Mark 6:1-6 and 6:7-13 kindles the preacher’s imagination. The first passage — “Where did this man get all this?” (6:2) — closes a section that began with Mark 4:35-41: “Who then (...)

In this text, Jesus addresses three different audiences: a group of Pharisees and scribes who raise the question of defilement, the crowd that is perpetually present, and the disciples who, true to character in Mark’s (...)

James 2:1-17 invites believers to examine their relationships with one another, particularly along class lines, their understanding of the role of the Torah in the Christian life, and their willingness to put their faith into (...)

The pericope introduces the enigmatic Woman Wisdom, a figure who is — at the least — a literary personification of a wisdom that permeates the creation. We also encounter her in chapter 8 where she (...)

This day’s lesson actually consists of two pericopes. One deals with divorce, the other with the blessing of little children. I suspect that the Revised Common Lectionary committee decided to put them together to help (...)

The comments for Nativity of Jesus: Proper 1 (December 24, 2015) suggest that the preacher could draw on Luke 2:1-20 as the whole preaching text if the congregation has just one service — either Christmas (...)

This is perhaps the most widely recognized and quoted passage anywhere in the Pauline letters, which poses both a challenge and an opportunity for preachers. Of course, the text is used often at weddings, because (...)

The story of the visit of the Magi, the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt, and even their haphazard return to the Holy Land should help us reflect on the plights of those who cross religious, (...)