Readings For February 23, 2025

We have made it to the second to last Sunday in the Epiphany season, the penultimate week of Epiphany I guess you could say.  We remain in a predictable lectionary pattern with an Epistle in 1st Corinthians and a Gospel lesson from Luke.  We mix in a Psalm as always and a reading from Genesis.  I’ll be curious to see how they all fit together.

Here are the readings:

God’s plans supersede those of

Readings For February 16, 2025

We push closer to Lent, but still hold on to the remnants of Epiphany, reminding us that Christmas was not as long ago as it seems.

The lectionary returns to Jeremiah and continues on with readings from Luke and 1st Corinthians.

In the Old Testament lesson, it’s always tough to read this section of Jeremiah and not think about politics and other cult of personality.  How often do we think we’ll be delivered from one

Readings for February 9, 2025

Can you believe we have pushed into the second week of February already?  Back to the typical fare out of the lectionary site I use and the lectionary itself.

For the second week in a row, we get the story of a prophet being called.  We had Jeremiah last week and this week we get the classic Scripture where Isaiah says, “Here I am.”  Would have been nice if the pastor hadn’t already had the congregation sing, “He

Readings for February 2, 2025

Some behind the curtain stuff to start the week.  The traditional “Revised Common Lectionary” differs from the Episcopal version I typically use this week.  Nine times out of ten they are the same, but on occasion, we get what we have this week which are four completely different readings. I’ll go with the RCL and let our Episcopal friends do their own thing.

With that being said, here’s what we have today:

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Psalm 71:1-6

1 Corinthians 13

Luke 4:21-30

This sectio

Readings for January 26, 2025

It is now coming up on the Third Sunday after the Epiphany

Here’s what the lectionary serves up:

The OT reading from Nehemiah paints a wonderful picture for us.  It is a time of Spiritual and faith renewal as the Israelites are slowly rebuilding their lives and fully accounting for their ancestry and genealogy.   They are literally trying to get their houses in order and in the midst of it, they stop to hon

Readings for January 5, 2025

We’re doing things just a bit differently this week.  Yes, I am still going from the lectionary, but not the Scripture’s recommended for Sunday, January 5th, but instead the readings for Monday, January 6th.

Each year you have the choice to go with the second Sunday after Christmas or to celebrate Epiphany.   My wife noted that I used the word Epiphany in the sermon on Sunday and perhaps I use that word without everyone knowing what it means.  I think we all know the dictio

Readings for December 22, 2024

The final Sunday of Advent brings us a peculiar happening in the lectionary, the same Scripture twice.

Here’s what the lectionary serves up:

Two doses of the Magnificat if we’d like to go that route, but more than that, it is beginning to feel like Christmas in the Scriptures.

The Old Testament lesson from the prophet Micah foretells of our Lord and Savior.  We get a first glimpse of our Christmas se

Readings for December 15, 2024

Third Sunday in Advent.   Sorry to have skipped last week, but let’s get back to it this morning.  An oddity for three of the four weeks of Advent is that there is no Psalm.   We instead get to hear from two OT prophets and then the typical Epistle and Gospel lessons.

You’re not supposed to put much stock in the little headlines your Bible puts above sections of Scripture, but I certainly like the sentiment as I r

Readings for December 1, 2024

It has taken more than half a year, but we have left Pentecost behind and enter the joyful and anticipatory season of Advent!

Here’s the lectionary readings for this coming Sunday:

The texts for Advent rarely change and I actually preached on this text from Jeremiah last year.  I have no idea what I said, but I am certain I look at this text a bit differently now than I did back then.   Between our Sunday morn

Bible Study on the Cheap

Studying the Bible can get expensive.  It should be obvious from this space that you could spend thousands upon thousands of dollars just on Study Bibles.  Once you move into the Bible Commentary side of things, costs ramp up quickly and exponentially.  How in the world do you build a library and not go broke?  The good news is you really don’t have to build one by purchasing much of anything, presuming you already have a decent Study Bible or a Bible Handbook to go along

Readings for November 24, 2024

The last Sunday after Pentecost!  We made it!  On this final Sunday before Advent, here’s what the lectionary sets us up with:

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 Psalm 93 Revelation 1:4b-8 John 18:33-37 

I’m at a bit of an advantage knowing that this is also known as “Christ the King Sunday.”  It helps put the reading from Daniel in perspective.  Daniel’s vision of God sitting on the throne and then Jesus taking his rightful place is simply incredible with this vision or prophesy coming

Readings for November 17, 2024

We are in the final two weeks of the Pentecost season, and this is what the Revised Common Lectionary has for us this week:

Daniel 12:1-3 Psalm 16 Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25 Mark 13:1-8

I’m going to have to do something I don’t typically do in these first-blush looks at the Scripture, I’m going to have to do some quick study of context.  I could easily dash off some provocative thoughts, but we need to be careful so that we understand and speak about Scripture properly

Readings For November 10, 2024

Yet another week of Pentecost, by far the longest liturgical part of the year.  Here’s what the Revised Common Lectionary has for us this week:

1 Kings 17:8-16 Psalm 146 Hebrews 9:24-28 Mark 12:38-44

I’m sure you’re all surprised that a hymn came to mind as I read the Old Testament lesson.  I also thought about another story I heard as a teenager.  The provision of God is on miraculous display as the jar of meal to make bread never emptied.   Thy hymn “Little Is Much When

Readings for November 3, 2024

Another week closer to Advent believe it or not.  As the liturgical season of Pentecost lingers, here’s what the lectionary has for us this week:

Deuteronomy 6:1-9 Psalm 119:1-8 Hebrews 9:11-14 Mark 12:28-34

A lot of thoughts swimming around in my head as I go through the Old Testament lesson, let’s see if I can make something coherent out of them.  One way to think about this new law, is a new way of living.  If you’re going to live in the so-called promised land, there i

Trunk or Treat

Trunk or Treat is another event where I do very little but reap wonderful benefits.

Nurture Commission along with the help of all who donated candy and money, put the whole thing together, such as choosing the theme, setting up, ensuring we have enough candy to hand out and this year it also included blowing up inflatable animals.   There’s probably much more that I don’t even think about, but all I have to do is ride out to the town park with my robe, fake hair and fake be