Sermon and Lesson Themes
Appealing to Grace
While there is much violence in the Old Testament (and a certain amount in the New), the basic ideas of grace are still expressed regularly. Nowhere is this clearer, in my opinion, than in the appeal to salvation history in passages of judgment and of exhortation. The Old Testament passage and the Psalm for Proper [...]
Seeing Things Differently
Reversal is a common theme in the teachings of Jesus. The poor are blessed? The persecuted are blessed? How silly is that? And today we have another reversal in our gospel passage (Mark 12:38-44). The widow who puts in two little coins that might, optimistically, add up to a penny, is the one who put [...]
Sexual Attraction and Divinity
Two of the lectionary passages today, at least if you go with the United Methodist selections, involve romance and sexual attraction. One, of course, is Song of Songs 2:8-13 and the other is Psalm 45, which has a foreign princess marrying the king of Israel. The second involves romance at least as far as an [...]
Grace and Wisdom (Lectionary Proper 15B)
References: 1 Kings 2:10-12, 3:3-15; Psalm 111; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58 For three of these passages it is quite easy to find a common theme – wisdom. If you go a step further, all of those passages talk about wisdom in action. For the remaining passage, the gospel, one may be tempted to preach a [...]
Repentance and Servanthood (Pr 13B)
I like to look for common themes in the lectionary passages. If I can find a way to use all four together on one topic, that’s even better. Proper 13B uses 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a (I’ve already discussed why I dislike cutting this off before verse 14), Psalm 51:1-12 (and I’d prefer to read the entire [...]
Fear and Response (Easter 2B)
Scriptures: Acts 4:32-35; Psalm 133; (John 20:19-31) There are two major responses to fear in a group. One is to gather together and seek mutual support. The other is to scatter, with each individual seeking his own safety. One can see this in action in military history. Many military leaders have recognized the importance of [...]
When the Climax Isn’t (Palms and Passion, Cycle B)
This week I did some reading on the lectionary, and even led a discussion on Wednesday, but due to work on some new book releases I never had time to write. There is one theme that came to mind when I was looking at the two liturgies–palms and passion. In teaching Bible study I like [...]
Grace in Action (Lent 4B)
The passages are Numbers 21:4-9, Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; Ephesians 2:1-10 and John 3:14-21. These passages center around the story of the serpent that Moses put on a pole in the wilderness. The omission of verses 4-16 maintains that emphasis even in Psalm 107, though I would recommend reading the entire passage. I am not always [...]
Authority (Lent 3B)
Scriptures: Exodus 20:1-17, Psalm 19, 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, John 2:13-25 There are quite a number of places in the gospels where authority is displayed, but in today’s passages we see the theoretical basis or the underlying explanation of God’s sovereignty. There are a number of key elements. These are likely quite obvious to you, but [...]
Epiphany 2B – Thoughts and Themes
The texts are 1 Samuel 3:1-10(11-20), Psalm 139:1-6,13-18, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, and John 1:43-51. The common theme that stuck in my mind was on receiving God’s word. We frequently focus on how God gives his word, how reliable it is, how reliable God is, and how we must trust what God says. But how often [...]