Sunday of the Passion: Old Testament, Zechariah 9:9-12 Zechariah 9:9-12 The human heroes of the Bible are nearly always showcased in unheroic ways. And all of them are sinners so that even at their best they are immensely flawed. But the hero of the Scriptures, our...
Fifth Sunday in Lent: Gospel, Mark 10:35-45 Mark 10:35-45 So much conveyed in this narrative. A “pregnant passage” without question. James and John, some of the founding members of the...
Lent 5: Epistle, Hebrews 5:1-10 Hebrews 5:1-10 We use it as a figure of speech denoting when someone finds their niche or even “gets in the groove.” To “come into his or her own” means that the...
Lent 5: Old Testament, Jeremiah 31:31-34 Jeremiah 31:31-34 “We are saved by a relationship with One who is God.” So spoke my dear professor and mentor, Dr. John G. Mitchell at Multnomah Biblical Seminary in Portland, Oregon. I graduated in 1986 so as you can...
Lent 4: Gospel, John 3:14-21 John 3:14-21 Nicodemus, the “teacher of Israel” comes to our Lord at night. Darkness is a good blanket. Paul, later in the New Testament even reminds us that folks...
Lent 4: Epistle, Ephesians 2:1-10 Ephesians 2:1-10 This coming Sunday’s epistle lesson includes verses among the most quoted by Christians, and always lovingly by Lutherans, in particular. “For by grace you have been saved, through faith...
Lent 4: Old Testament, Numbers 21:4-9 Numbers 21:4-9 “But you promised.” I wonder how often those words have been spoken in human history. They are spoken with disappointment and sometimes even in anger when a promise made is not kept. Think of...
Lent 3: Gospel, John 2:23-25 John 2:23-25 This week’s gospel has an additional tag or extension to the reading and I’m going to focus on that. It comes on the tail of Jesus...
Lent 3: Epistle, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 Lots of people like to talk. Nearly as many like to hear themselves talk. It’s probably safe to say that it has always been that...
Lent 3: Old Testament, Exodus 20:1-17 Exodus 20:1-17 Exodus chapter twenty is one of the “Biggies” in the Bible. Yes, I know it’s all inspired and that makes all of it...
