Here and now
Fifth Sunday of Lent – April 6, 2025 Last Sunday’s backstory of the Israelites crossing the Jordan River as they had once done at the Red Sea is a good lead-in to today’s first reading. But it also seems to … Read More
Rock bottom
Fourth Sunday of Lent – Mar 30, 2025 Led by Joshua, successor to Moses, and following the Ark of the Covenant, the Israelites finally arrive at the banks of the Jordan. Forty years earlier, they also stood on a shoreline … Read More
Give attention
Third Sunday of Lent – Mar 23, 2025 Burning bushes and barren fig trees, a call to lead and a call to repent. The connection between today’s first reading and its paired Gospel passage isn’t immediately obvious. Perhaps that is … Read More
Clouded Vision
Second Sunday of Lent – Mar 16, 2025 In his commentary on this passage (workingpreacher.com), biblical scholar Justin Michael Reed highlights a bias revealed in the omitted verses from today’s Genesis pericope. The catalyst for God’s promise to Abram of … Read More
On the precipice of new life
First Sunday of Lent – Mar 9, 2025 Some biblical scholars describe today’s passage from Deuteronomy as an early historical creed. Standing at the edge of the promised land, Moses teaches the Israelites the rituals that will help them remember … Read More
Rich in kindness
Ash Wednesday – Mar 5, 2025 Leadership gurus say that if you want to inspire change, “start with why.” Why is it important? Why does it matter? Why should anyone care? In today’s first reading, the prophet Joel lays out … Read More
We are Loved and Longed For
The Fifth Sunday of Lent – March 10, 2024 Today’s first reading continues our Lenten journey of restoration. The prophet Jeremiah’s writing focuses mostly on Judah’s faithlessness and exile. But this part, called the “Book of Comfort” (chapters 30–33), describes … Read More
Called home
The Fourth Sunday of Lent – March 10, 2024 The final section of today’s first reading is the Emperor of Persia’s decree allowing the exiled Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild their temple. After years of rule by … Read More
Let the Year A readings speak
The Third Sunday of Lent – March 3, 2024 “Why can’t we use Year B or C readings for the Scrutinies? We’ve written prayers to fit so the assembly wouldn’t miss out on them.” I hear this every time we’re … Read More
So that reason may give way
The Second Sunday of Lent – February 25, 2024 In the Sunday Lectionary, the first reading is meant to complement the Gospel pericope. Why then is the Transfiguration paired with the testing of Abraham? Both are “terrifying” in different ways. … Read More