Tag: lectionary
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The Spirit and the Letter
Romans 7:1-6 – 7/2/2026 Now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we are enslaved in the newness of the [spirit] and not in the oldness of the [letter]. Romans 7:6 (NRSVue with my translation correction) One of the themes of Paul’s letter to the Romans, one…
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A Polyvocal Scripture
Jeremiah 18:1-11 – 7/1/2026 Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. Jeremiah 18:6 (NRSVue) Jeremiah’s words of prophecy indicate a God of will, a God…
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Testing Spirits and the Weight of Choice
1 John 4:1-6 – 6/30/2026 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1 (NRSVue) One of the distinctive features of the New Testament writings that bear John’s name is an emphasis on God’s…
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When You Were Younger…
John 21:15-19 – 6/29/2026 – The Feast of Apostles Peter and Paul, Martyrs Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you…
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Service Is its Own Reward
Matthew 10:40-42 – 6/28/2028 – The Fifth Sunday After Pentecost Whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward. Matthew 10:42 (NRSVue) This is perhaps one of my favorite verses of Scripture. It points…
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Love More Important than Moral Perfection
Luke 17:1-4 – 6/27/2026 Jesus said to his disciples, “Occasions for [stumbling] are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones…
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The Duty to Feast
Psalm 89 – 6/26/2026 Happy are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance. Psalm 89:15 (NRSVue) Today’s Psalm (specifically 89:15), as it is translated in the NRSVue, reminds me of something I read a couple of years ago in one of the Ancient Church orders,…
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Faith Works through Love
Galatians 5:2-6 – 6/25/2026 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love. Galatians 5:6 There is a caricature of Paul, especially among Lutherans and other Protestants, that in emphasizing faith alone as justifying and necessary for salvation, he leaves no room for…
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How Not to Read Scripture
Jeremiah 26:1-12 – 6/23/2026 It may be that they will listen and will turn from their evil way, that I may change my mind about the disaster that I intend to bring on them because of their evil doings. Jeremiah 26:3 (NRSVue) Though there are many ways to read scripture, some of those interpretive frameworks…
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Lost in Translation
Micah 7:1-7 – 6/22/2026 Their hands are skilled to do evil; the official and the judge ask for a bribe, and the powerful dictate what they desire; thus they [weave it]. Micah 7:7 (NRSVue, alternate translation) I like the NRSV and its updated edition that came out recently. The translation is scholarly and readable in…
Dionysus on a Bike 