Acts 5:27-32 What It’s About: Of the four gospels in the New Testament canon, only Luke gives us something of the life of the Jesus movement beyond the resurrection and the ascension. Luke’s second volume, The Acts of the Apostles, is just that–a record of the deeds and doings of the apostles. The first part of the book concerns the Jerusalem church in the aftermath of the crucifixion, and the second half concerns Paul and his ministry. This scene from chapter... Read more

There are lots of choices this week–which makes sense, because it’s a pretty big day in the life of the church. You have options at every point of the lectionary–in the text that is traditionally from the Hebrew Bible (which is supplemented with an Acts passage), the text that is traditionally from the epistle (ditto, with the same Acts passage), and the gospel text, which has a Luke/John choose-your-own-adventure component. I’ll try to give a sense of these various options... Read more

There are two ways to go on the Sunday before Easter. One is to celebrate Palm Sunday, which marks Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the adoration of the crowds who greeted him there. The other is to recognize Passion Sunday, which tells the story of Jesus’ arrest, trials, and crucifixion. Although some congregations try to harmonize these two options, or fit them into one service, they really represent two very distinct narrative moments, and liturgically speaking they are difficult... Read more

Isaiah 43:16-21 What It’s About: This is a recapitulation of the exodus from Egypt–a remembering of God’s acts of salvation in the past. At the same time, it points to God’s salvation in the present–the present of the writer of this part of Isaiah. Just like when God led the people of Israel out of Egypt, God will lead the exiles back from Babylon to the land they call home. The Christian use of this passage (and many others from Isaiah)... Read more

Joshua 5:9-12 What It’s About: This is the story of the first passover celebrated after leaving Egypt, in the land of Canaan. It’s a sparsely narrated affair, with few details, but it marks a kind of symbolic turning point in the story. Provisions of manna cease at that moment, and the Israelites began to live off the land. What It’s Really About: This story helps to make a bridge between two major parts of the story of Israel. One part–the captivity in... Read more

Isaiah 55:1-9 What It’s About: I see in this passage two major focus points: the present and the future. In the present, this passage is speaking to people have been decimated economically and socially, and it is inviting them into a kind of bounty that must have felt miraculous. In the future, it is pointing toward a covenantal relationship between the people and God, one that harkens back to and in some ways depends on David. These two dimensions, the present and... Read more

  Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 What It’s About: This is God’s covenant with Abraham (nee Abram), which promised Abraham that his descendants would number like the stars of the heavens. This is a pivotal moment in the history of the Israelite people; it is the founding instant of the people, in some ways. You can sense the resignation and weariness of Abraham; he doesn’t expect that he will amount to much. That heightens the promise, and dramatizes the results, that God is... Read more

  Deuteronomy 26:1-11 What It’s About: This passage operates on several levels. It’s an institution of a kind of tithing system, in which the first fruits are given to God. But it’s also a recitation of salvation history, giving an account of God’s mercy and provision to the people. In that way, it is somewhat exclusive, as we will discuss below. But, in verse 11, it opens out again, taking into account the “aliens who reside among you” and not simply... Read more

  Exodus 34:29-35 What It’s About: This Sunday is Transfiguration Sunday, and so the Hebrew Bible text for the day harkens back to a comparable event from Exodus: Moses descending Mount Sinai after receiving the law. Matthew, in particular, draws a strong connection between the life of Moses and the life of Jesus, but the transfiguration story is present in all of the synoptic gospels. This story from Exodus is a pretty interesting one, because it gives us some insight into... Read more

  Jeremiah 1:4-10 What It’s About: This is Jeremiah’s call story, where God comes to him and appoints him as a prophet. As is somewhat traditional when someone is called by God in the Hebrew Bible, Jeremiah protests his unworthiness. People like Moses protest their lack of skills, and people like Jonah protest their lack of interest. And just like Moses and Jonah, Jeremiah’s objections are steamrolled by an insistent deity, who sends the prophet out no matter what faults he... Read more