Lamb
“Behold, the Lamb of God” John says twice in the RCL. Who is this Lamb of God?

Here we are in the first short section of Ordinary Time or the Season After Epiphany. The hoopla of big feast days is well and truly over. Are you following Jesus through these days of ordinary time? Are you doing a short series before Lent is upon us? Will you ordain and install officers? Are we coming up on Annual Meeting days?

If you’re in the RCL, after Matthew’s Baptism of Jesus last week we have… wait for it… John’s Baptism of Jesus + the calling of the first disciples. You can read a discussion of these Call Texts here. The Narrative Lectionary has a slew of parables from Mark including mustard seeds, sowers, and lamps under bushels. That discussion can be found here.

We are here to listen, to work together, to help one another. Let us know what you are thinking. Ask questions. Offer suggestions and sustenance.

I’m preaching at my place this week, so I will be around working on a sermon and an annual report (struggling to remember last year).

Wendy Lamb works as a commissioned pastor in a Presbyterian Church (USA) in Southern California and teaches college English classes at a local community college. She occasionally blogs at Bookgirl.

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17 thoughts on “11th Hour Preacher Party: Come and See”

  1. Several weeks ago I looked at Psalm 40 and thought–aha! I will preach a sermon about mental illness and health. Mental illness touches just about every family in our congregation, and they are wonderfully free of stigma or shame about it. I think a sermon about spiritual aspects of it–God is with us, even when we’re in the pit–has the potential to be powerful. That’s still the plan. It just needs to be carried out.

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    1. What a great attitude for your congregation. I’m glad you have this opportunity to talk about such an important topic. Blessings on the carrying it out part. –Wendy

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      1. Thank you. I’ve just received a text that makes it all the more important–a death by suicide this week in the extended family of one of our members.

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    1. First things first. Perhaps the women’s march will spur on the sermon.
      I offered to make a vegetarian soup for Session this week. I was planning a butternut squash/coconut milk recipe I have, but this one might be even better. Thanks.
      –Wendy

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    2. This soup looks delicious (and I was thinking of those TJs bags of cut up squash…doing it myself ensures I’ll never make a recipe again). Made cookies yesterday from a recipe on this same site; obviously a place to explore. Now. Rather than writing my sermon.

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  3. Marci, the recipe looks yummy, now to keep it for winter.
    this week i ma behind on the NL, looking at Mark chapter 2, also including an introduction to Mark using the poster form Bible Project. I crop and enlarge sections for the PPT. i am thinking of the questions and challenges that Jesus had, and the way he reshaped how faith was lived out. not that rules didn’t exist, but compassion was a strong part of his ministry.
    it is 6.30 pm pm Saturday, so time to get dinner, pasta, then write the sermon.

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    1. I like this a lot Patty. As one who bristles and immediately wants to disobey when I’m told I can’t, I appreciate your reframing of sabbath and religion itself. —Wendy

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  5. The sermon fairy visited on Thursday and I just finished tweaking. In many ways, I am still recovering from Advent/Christmas. I am preaching 1 Corinthians and the title is “You’ve Got Mail.” Totally focusing on the upbeat message that you have all you need…now. About half way through, someone will come running up the aisle, waving a letter…We’ve got mail…we’ve got mail.” I wrote a letter to the church, as if from Paul, reminding them of all the ways they have what they already need.” During the children’s time (if we have any…4 day school holiday) they will get a fill-in-the blank letter to God from them. It might be time for a movie at the theater today. Time will tell. Blessings to all.

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  7. Since we have a funeral on Monday for a beloved patriarch of the congregation, I have been working on that sermon this week, too. So I rewrote my sermon on John 1 from six years ago for tomorrow. It actually works beautifully with our theme for the year: see, show, & share Jesus. Just as John the Baptist first saw Jesus, then showed Jesus to his disciples, and finally shared the story of his own encounter, we are called to do the same. For the children’s message, I baked a huge batch of ginger snaps (my favorite Christmas cookie). I will “see/show/share” them with the kids, and invite them to do the same with the congregation. Some people will decline and that’s okay. We can’t force Jesus on anyone. I expect attendance to be low because of the weather, so I will offer a few freshly baked ginger snaps to the virtual table here.

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