This week’s readings are 1 Kings 5:1-5 and 1 Kings 8:1-13. We’ve skipped over the entire reign of David (which, honestly, is fine by me) and are now reading about the dedication of Solomon’s Temple. Of course, it is not really Solomon’s Temple, it is God’s Temple. Though reading through the full narrative here, from… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: The Tragically Flawed Hero
Sermon ideas for 1 Samuel 16: 1-13 (The Anointing of David) With the October 1 release of The Many Saints of Newark (2021) – IMDb we are once again reminded of the beauty of the Tragically Flawed Hero. And just as the long-awaited Sopranos prequel locates Tony as the young adult poised to be anointed… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: Listening to God (1 Samuel 3)
Well, Narrative Lectionary preaching friends, so much for Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, and Ruth; we’re jumping right into 1 Samuel! This Sunday is our one chance to talk about the period of the judges before we find ourselves in the monarchy next week. It’s likely that many people in your congregation will be familiar… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: Let’s Eat! (Exodus 16:1-18)
Manna looks like a simple fix for a simple complaint. Still, as always, God is up to something bigger. It looks like food, and it’s really the taste of freedom. These COVID days have sparked a lot of conversation about technical vs. adaptive change in the church. We often fail to recognize adaptive challenges, which… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: Not Me, God! The Call of Moses (Exodus 2:23-3:15; 4:10-17)
Do you hear it? The cry of the oppressed? It would be easy to miss in our rush to get to the story of the call of Moses, but we must ensure that, first of all, we hear the cry of the suffering Hebrew people kept as slaves by the Egyptian Pharaoh (Exodus 2:23). The… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: Wrestling with Blessings
Reflections on Genesis 27: 1-4, 15-23 and Genesis 28: 10-17 For me, there are stark parallels between the story of Jacob and Esau, and the state of America’s divided nation. The rivalry of brothers can affect nations. So it was with the nation of Israel. So it is with nations today. For a deeper dive… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: The Story We Can’t Avoid Forever (Genesis 21:1-3; 22:1-14)
I was so excited to start a new cycle of the Narrative Lectionary last week! I love that the NL focuses in on one passage (compared to the RCL’s four), so there’s no hemming and hawing and spending half of my week just trying to decide which scripture to preach. Or rather, I loved that… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: Beginnings (Genesis 1:1-2:4a)
“September is another January,” writer Gretchen Rubin says often, conveying the feeling of a new start in September. In the U.S., where I live, school is starting, and students, aides and teachers are back to in-person learning in many places. This year, the beginning also feels dangerous, with COVID still hovering. Churches shift to fuller… Read More
11th Hour Preacher Party Sept. 5, 2021 Lectionary 23/Proper 18/15th Sunday after Pentecost
Rev Gals and Pals, School is back in session in my part of the world and I imagine the young people I know gladly said goodbye to summer vacation this morning as they boarded the bus more than ready to get back in the classroom with their friends; today, as these children were held in… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: Six Weeks of Summer in the Psalms
The Narrative Lectionary runs each year from September to Pentecost which means that the summer break can be spent preaching on other things. One option this year is to spend 6 weeks in the Book of Psalms. We don’t often preach the psalms, usually preferring to sing them instead. In my tradition, we sing many… Read More
