Galatians 3:1-9, 23-29 Those of us using the Narrative Lectionary get to preach from Galatians yet again this week! With the Revised Common Lectionary, you can always choose the Gospel reading, or the Hebrew Scripture, or even the Psalm when passages like this show up. But with our beloved NL, there’s nowhere else to turn.… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: Do This, Not That (Galatians 1:13-17; 2:11-21)
The church I serve is full of delightful people with a love for the world, and they find great solace in policies. Binders. Manuals. Rules. What makes me itch makes them feel secure. Looking back two thousand years, I can imagine that the churches in Galatia, once Paul left them, wanted the security of a… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: O joy! A meeting! (Acts 15:1-18)
I must say that my first reaction to the inclusion of this reading in the Narrative Lectionary was one of doubt and trepidation. Would Sunday’s sermon turn out to be little more than an intellectual exercise lacking any application to the life and faith of my congregation? However, thanks be to God, some thoughts are… Read More
NARRATIVE LECTIONARY: No Reason Not to!!!
Sermon ideas for Sunday April 25, 2021: Acts 8: 26 – 39 Philip baptizing the Eunuch from Ethiopia is a short part of Acts that is packed full of preach-able moments. What I love most about this story is that moment in verse 37 when the eunuch says “What is to prevent me from… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: Which Prophets Are We Stoning?
Sermon Prep for Acts 6:1 – 7:2a, 44-60 (Sunday April 18, 2021) In our scripture for the week, we hear the story of the calling of Stephen, and in the process, are faced with the reality that we have been stoning our leaders since the very beginning of the early Church. What is it about… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: Dinner Time (Luke 24:13-35)
One of the many things I love about being an aunt is seeing how my brothers reappear in their kids. A certain laugh, or a way of thinking, or the rebellious choices my nephews and niece make all evoke my brothers in earlier stages of life. I find my parents in their physical gestures, too,… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: Perplexed, Afraid, and Amazed (Luke 24:1-12)
Luke 24:1-12 is just the beginning of the story. The Word is told, it is shared, before it is experienced. It is heard before it is understood. Jesus’ followers have been told the Good News; and shortly they will see and experience the resurrected Jesus themselves. They have been telling Good News and soon they will be living into (but not solving) the mystery of the resurrected life, of new life. Read More
Narrative Lectionary: What, no palm branches? (Luke 19:28-44)
In times gone by, my usual practice would have been to allow the liturgy and hymns, the marching with palm leaves and the singing of “Hosanna”, to speak most loudly on Palm Sunday. However, in their absence (due to Covid restrictions this year), there is both a need and an opportunity to take a closer… Read More
NARRATIVE LECTIONARY: Zacchaeus and the Blind Man
A reflection on Luke 18:31 – 19:10 for March 21, 2021, 5th Sunday of Lent In this triplet of scripture stories, we get the disciples misunderstanding Jesus’ fulfillment of prophecy (what’s new, right?) followed by a juxtaposition of two stories about two men on opposite ends of the societal spectrum, both seeking out Jesus for… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: Lost and Found (Luke 15:1-32)
When my daughter was in middle school, she was torn between her natural thriftiness and a longing for the “it” lunch bag. In a storm of middle school angst, we talked about this dilemma day after day, until one day it solved itself. The longed-for lunch bag appeared in the school lost and found. It… Read More
