“For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) The verse above is one which is often quoted. It can be found on bookmarks, as a framed picture, on the front of journals… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: Floods of justice (Amos 1:1-2; 5:14-15, 21-24)
Toward the end of October of this year, the South of Scotland endured some severe rain and flooding. Scots are used to rain but this was toward the extreme end of our tolerance, with fields and town centres filled with water, roads made dangerous, railway bridges closed (just in case) and two foot bridges washed… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: Nap Time (1 Kings 19:1-18)
In these COVID-weary times, this has become a signature scripture for lots of worn-out pastors. Meeting up with Elijah after his big showdown with the prophets of Baal, we find him exhausted. Discouraged. Unable to see that his work is making any difference. Anyone feeling that way about now? Nurses, doctors, teachers, parents, mental health… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: So Many Tangents, So Little Time (1 Kings 5, 8)
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
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