Revised Common Lectionary: Blood and Life and Equity

This week’s Revised Common Lectionary Gospel reading should carry a trigger alert for feminine health concerns. And also – what a blessing that a health issue particular to people with uteruses is addressed in Scripture! Moreover, Jesus does not follow the traditional teaching of his religion claiming that the woman who asks for healing is… Read More

The Pastoral is Political: All Day, Everyday!

Warning…this may seem like a rant. However, I feel the need to share my recent experience as an example of why this particular blog space is so vital. Too often, many think of pastor OR prophet.  Sometimes we even describe someone as both pastor AND prophet. I believe that the role and responsibility of prophet… Read More

Narrative Lectionary: the tweenager Jesus (Luke 2:41-52)

The celebration of New Year’s Eve (Hogmany) is a big event in Scotland. However, this year it will be very much curtailed, as were our Christmas and Easter celebrations, along with the festivals of other faiths in 2020. It’s within this very different New Year that we read of Jesus’ family going up to Jerusalem… Read More

Narrative Lectionary: Rituals Then and Now (Luke 2: 21-38)

This week’s lectionary passage, saturated in ritual and tradition, invites us to consider the rituals of our own lives. Read More

Narrative Lectionary: Source of Love

It’s the infamous LOVE text! Read it (maybe for the umpteenth time) here. It is not unfamiliar. This text is often used in wedding and union ceremonies; sometimes ordinations and installations, too. In the Working Preacher Commentary, you can find a historical and contextual glimpse into what might have prompted the Apostle Paul to write these… Read More