John 3:1-17 Dear Partner in Preaching, I find it slightly ironic that this Sunday focuses on, in my humble opinion :), one the worst possible theme for a sermon – the Trinity – and yet features some of the more interesting stories from the New Testament. As for the theme, Trinity Sunday is the only Sunday oriented to church doctrine, and I’ve always found the prospect of offering a sermon on the Trinity not just daunting but downright dicey. Which surprises me a bit, because I’m a huge proponent of using our sermons to teach our folks about our shared faith. But the Trinity? Goodness, who really understands it? And how does a...

John 17:6-19 Dear Partner in Preaching, Just two observations on this complex portion of what we often call “the High Priestly Prayer” when Jesus’ intercedes on behalf of his disciples on the eve of his crucifixion. Both are prompted by the repetition of key words. The first is “world” (kosmos). According to John’s Jesus, the world is not a friendly place. It has rejected Jesus, it poses threats to Jesus’ disciples, and it is something that occasions Jesus’ request that God protect the disciples from it. Although some of John’s theology feels a bit gnostic in its portrayal of a remarkably dispassionate Jesus, I...

John 15:1-8 Dear Partner in Preaching, I will confess right up front that I find preaching from the Farewell Discourses (John 14-16) seriously challenging. The combination of significant metaphor; a palpable sense of, but nevertheless elusive, original context; and strange mixture of promise, exhortation, and warning have always prompted me to walk – and preach – gingerly when tarrying in this particular portion of John’s Gospel. It feels like the Fourth Evangelist was writing to a community in pain, struggling with their identity in relation to former friends and synagogue members and a host of losses and fears that are...

John 10:11-18 It’s Good Shepherd Sunday, Dear Partner in Preaching, which means the text before us is a portion of the “Good Shepherd Discourse” found in John 10. This long address follows, and is actually a narrative extension of, the healing of the man born blind in John 9. In light of the failure and spiritual blindness of religious authorities who condemn the healing of a man sightless from birth, Jesus offers himself as a counter example, picking up a theme that runs throughout the Old Testament of God’s good shepherds contrasted with leaders who shirk their responsibility and fail to care for God’s people. This year, we...

Luke 24:36b-48 Dear Partner in Preaching, It’s been a while since I’ve been able to post. A combination of my own work as a pastor and preacher at Mount Olivet, trying to navigate re-opening as conditions improve (and then worsen again), and the fact that we have opted for a more narrative approach to the lectionary have all conspired against posting as regularly as I would like. I am hoping to resume this discipline and dialogue with you but will make no promises. 🙂 For today, a few thoughts on Luke’s continuing story of Jesus post-resurrection appearances. The plural is key, as it is “appearances.” Luke offers by...

Mark 1:29-39 Dear Partner in Preaching, True confessions: I have no idea whether this will help with your Sunday sermon this week, but… this is what I found most interesting, and I do think it bears on our common calling as pastors and preachers. First off… who knew Peter was married? Well, maybe you and I did, but I’m guessing that just about nobody in the congregation you’ll preach for this Sunday knew that Peter has a mother-in-law which, by implication, means he was married. J  Why does this matter? I kind of think most of our folks – and, truth be told, most of us – tend to think of the disciples as,...

Mark 1:21-28 Dear Partner in Preaching, I find it amazing that we’re already drawing to the close of the first month of 2021! And, I have to say, thus far it hasn’t been quite the year many of us anticipated: violent insurrection, a second impeachment, and a muted if hopeful inauguration (oh my!), not to mention virus variants and a slower-than-anticipated vaccination rollout. All of this and more has contributed to a bit of a sense of disappointment thus far in the new year. Yes, I know, “the new year” is just an arbitrary designation, but most of us still place some stock in it, if even just emotionally, a phenomenon that...

Mark 1:14-20 Dear Working Preacher, I still remember learning the meaning of “kairos” my first year in seminary. It was such a cool and compact lesson in the difference that knowing even just a little bit of Greek made. You likely remember that as well. Chronos – root of “chronological” – as the steady, even relentless beat of the time that marks our days, our work, our waiting and watching, contrasted with Kairos, the special, even royal time of God’s intervention into human affairs. The time when chronos is interrupted by promise, presence, and fulfillment. And speaking of fulfillment, “pleroma” was...

John 1:43-51 Dear Partner in Preaching, There’s a lot of “finding” in John’s quirky account of the calling of Jesus’ disciples. Jesus finds Philip. Philip finds Nathaniel. Philip then tells Nathaniel that they have found Jesus. And then Nathaniel finds (although the word isn’t used here) that Jesus knows a lot more about him than he’d imagined. This has all gotten me to thinking that one of the best feelings in the world is when you are found. Do you know what I mean? Maybe it’s the delight of the child playing hide and seek who, though having put some thought and effort into his or her hiding place, is nevertheless...

Mark 1:4-11 Dear Partner in Preaching, I’m sorry for the late post. It’s been a week, as I know it has been for you. So… very briefly, just a couple of thoughts for Sunday. I wonder how our folks will hear the story of Jesus’ baptism. In particular, I wonder if it will occur to them what an odd thing it is that Jesus is getting baptized. As you’ll remember, this was a huge question and challenge, and even a problem, in the early church. Why, after all, does the sinless Son of God need a baptism for forgiveness? These stories were among the verses Arius and his followers used to show that Jesus wasn’t the “truly God”...