Mark 11:1-11 Mark 15:6-15 Philippians 2:1-11 Dear Partner in Preaching, I am struck by both the cry and confusion of the crowd who witnesses and participates in Jesus’ triumphal entry. “Hosanna,” they cry: “Save us.” Or, depending on how you interpret it, as a cry of anticipation or a cry of adoration, perhaps, “Savior.” In either case, this single word captures the hopes, pleas, dreams, needs, and expectations of a crowd of people who were worn out by occupation, by feeling like strangers in their own land, and who had little day-to-day hope of improving their life or lot. And so they turn to Jesus. I don’t know how many of...

John 12:20-33 Dear Partner in Preaching, I’ll just confess it: I’ve never known quite what to do with this passage. It is, like so many passages in the Fourth Gospel, so symbolically and theologically rich (or, if you’re feeling as I am right now, dense). One thing I do notice however, is a series of interesting inversions. The scene starts with some Greeks wanting to see Jesus. Just what the Greeks represent is not entirely clear, but I tend to think it means that word of Jesus, and simultaneously Jesus’ word of grace, has reached far and wide enough for him to feel confident that this part of his mission is complete and he can now...

John 3:14-21 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Dear Partner in Preaching, We have before us this Sunday one of the most – perhaps the most – iconic verses in Scripture: John 3:16. Similar to approaching the Christmas Eve gospel, the question inevitably becomes, “How do I preach this in a fresh way?” or even, “Is there anything new I can possibly say?” Perhaps one way to approach this question is to not preach on it directly, allowing some of the surrounding verses to take center stage for a change. Or, more importantly, perhaps by...

John 2:13-22   Dear Partner in Preaching, John has something to say and he doesn’t mind messing with the standard story in order to say it. John the Fourth Evangelist, I mean. We are familiar with the story he tells in this week’s Gospel reading – Jesus cleansing the Temple – but if we pay attention we’ll realize he doesn’t just give it his own distinct spin, but actually takes great license with the details, symbolism, and even chronology. And all for a very good reason. Let’s start with chronology. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple comes much later in the story, just after his triumphal entry...

Mark 8:31-38 Dear Partner in Preaching, Some will see in this Sunday’s passage a call to be patient and long-suffering in the just cause, and in this sense to take up one’s cross, and I’m sympathetic to that counsel. Others will hear the promise that all things, even something as awful as the cross, work together, in the words of the Apostle, “for the good of the one who believes” (Rom. 8:28) and so invite us to take up our cross trusting that God is in control, and I’ve seen that counsel provide comfort during difficult times. Still others will ask what things we’ve used to try to save our lives rather than giving ourselves...