Matthew 22:34-46John 8:31-36Romans 3:19-28 Dear Partner in Preaching, Depending on what day you choose to lift up this Sunday, you have a variety of passages from which to choose. If you’re preaching Sunday as the 21st Sunday after Pentecost (A), you have Matthew’s story of Jesus’ famous declaration that “love the Lord your God” and “love your neighbor” are the chief commandments of Scripture (Mt 22). If you’re observing Reformation Sunday, you have Jesus connection between truth and freedom (Jn 8) and Paul’s lynch-pin discussion of righteousness (Rom 3). So many interesting, intriguing, and at some points...

Luke 18:9-14 Dear Partner in Preaching, I’ll start first with an assertion and then with a question. The assertion: Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector is a far better passage for Reformation Sunday, IMHO of course, than the Gospel normally appointed for the day. So whether you are preaching the passages for Pentecost 20 or Reformation Day, I hope this is helpful. And now the question: Do you know the name Essena O’Neil? By the time Essena, a native of Australia, was eighteen, she had more than 200,000 followers on YouTube and a half million on Instagram. And then she quit. She vacated the social...

John 18:33-37 Dear Partner in Preaching, So much in John’s Gospel turns on questions. Have you ever noticed that? How frequently John records questions, whether from Jesus or the person to whom Jesus is talking. From the first chapter with Nathaniel, through Nicodemus and the woman at the well, including multiple encounters with religious authorities, and all the way up to this passage, Jesus is regularly asking or answering questions. On one level, I suppose this is simply a good narrative technique to advance the plot. Questions offer a good rhetorical foil to move into the subject matter at hand. But at another level, there is something...

If you happen to be in or near the Twin Cities September 30 or October 1, I want to invite you to Mount Olivet Lutheran Church (5025 Knox Ave., Mpls) for several events featuring Dr. Timothy J. Wengert, Emeritus Professor of Reformation History at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. Beyond being a world-renowned Reformation scholar and the author or editor of more than 20 books, Tim is one of the finest teachers in the church today. He was my advisor and mentor while I was a student at LTSP and the most important and influential teacher in my career. If you’re in the neighborhood, I hope you’ll come by. And feel free to...

John 8:31-36 Dear Partner in Preaching, I suspect that the Gospel doesn’t mean very much to the self-made man or woman. Do you know what I mean? We define “Gospel” in a variety of ways – salvation, grace, forgiveness, life, and so on. Today Jesus adds another way to speak of the Gospel – freedom. Good words, all. But the common denominator among them is that they assume need. The one who values salvation knows that he or she needs saving. The one to whom grace is important is aware of the need for grace. Forgiveness implies sin. And so on. No wonder Jesus’ interlocutors are offended. Jesus says, apparently to persons who already...