Matthew 14:13-21 Dear Partner in Preaching, First off, my apologies, as I realize these reflections are nearly useless to you when they come this late in the week. I have not yet found a writing rhythm at my new call to get these out consistently earlier in the week (though it occurred to me if I could double up this weekend I could write on more or less the same schedule except it would be a week ahead – pray for me 🙂 ). In any event, just a few thoughts on this familiar passage: 1) All of this – leaving the retreat he craved to tend to the crowds, healing the sick, feeding the thousands – all of this stems from Jesus’...

John 11:1-45 Dear Partner in Preaching, Once again we’re offered – or faced with, depending on your mood 🙂 – a really, really long story from the Gospel According to John. As with the earlier stories, it can be both helpful and effective to focus on a particular detail to help hearers enter the story as a whole and experience its evangelical force. This week, however, I was struck by the dramatic movement of the story and how following that movement can offer us an opportunity to take stock of, and participate in, God’s ongoing and dynamic action in the life of our congregations. There are, I think, three major movements to this...