Sunday’s Coming
Monday lectionary email, archived here on Friday
Going away and coming closer (John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15)
How could it be better for Jesus to go away?
Divine testimony in our hearts (1 John 5:9-13)
According to 1 John, we have received more than mere mortal attestation.
Jesus in the clouds (Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:15-23)
Is there anything more embarrassing than believing in a three-story universe?
An imperative to praise (Psalm 98)
The psalmist is bossy: “Sing to the Lord a new song.”
On watch (Acts 8:26-40; Psalm 22:25-31; 1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8)
Fruitful ministry becomes sustainable when it is shared, person to person and generation to generation.
Psalm 23 in conversation (Acts 4:5-12; Psalm 23; 1 John 3:16-24; John 10:11-18)
This familiar text takes on new dimensions when read in tandem with this week’s epistle and gospel texts.
Love without end (1 John 3:1-7)
The idea that God loves us seems so simple.
Resurrection life (Acts 4:32-35)
Maybe Easter is about not theory but practice.
Confronting difference in a spirit of peace (John 12:12-16)
Jesus’ last week in Jerusalem is full of confrontation.
We would see Jesus (John 12:20-33)
This is a fearful time, especially for those who are being targeted by some of the currents of our cultural wars.
Third group
Good news that doesn’t fit on a sign (John 3:14-21)
What has always interested me about the John 3:16 signs is the singular focus.
Third spaces and more (John 2:13-22)
Churches often live in an uneasy relationship with their property.
A lament psalm without lament (Psalm 22:23-31; Mark 8:31-38)
Lament psalms typically move to trust at some point, but reading only those verses feels strange in Lent.
John the Baptist is for Lent (Mark 1:9-15)
Not just Advent
Ashes together (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21)
Praying in community is often more powerful than praying “in secret.”
Ignorant of the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:3-6)
Sometimes it seems like the believers are the ones for whom the gospel is veiled.