Sunday’s Coming
Monday lectionary email, archived here on Friday
Separation of powers (Genesis 11:1-9)
In a mainline church, the pastor tends to have limited unilateral power.
Liberated and vulnerable (Acts 16:16-34)
Like the characters in Acts 16, we are imprisoned to power structures.
He isn’t here, he’s everywhere (Acts 1:1-11)
The disciples’ wonder and confusion at Jesus’ ascension is a comfort to us.
Divine visions? (Acts 16:9-15)
Dominant Western cultures tend to downplay the significance of dreams. The Bible does not.
Ways to love one another (John 13:31-35)
Turns out there are a lot of them.
Lamb power (Revelation 7:9-17; John 10:22-30)
Just when victory should be a show of power, the vulnerable lamb appears, standing as if slain.
A throne without a king (Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19)
In Revelation, Jesus is the Weird Barbie of lambs.
Faithful Thomas (John 20:19-31)
Christianity in India goes back to the ancient world.
An unimaginable outcome (Isaiah 65:17-25; Luke 24:1-12)
The disciples can barely believe that Jesus is dead, let alone that he has been raised to life once more.
Humanity at its best and worst (John 18:1-19:42)
On Good Friday, Jesus turns the power of the state on its head.
Barefoot and vulnerable (John 13:1-17, 31b-35)
Being a part of a community requires allowing others to care for us, even the parts we hope to keep hidden.
A weathered stone (Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; Psalm 31:9-16)
Perhaps the psalmist is referring to limestone, important to ancient civilizations for construction and also as an agricultural and dietary aid.
We are dreamers (Psalm 126)
Dreams inhabit untamed psychological, emotional, and spiritual terrain.
Contrition in its many forms (Psalm 32; Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32)
The prodigal’s return looks more like a strategy than a wholehearted conversion.
Come to the table (Isaiah 55:1-9)
Isaiah comes to the rescue with a word of the Lord.
Heavenly minded (Philippians 3:17–4:1)
Our prevailing practical wisdom to focus on the here and now cuts sharply against the grain of Paul’s advice.