Matthew’s Beatitudes are meant to give comfort, not to challenge.
Living by the Word
Reflections on the lectionary readings by pastors, preachers, and biblical scholars
Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. Some rights reserved by Abdallah A. Mansour.
Jesus’ call is less about what we leave behind than our eager response to follow him as everyday people.
What do we do when we read a story where the ending is already known?
Jesus knows he’s part of a history, a people’s longing and dreams.
Genealogies suggest a beautiful inevitability even amid political impossibility.
Matthew connects Jesus to the overarching narrative of the Jewish people—as well as to the smaller story of Matthew’s immediate community.
Preachers who value their pulpit would be wise to avoid Isaiah 9 this Christmas Eve.
In Luke, Mary says that she’s a virgin. Do I believe her?
In his response to John, Jesus speaks of hope in the present tense.
In the stitched-together story of Advent, we wrestle with each other’s certainties.
It’s troubling to imagine the Son of man arriving with criminal intent.
The unfaithful shepherd sniffs out and stirs up fear, fragmenting communities.
Jesus’ hearers are well-acquainted with calamity and crisis.
Resurrection is where God is—across generations, across circumstances.
Jesus mourns a human existence unconcerned with the needs of the whole.
