It is striking that the psalm appointed as the response to the reading from Acts 16 is appointed also for the morning of Christmas Day. One of the gifts of the lectionary is that a biblical text wears different vestments depending on when it is shows up for Christian worship. Thus those preparing to preach need to attend not only to biblical commentaries but also to liturgical unfolding of scripture and theology in the assembly.
Easter | Seventh Sunday of Easter (Year C)
Acts 16:16-34 (Psalm 97); Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21; John 17:20-26
The reading from Revelation 22 concludes the book’s resurrection songs: the baptized enjoy the fruits of the tree of life. But the tree is not merely one of the countless archetypal trees that religions and cultures everywhere have imagined.
by Gail Ramshaw
April 19, 2016
The Bible's images for God must be taken in an analogical sense. Yet the Bible exhibits no anxiety about using them.
April 29, 2015
The Gideon Bible treats the Bible as comfort food. But a diet of the Bible consists of conflict and confrontation.
by Rodney Clapp
December 7, 2012