In the Lectionary

Matthew 3:13–17

If people can approach the faith without thinking they already know what it is, they might hear the good news for themselves.

What troubles me about the holy family's flight to Egypt is that God, in Jesus, runs away.

We don't need to explain logos theology; we need to bear witness to Jesus coming into our world.

Our busyness at Christmas hides God's busyness for us—but Luke's Gospel reveals it.

Matthew's geneaology underscores that God has always worked through messy and broken families.

Jesus' ministry is not what John the Baptist expected it to be.

The Bible uses the word fear both for fright and awe. This week's texts reveal the difference.

While we're preparing for Jesus' birth, these texts talk about getting ready for the Second Coming.

Luke's text for Reign of Christ Sunday is a searing critique of leaders who are powerful but not vulnerable.

I'd left the practice of testimony in my childhood church. Then I learned why Luke suggests it when your world is falling apart.

A retired colonel taught me about the courage it takes to love our enemies.

Zacchaeus's daily life as a tax collector was reduced to the symptoms of his society's sickness.

Nations as well as individuals need to look in the moral mirror in order to stop deceiving ourselves.

Maybe the parable of the persistent widow isn't about God. Maybe it's about us.

When I read this week's Gospel, I remember two lepers I saw at a train station in India—how alone they were.

I'm more than a bit smitten with the image of rekindling the gift of God within us.

Luke's story of the rich man and Lazarus is full of vivid details. Which makes you cringe the most?

What is Jesus thinking when he tells the parable of the dishonest steward?

James calls Abraham a “friend of God.” In this week’s reading from Exodus, Moses presumes upon a similar divine friendship to offer God advice.