Ought Not
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost: Epistle, James 3:1-12 James 3:1-12 Our Old Testament lesson for the week put on display for us the “overlap” of God’s speech and that of His servants the prophets. Our epistle for the...
One and the Same
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost: Old Testament, Isaiah 50:4-10 Isaiah 50:4-10 When I took a class on Old Testament prophets in seminary, my professor emphasized that in our reading of the prophets we should come away with the sense that sometimes it’s hard to know who’s...
Making Things Right
Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Gospel, Mark 7:24-37 Mark 7:24-37 Jesus loves the little children. And I am equally thankful that Jesus loves those a bit further down the road; we “older children.” Jesus, in our reading this week, brings His healing power to bear on two in need...
Change of Heart
Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Epistle, James 2:1-10, 14-18 James 2:1-10, 14-18 James is tricky. Judgment is tricky. Heaven’s sake, being a Christian is tricky. To those of us who claim legacy from the Reformation, especially the Lutheran stripe of it, James can be troublesome. But...
This World Knows Nothing
Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Old Testament, Isaiah 35:4-7a Isaiah 35:4-7a Lots of clamor in my country these days. Politics. Surface ideas. Human greed and deep incompetence have a lock on nearly every issue brought to the fore. And somehow in the...
Breathe Out Breathe In
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Gospel, Mark 7:14-23 Mark 7:14-23 Classic Jesus! What in the world does that mean? Well, two things. First, Jesus speaks of the condition of the human heart quite a bit. And second, in His divine diagnoses He is always honest to speak to us the truth...
Tears
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Psalm, Psalm 119:129-136 Psalm 119:129-136 The longest chapter in the Bible is pretty well-known. And its subject matter is appropriate to the length. Psalm 119 is a rejoicing in the law of the LORD. And all facets of the law are expounded. Better here to...
Good Forgetters
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Old Testament, Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-9 Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-9 Each time I open the book of Deuteronomy I think, “Oh, I need to spend more time here.” It is a wonderful collection of, not just sermons by...
The Genuine Article
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Gospel, Mark 7:1-13 Mark 7:1-13 Whenever people begin to add things to the Bible-and I’m writing about moral demands-we need to run the other direction. Why? Because whenever...
An Uncomfortable Verdict
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Psalms, Psalm 14 Psalm 14 Oh boy! Here we find words of our God that come to the point quickly, no apologies, and no place for backtalk. God labels us as fools. We are lazy, says the King. We are by...
