Common Lectionary

1 Corinthians 12:1-11 Someone said that a camel is how a horse would turn out if it were designed by a church committee. We could even look at our text and say, "An idol is what a god would look like if it were designed by a committee of humans." In that sense, we can praise Go

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 A wealthy businessman’s spoiled, over-indulged only son came home from college to begin working in his father’s large manufacturing company. The employees wondered if the f... Continue Reading...

2 Samuel 23:1-7 Pancho Villa, the Mexican revolutionary, who died in 1923, said, "Don't let it end like this. Tell them I said something." If you had the chance to reflect on what your last words would be, what would you say? It's not known if these were the last words

Hebrews 10:11-25 These three Sundays leading to Thanksgiving have focused on the work of Christ at the cross to forgive and cleanse us of sin and obtain our eternal redemption. Many would say, using a movie title from a few years ago, "Heaven Can Wait." Christians have been acc

Hebrews 9:24-28 A car accident occurred in the small town where I was a pastor. A mother and three children from out-of-town were injured and taken to the emergency room. I was called to the hospital and asked to wait with the nine-year-old daughter. I tried to calm her and give assurance

Hebrews 9:11-14 In November our thoughts turn toward Thanksgiving and the celebration of our many blessings. We tend to express thanksgiving for blessings that we can taste or touch, exalting the temporal rather than the eternal. The problem is ancient, reflected in the book of Hebrews in the c

Luke 2:41-52 Recently, I was watching the television game show "The Family Feud." In this particular episode, contestants were asked: "Name a place where you can count on to find your spouse?" The implication is that we all have places where others can ordinarily fi

Luke 1:39-55 We've all heard or even made promises that never came to fruition. For example, we've listened to the sales person at the hardware store tells us that the car battery we are about to purchase will last ten years, only to have it die in ten months. Perhaps we'

Philippians 4:4-7 A stressed person is much like a stressed lawn. No longer healthy and alive they begin to resemble a walking corpse. Maybe some vestiges of life remain underneath, but to the watching world, the stressed person is unhealthy and dying. Sitting in a jail cell in a prison

Philippians 1:3-11 Do you ever wish you were like Robinson Crusoe, living alone on a desert island away from difficult people? Would that be paradise to you? The apostle Paul came to realize his need for other people. When Paul came into a relationship with the person of Christ, he mov