Common Lectionary

Matthew 10:24-39 This lesson from Matthew is a difficult word. Jesus has been instructing His disciples - the Twelve - and notes that there will be coming persecutions for these disciples who also have a mission to accomplish. Jesus also encourages them to have no fear. We will carefully examine the...

Matthew 9:35 - 10:1 Today's lesson follows Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) and Matthew's narration of a variety of Jesus' miracle healings. Here in Matthew, Jesus addresses the mission for disciples. There are two...

Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 "When God bids a man, He bids him 'come and die'." And Bonhoeffer did. He came; and he died. He recognized the hold of God over him as a disciple. There really is no other legitimate way to respond to God. We must recognize His hold over us. God's call comes with consequences...

Genesis 6:9-22; 7:24; 8:14-19 The story of Noah is one of the best known of all the Bible stories. Even after the recent tsunami in the Indian Ocean, one little boy was overheard to comment on Noah and God's promise. Here we are in...

2 Corinthians 13:11-14 It's a new season in the Christian year. We call it Trinity Sunday. We enter into the "season of Trinity". It's that season in the life of the church when we turn to the mission of the church. It is fitting then, that we have a Sunday designated to God who gives the church its purpose....

Acts 2:1-21 I like Sundays with big words: Annunciation, Christmas, Epiphany, Transfiguration, Passion, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. Big words mean big things have happened. Today's big word is Pentecost. It always occurs fifty days after Easter, and it is the celebration of the arrival of...

John 17:1-11 If you could gather in one room all the people who have made a major contribution in your life, what would you like for them to know? What would you tell them? How would you thank them for their interest in you? What would you like for them to say to you? It's an interesting thought, isn't...

Acts 1:1-11 I remember thinking when I was a child about what it would be like without my grandmother. She lived across the road from me, and she had a daily presence in my life. I couldn't imagine what it would be like without her. Essentially, this is...

Acts 17:22-31 Jesus called His followers to be fishers of men. As in any fishing, bait and presentation is everything. What would you think if a fishermen who hadn't caught anything all day told you he had been fishing with strawberries? You would probably say, "Well, duh? You can

Acts 7:54-60 A young English pianist gave his inaugural concert to a full house in a London hall. His music was brilliant, and when he finished, the crowd gave him a long standing ovation. Young and shy, he retreated backstage. The stage manager urged him to return for a bow and an encore, bu