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Lectionary Blog

Lectionary blog: The ultimate, not the penultimate

Lectionary blog for Oct. 22 Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost Isaiah 45:1-7; Psalm 96:1-9 (10-13); 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22 Although we often use it as a launching pad for discussions…

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Voices of Faith

Matthew lectionary series: Crumbs from the table

In part three, we noted three of the five women listed in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus—Tamar, Rahab and Ruth. We’ll now consider Jesus’ interaction with the Canaanite woman in Matthew…

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Voices of Faith

Matthew lectionary series: Three faithful foreign women

As is often noted, there are five women mentioned (if not all by name—sorry, Bathsheba) in the Matthew genealogy of Jesus: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary. I want to…

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Voices of Faith

Matthew lectionary series: Soil swept up in movement

In part one, we explored how the four kinds of earth mentioned in the parable of the sower—rocky soil, thorny soil, the path and good soil—are created as a response…

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Voices of Faith

Matthew lectionary series: What is good soil?

We all come from different places. When we read the Bible, we use our own contexts to imagine the scenes in our heads. This can be helpful for personalizing the…

Quickly and cheerfully
Voices of Faith

Quickly and cheerfully

Editor’s note: This article is the fourth in a four-part series exploring the relevance of Martin Luther’s catechism for our lives today. Now that I am staring 50 in the…

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Lectionary Blog

Lectionary blog: Love all; don’t shun some

Lectionary blog for Sept. 10 Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost Ezekiel 33:7-11; Psalm 119:33-40; Romans 13:8-14; Matthew 18:15-20 This text is about learning to love people, even when they don’t particularly…

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Lectionary Blog

Lectionary blog: God’s kingdom includes all

Lectionary blog for Aug. 20 Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost Isaiah 56:1, 6-8; Psalm 67; Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32; Matthew 15: (10-20) 21-28 It’s disconcerting to read about Jesus behaving in what…

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Voices of Faith

How to confess what we have left undone

Editor’s note: This article is the third in a four-part series exploring the relevance of Martin Luther’s catechism for our lives today. “Here reflect on your walk of life in…

Thy kingdom come
Mission & Ministry

Thy kingdom come

What do you expect as you pray the words “your kingdom come” from the Lord’s Prayer? You might be thinking about a blessed promised future in heaven. You might be…