CategorySunday Preview

Weekly previews of the scripture for the upcoming Sunday, with preaching and home devotional questions for your reflection.

Advent 1

Stir up your power, O Lord, and come! In times of peace and plenty we often respond to this week’s apocalyptic readings with surprise and fear, but these days the idea of God tearing open the heavens and coming down may seem like a pretty good deal! We are an advent people, awaiting that time…

Christ the King

On this final Sunday of the church year our gospel is Jesus’ great story of judgment. in the end, the faithful are those who served Christ by ministering to those who are poor, hungry, naked, sick, or estranged. In the first reading God is the shepherd who seeks to the lost, weak, and injured and…

Pentecost 24

Our readings during November speak of the end times. Zephaniah proclaims that the coming day of the Lord will be filled with wrath and distress. Paul says it will come like a thief in the night and urgent us to be awake and sober. Jesus tells the parable of the talents, calling us to use…

Pentecost 23

Today the prophet Amos calls for justice to roll down like waters. Paul urges us to encourage one another with the promised coming of the Lord. Jesus tells the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids. Surrounded by the faithful of every time and place, we celebrate Christ’s coming in our midst in the word…

All Saints’ Day

All Saints celebrates the baptized people of God, living and dead, who are the body of Christ. As November heralds the dying of the landscape in many northern regions, the readings and liturgy call us to remember all who have died in Christ and whose baptism is complete. At the Lord’s table we gather with…

Reformation Sunday

Rooted in the past and growing into the future, the church must always be reformed in order to live out the love of Christ in an ever-changing world. We celebrate the good news of God’s grace, that Jesus Christ sets us free every day to do this life-transforming work. Trusting in the freedom given to…

Pentecost 20

From the visit of Mary to Elizabeth’s house; through the visits of Jesus to Zacchaeus’s house, Mary and Martha’s house, and Levi’s house; to the visit of the risen Christ to Cleopas’s house, Luke’s gospel is a story of God’s hospitality. God is guest and host, and Jesus’ meal fellowship is a proclamation of God’s…

Pentecost 19

In Isaiah we are given a vision of the great feast to come, when God will wipe away death forever. In Jesus’ parable about a great banquet, those invited do not come, so the invitation is extended to others. In our liturgy God spreads a table before us. Even amid anxiety and hardship we rejoice…

Pentecost 18

In this Sunday’s gospel reading, Jesus tells a vineyard parable, which serves as an image of Israel, the prophets’ mission, and Christ’s death. For Christians, the vineyard also speaks of God’s love poured out in the blood of Christ, given to us for the forgiveness of sin. Grafted onto Christ the vine at baptism, we…

Pentecost 17

Jesus’ parable about two sons who don’t do what they say reveals surprises in the reign of God. in the reading from Ezekiel the people claim the ways of the Lord are unfair, while God offers repentance and new life. Paul urges us to look to Christ as a model of humility, putting the interests…