Readings and Reflections for the Twenty Second Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 53:4-12 Hebrews 5:1-10 Mark 10:35-45 Dear Friends, The prophet Isaiah describes a person who is struck down by God to bear the iniquities of the people of Israel. Christians later saw…
Readings and Reflections for the Twenty First Sunday after Pentecost
Amos 5:6-7,10-15 Hebrews 4:12-16 Mark 10:17-31 Dear Friends, The prophet Amos declares God’s judgment against those who exploit the poor for their own gain. Even so, they may yet turn from their…
Readings and Reflections on the Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost
Job 1:1; 2:1-10 Psalm 8 Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12 Mark 10:2-16 Dear Friends, The Book of Job raises the difficult question of the suffering we experience in this life. Why do…
Readings and Reflections on the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Numbers 11:4-6,10-16,24-29 Psalm 19:7-14 James 5:13-20 Mark 9:38-50 Dear Friends, In the reading from Numbers, Moses is overwhelmed by the demands of the people and cries out to God. …
Readings and Reflections on the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Proverbs 3:1-6 2 Timothy 3:14-17 Matthew 9:9-13 Dear Friends, Matthew 9:9-13 tells the story of Matthew’s call to follow Jesus. In a culture where rabbis recruited “the best of the best,”…
Readings and Reflections on the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 50:4-9a James 3:1-12 Mark 8:27-38 Dear Friends, Isaiah here describes a servant who hears the words of the Lord and offers them to the people who are weary. However, the…
Readings and Reflections on the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 35:4-7 James 2:1-10; 14-17 Mark 7:24-37 Dear Friends, The prophet Isaiah speaks words of encouragement to a people who’ve been through disaster and see no light at the end of the…
Reading and Reflections on the 15th Sunday after Pentecost
Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-9 James 1:17-27 Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 In the lesson from Deuteronomy, Moses challenges the people to be faithful and careful in keeping the commandments of the Lord their God. …
Readings and Reflections on the 14th Sunday after Pentecost
Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18 Ephesians 6:10-20 John 6:56-69 The scene given to us in the lesson from Joshua 24 is that of a covenant renewal. Israel has crossed from the wilderness into the…
Readings and Reflections for the 13th Sunday after Pentecost
Proverbs 9:1-6 Psalm 111 Ephesians 5:15-20 John 6:51-58 Dear Friends, The Book of Proverbs often speaks in terms of opposites – good and evil, wise and foolish. In today’s chapter, the…