Commentary posted on July 31, 2017

Proper 13A Sermon Commentary

 

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Matthew 14:13-21 Sermon Commentary

Proper 13A

John the Baptist was the last great Old Testament prophet and the first great New Testament herald of the Gospel. And yet he dies because of a stupid, senseless, lusty, and boozy blank check promise made by Herod to a young girl whose provocative dancing had clearly stirred him on more than one level.  John…

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Psalm 17:1-7, 15 Sermon Commentary

Proper 13A

Psalm 17 deals with the age old problem of oppression and wickedness.  It’s a popular topic in many of the ancient Psalms, and it is a constant feature of news reports today.  All through history and all over the world, the wicked oppress the innocent.  How should the innocent respond?  Well, there are two basic,…

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Romans 9:1-5 Sermon Commentary

Proper 13A

Just five brief verses in this Lectionary reading but this short passage—all of 85 words in the original Greek—is more than enough to choke you up.  It is very nearly to weep.  These verses kick off a larger three-chapter section in Romans in which half of the time Paul seems to be talking to himself,…

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Genesis 32:22-31 Sermon Commentary

Proper 13A

God graciously meets and accepts God’s adopted sons and daughters wherever and whoever we are.  But God never just leaves us where we are. That’s no less true of God’s 21st century adopted daughters and sons than it is of Jacob.  The first time God meets Jacob, he’s fleeing both his homeland and his twin’s…

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