Commentary posted on August 13, 2018

Proper 15B Sermon Commentary

The Proper 15B Sermon Starters include commentary and illustration ideas for John 6:51-58 from the Lectionary Gospel; 1 Kings 2:10-12, 3:3-14 from the Old Testament Lectionary; Psalm 111 from the Lectionary Psalms; and Ephesians 5:15-20 from the Lectionary Epistle.

Related Reformed confession: Lectionary Gospel: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 79 (Lord’s Day 29)

 

Home » August 13, 2018 - Proper 15B

John 6:51-58 Sermon Commentary

Proper 15B

In her short story “The River,” Flannery O’Connor depicts a child who actually drowns when trying to baptize himself in a river. After this startling story was published, someone asked O’Connor about this grotesque depiction of baptism. O’Connor’s critics thought this story was too extreme. But her goal was to remind her readers of how…

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Psalm 111 Sermon Commentary

Proper 15B

We almost certainly do not study the works of the Lord enough.  Psalm 111 is not one of the better known poems in the Hebrew Psalter but it packs a powerful punch of praise and adoration.  Just generally it is a meditation on God’s works in both creation and redemption.  It celebrates the mighty things…

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Ephesians 5:15-20 Sermon Commentary

Proper 15B

Intelligence doesn’t necessarily equal wisdom.  In fact, some of us can identify people who rank among the highest on the intelligence quotient (IQ) scale but rank among the lowest on the “wisdom quotient” scale.  Perhaps that’s why our text’s Paul feels the need not to tell his readers to be “intelligent” or “smart,” but to…

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1 Kings 2:10-12, 3:3-14 Sermon Commentary

Proper 15B

In preaching on this story or any part of the narrative literature of the Old Testament, it is absolutely crucial to remember what we are dealing with here.  This is not modern historiography, in which economic, political, or military factors play the major role in explaining the course of human events, although, of course, plenty…

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