Commentary posted on September 28, 2020

Proper 22A Sermon Commentary

The Proper 22A Sermon Starters include commentary and illustration ideas for Matthew 21:33-46 from the Lectionary Gospel; Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 from the Old Testament Lectionary; Psalm 80:7-15 from the Lectionary Psalms; and Philippians 3:4b-14 from the Lectionary Epistle.

Related Reformed confession: Lectionary Epistle: Belgic Confession Article 21

 

Home » September 28, 2020 - Proper 22A

Matthew 21:33-46 Sermon Commentary

Proper 22A

 ******BOOM******* That’s probably not a word (or a sound effect) you associate with the parables of Jesus.  But it’s more apt than you might think. Eugene Peterson famously said that parables are narrative time bombs.  These are stealthy stories that steal into people’s hearts, confusing them initially, throwing them off balance for a while.  After…

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Psalm 80:7-15 Sermon Commentary

Proper 22A

“The Lord make his face to shine upon you . . .”  That’s a line from the great Aaronic Benediction originally given to Israel in Numbers 6 and it is a line with which many Christians are exceedingly familiar on account of having heard it at the end of a church service so many times. …

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Philippians 3:4b-14 Sermon Commentary

Proper 22A

“Are you becoming perfect?” is the perhaps strange way Carole Noren, to whom I owe many ideas for this Commentary, begins a sermon on Philippians 3.  It is, however, also an appropriate question, in light of the amount of attention the New Testament pays to the issue of perfection. While Christians may sense that the…

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Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 Sermon Commentary

Proper 22A

What a massive text for one sermon!  I’ve preached ten-part series on these verses, spending much time on each word of the successive commandments.  No wonder the RCL tried to help us by leaving out the crucial theological material connected to the second and fourth commandments, which is unfortunate given how important those verses are….

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