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Joy
The Epistle reading this week speaks to people persisting in hope and joy because of Christ's resurrection in be spite of not being personal witnesses to the resurrection. The grief that they've experienced is explained as an opportunity to demonstrate their faith by continuing through trial. That's not really a great view of grief, an insistence that those who have c experienced loss remain joyful as a demonstration of faith is horrible and the idea that that loss…
Lectionary Readings for the Second Sunday of Easter
Acts 2:14a, 22-32 Psalm 16 1 Peter 1:3-9 John 20:19-31 Previously Believe Evidence
Appears
In the Gospel according to Matthew the only people Jesus appears to in Jerusalem after his resurrection are the women. They're given a message to tell the rest of the disciples to go meet Jesus in Galilee. In the end, this big thing, so central to the Christian faith happens away from anything that could be considered a center of power.
Empire
We're reading the Palm Sunday narrative from Matthew this year, and later this week we'll read the Passion narrative. Sometime in the next week the question will come up: why did Jesus die? Whose fault was it? This is the wrong question, but you know it will be asked. From the Palm Sunday narrative, it seems pretty clear to me. Rome killed Jesus.
Lectionary Readings for Palm Sunday
Isaiah 50:4-9a Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 Philippians 2:5-11 Matthew 21:1-11 Previously Donkey Palms
https://lectionaryoutloud.wordpress.com/2026/03/25/lectionary-readings-for-palm-sunday-6/
Two to four and seven to nine
When I visited my grandparents as a child they would always tune into the local radio station at noon to hear In Memoriam, the listing of recent deaths and upcoming funerals that the station included in their mid-day programming. Funeral traditions in that time and place were pretty standardized. There was a template that almost everyone followed. I get the impression that's no longer the case and that the things we did were more regional…
https://lectionaryoutloud.wordpress.com/2026/03/22/two-to-four-and-seven-to-nine/
Lectionary Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent
1 Samuel 16:1-13 Psalm 23 Ephesians 5:8-14 John 9:1-41 Previously Blame
Untitled
One of the difficulties in this passage is that blindness is being used both as a physical condition and as a metaphor for an unwillingness to notice or understand. The physical disability, the text makes clear, has no moral implications. It is not sinful to be blind nor is it punishment for sin, not your sin and not the sins of your family or community either.
Noon
The text this week is careful to specify that it's noon. That could mean be for several reasons. Maybe it's just context setting, part of the excuse for Jesus to sit here by a well waiting for his disciples to return with a midday meal, tired and thirsty from the morning's activity, but I think there's something more here for us to notice.
First
John 3:16 is very often the first verse we ask children to memorize. The very first summary of the Good News that we teach kids. With adult eyes it can feel kind of trite and simplistic. I have a hard time seeing around that. Teaching this as a summary of the entire Gospel can mean that it gets hung with all kinds of baggage.
Lectionary Readings for the Second Sunday in Lent
Genesis 12:1-4 Psalm 121 Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 John 3:1-17 Previously Miracles Start Over
Bread
How to bake bread: Flour, water, yeast, oil, salt, a little sugar. In a large bowl, dissolve a spoonful of sugar and two tablespoons of active dry yeast in a cup of water warmed to bath temperature. Let it stand for 10 or 15 minutes, until the yeast dissolves and floats to the surface in a foamy ooze. Add another cup of warm water, half a cup of sugar if you like, half tablespoon of salt, a third of a cup of oil.
Lectionary Readings for the First Sunday of Lent
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 Psalm 32 Romans 5:12-19 Matthew 4:1-11 Previously Drink Three tests
Lectionary Readings for Transfiguration Sunday
Exodus 24:12-18 Psalm 99 2 Peter 1:16-21 Matthew 17:1-9 Previously Transformation Stories Note: I'm taking a break this week. I'll be back next week with the first Sunday of Lent
https://lectionaryoutloud.wordpress.com/2026/02/15/lectionary-readings-for-transfiguration-sunday-6/
Safe
Several of the metaphors in this week's passage have been coopted by fascists. The phrase "salt of the earth"? It's linked to the stereotype sometimes referred to as "Real Canadians" (or "Real Americans"). They're white, rural, and racist. The shining city on a hill now has implications of theocracy. The most commonly used versions of these phrases seem opposed to Jesus's point here.
Justice
The church of my childhood ran a program for little girls aged 10 to 13 called the Calvinettes*. The program took some inspiration from things like Girl Guides or Boy Scouts and so there were uniforms and a weird little ritual were we'd all line up every week and responsively shout Micah 6:8 together before we went off to do our crafts or working on earning badges or whatever.
https://lectionaryoutloud.wordpress.com/2026/02/02/justice-5/
Kingdom
When John is imprisoned, Jesus leaves town. He goes to Galilee, to Capernaum, to lie low for a while and to develop his ministry farther away from Jerusalem. It almost looks like cowardice, except that he takes up John's message. From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 4:17 Full Text…
https://lectionaryoutloud.wordpress.com/2026/01/25/kingdom-2/
Lectionary Readings for the Third Sunday After Epiphany
Isaiah 9:1-4 Psalm 27:1, 4-9 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 Matthew 4:12-23 Previously Fishing Disagree
Who?
According to Luke, this afternoon encounter on the road is the first appearance of the risen Christ. The women and Peter both visited the tomb early this morning and found it empty. The women had an angelic encounter, but no one has seen Jesus yet. This pair is walking to Emmaus, a journey of probably two and a half to three hours.
