All posts filed under: Old Testament

full of days – a reflection on Job 42:1-6, 10-17

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Job / Lectionary / Old Testament / Religion / Wisdom Literature / Year B

The following is a reflection on Job 42:1-6, 10-17, the Hebrew Bible lesson appointed for Proper 25B, according to the Revised Common Lectionary. I have to admit, while I’ve always had an attraction to the Book of Job, I’ve never cared much for the ending. I’ve tended to agree with scholars who say that it was tacked on to the book much later to make the book more palatable. I mean…he just gets everything back? […]

questions with no answers – a reflection on Job 23:1-9, 16-17

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Job / Lectionary / Old Testament / Religion / Wisdom Literature / Year B

The following is a reflection on Job 23:1-9, 16-17, the Hebrew Bible lesson appointed for Proper 23B, according to the Revised Common Lectionary. By the time we get to the twenty-third chapter of Job, a lot of water has gone under the bridge. The broken, but altogether devout, man we left in the early narrative section has met his prosperity-gospel friends. They’ve tried to convince him that God is just, and therefore his own egregious […]

the bloody truth – a reflection on John 6:56-69

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Christology / Exodus / Gospels / New Testament / Old Testament / Pentateuch / Soteriology / Theology / Year B

The following is a reflection on John 6:56-69, the Gospel lesson appointed for Proper 16B, according to the Revised Common Lectionary. This post is from the tenth chapter of my book, “Going to Hell, Getting Saved.” Jesus told the people that his flesh was real food and that his blood was true drink—and to eat his flesh and drink his blood meant eternal life. And people stopped following him. The disciples grumbled about how hard […]

get up – a reflection on Mark 5:21-43

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Easter / Gospels / New Testament / Old Testament / Pentateuch / Proper 8B / Soteriology / Year B

The following is a reflection on Mark 5:21-43, the Gospel lesson appointed for Proper 8B, according to the Revised Common Lectionary. Last year I wrote a book, going to hell, getting saved, and what Jesus actually says, and this post is an excerpt from pages 164-169. In Mark 5:22-43, there are two different stories of healing woven together into a single story. While Jesus is on his way to heal and restore life to Jairus’ […]

wanderlust – a reflection on pentecost

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Acts / Creation / Lectionary / New Testament / Old Testament / Pentateuch / Religion / Theology / Year B

The following is a reflection on Acts 2:1-21, the lesson properly appointed for the Day of Pentecost, year B of the Revised Common Lectionary, and Genesis 11:1-9 the lesson appointed for the Day of Pentecost, year c. Pentecost is often interpreted as the undoing of Babel. At the tower of Babel, God confounded the speech of His People so that they could not communicate with each other. At Pentecost God gave the apostles the gift […]

true content – a reflection on the 23rd Psalm

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Lectionary / Old Testament / Psalm / Year B

The following is a reflection on the 23rd Psalm, the Psalm properly appointed for Lent 4A Easter 4A,B,C, Proper 11B & Proper 23A, according to the Revised Common Lectionary. Why this Psalm? Of all the ancient texts, and all the glorious pieces of scripture, what makes us as a people and as a culture gravitate towards this one? I’ve presided over funerals where the majority of those in attendance didn’t know the Lord’s Prayer, but they could stumble […]

unbidden – a reflection on Hebrews 5:5-10

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Christology / Epistles / Lectionary / New Testament / Old Testament / Pentateuch / Theology / Year B

The following is a reflection on Hebrews 5:5-10, the Epistle Lesson for the Fifth Sunday in Lent, according to the Revised Standard Lectionary. Hebrews 5:1-10 is the Epistle Lesson for Proper 24B. Abram had been told by God to pick up from his land—the only home he had ever known—and go to a new place.You can’t possibly imagine how big this is unless you’ve ever been among people who are rooted to their land through […]

lifted high – a reflection on John 3:14-21

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Exodus / Gospels / Lectionary / New Testament / Old Testament / Pentateuch / Year B

The following is a reflection on John 3:14-21, the Gospel lesson for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, Year B, according to the Revised Common Lectionary. The scene of the brazen serpent (in Numbers 21:4-9) immediately makes me recall the serpent in the Garden of Eden. That the Israelites were punished for their thanklessness with deadly biting serpents, and then forced to look upon the image of another serpent to find a cure, makes me think […]

five words – a reflection on Jonah 3:1-5, 10

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Minor Prophets / Old Testament / Year B

The following is a reflection on Jonah 3: 1-5, 10, the Hebrew Bible lesson appointed for January 22, 2011, the third Sunday after the Epiphany – according to the Revised Common Lectionary. Also on this site is a reflection on the Gospel Lesson for the same day, and a version of the Prayers of the People for all Epiphany. Who would you NOT want to see succeed? Or, maybe more to the point, who would […]