Living the Lectionary

John 6:56-69 By the end of chapter six the five thousand fed on loaves and fishes have gone home and “many of his disciples” desert him. Only the Twelve are left and as usual Peter gives ...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/08/lectionary-21-b-john-659-69.html

Ephesians 6:10-20 Being strong in the Lord is not the same thing as being strong. In fact the only way to be strong in the strength of the Lord is to let go of whatever strength you think y...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/08/lectionary-21-b-ephesians-610-20.html

Psalm 34:15-22 Psalm 34 declares that even the name of those who do evil will be blotted out from the face of the earth while the Lord will remember the brokenhearted and save those whose ...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/08/lectionary-21-b-psalm-3415-22.html

Joshua 24:1-18 “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other god’s” turns out to not be too far from them at all. In the future the prophets speaking for God will ...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/08/lectionary-21-b-joshua-241-18.html

John 6:51-58 This is the Gospel of John’s take on what Jesus meant the meal to be.  More than a ritualized remembrance, the living bread from heaven is the life of God in bread baked and...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/08/lectionary-20-b-john-651-58.html

Ephesians 5:15-20 If the days were evil when the apostle Paul wrote these words to the Ephesians what are they now?  Truth is every age competes in the evil age idol contest and seems to be...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/08/lectionary-20-b-ephesians-515-20.html

Psalm 34:9-14 Pleasure and prosperity comes from pursuing peace. We tend to equate pleasure and prosperity with possessions, or at least the resources to live free from want. But it seems n...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/08/lectionary-20-b-psalm-349-14.html

Proverbs 9:1-6 Wisdom is a feminine noun in Hebrew and what she offers, along with wine and bread and roasted meat, is order. The book of Proverbs is dedicated to the premise that the world...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/08/lectionary-20-b-proverbs-91-6.html

John 35:41-51 “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?” It is a legitimate question for those in the crowd “who knew Jesus when” even if they have fol...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/08/lectionary-19-b-john-3541-51.html

Ephesians 4:25-5:2 Falsehood is a hard thing to put away since it is so deceptive and evil speech often comes out of our mouths masquerading as truth spoken to neighbor. (The proverbial log in...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/08/lectionary-19-b-ephesians-425-52.html

  1 Kings 19:4-8 Elijah is despairing under the solitary broom tree because Queen Jezebel is determined to kill him, which makes sense because Elijah killed all her prophets and burned up ...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/08/lectionary-19-b-1-kings-194-8.html

John 6:24-35 John is the only Gospel that details the aftermath of the multiplying feast. The people (well fed) are apparently not satisfied with leftovers (12 baskets of barley loaves) and so ...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/08/lectionary-18-b-john-624-35.html

Ephesians 4:1-16 Living “a life worthy of the calling” is often understood in terms of personal piety reflected in a disciplined life, especially as it relates to resisting behaviors identi...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/07/lectionary-18-b-ephesians-41-16.html

Psalm 78:23-29 Not satisfied with water from the rock the children of Israel wondered aloud about the ability of God to provide meat and make bread. (78:20) God was furious (78:21) and yet re...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/07/lectionary-18-b-psalm-7823-29.html

Exodus 16:2-15 Those who complain in the wilderness, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt” forget the family members who never made it out of Egypt and that ...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/07/lectionary-18-b-exodus-162-15.html

John 6:1-21 The feeding of the five thousand is found in every Gospel which means it was a big deal to the early church. My guess is it was the Galilean Woodstock of sorts (without the music ...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/07/lectionary-17-b-john-61-21.html

Ephesians 3:14-21 If we are able to comprehend the breadth and length and height and depth of God’s love for us in Christ Jesus we have a clue as to what God can accomplish beyond the limitat...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/07/lectionary-17-b-ephesians-314-21.html

Psalm 145:10-18 "The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord" especially if those eyes run cattle or grow cotton in Texas. We've had more than one cotton farmer and cattle rancher in the Northern...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/07/lectionary-17-b-psalm-14510-18.html

2 Kings 4:42-44 Twenty loaves of barley and unnumbered fresh ears of grain that feed a hundred foreshadow a boy with five loaves and two fish that feed five thousand. Theologians apply eschat...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/07/lectionary-17-b-2-kings-442-44.html

Ephesians 2:11-22 I've read this passage more times than I can remember and have always celebrated it as good news and of course it is. But then I am a “citizen with the saints” who o...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/07/lectionary-16-b-ephesians-211-22.html

Psalm 23 I have had more than one sheep and a few shepherds in my time, albeit of the German, Australian and Belgium variety, but then “the Lord is my shepherd” wasn’t thinking of a do...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/07/lectionary-16-b-psalm-23.html

Jeremiah 23:1-6 It appears that the days that “are surely coming” still haven’t arrived as the righteous Branch raised up for David was “despised and rejected” (Isaiah 53) and cruci...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/07/lectionary-16-b-jeremiah-231-6.html

Mark 6:14-29 It is a gruesome story and sad end for the Baptizer who made straight the way in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. I know Stephen is the first martyr of the church...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/07/lectionary-14-b-mark-614-29.html

 Ephesians 1:3-14 To be chosen in Christ “before the foundation of the earth” is a long time to be loved. But we were destined for adoption for the good pleasure of God’s will. That mea...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/07/lectionary-15-b-ephesians-13-14.html

Psalm 85:8-13 Because steadfast love and faithfulness embrace righteousness and peace are bold to come out of the closet and engage in a PDA (public display of affection) so that faithfulne...

http://livingthelectionary.blogspot.com/2024/07/lectionary-15-b-psalm-858-13.html