Tag: <span>covid-19</span>

Summary: The Apostle Paul is in the middle of an extended discussion about spiritual gifts when he breaks stride to explain the importance of love. It isn’t just that love is an amazing force for good; love is permanent. Love does not energize spiritual gifts; love is the point of all the spiritual gifts. That’s a critical thing for preachers to remember, since preachers as much as anyone else have a responsibility to exercise and build their gifts. They also need to devote themselves to love and urge others to love. Nothing else matters. This is a vital message, too, for people doing ministry during a pandemic in a divided and frustrated society, when loving others is much more difficult than it sounds. Fortunately love never falters.

I wrote this article for those preparing to preach or hear sermons on 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. It was originally a contribution to the “Dear Working Preacher” series. Read the full article at Working Preacher.

Related: teacher fights student, rachel deloache williams high school, robert strickland obituary, johnnie walker 18 year old vs blue label, examples of discussion responses, how old is aunt zelda in chilling adventures of sabrina, arthur kardashian funeral, plantronics cs540 blinking red light, 1 corinthians 10:3 4 nkjv, colorado springs murders by year, rollback wreckers for sale in tennessee, ryanair travel documentation covid, foods to avoid when taking lamotrigine, mt pleasant homes for sale by owner, why were irish nuns so cruel,Related: bradenton herald mugshots, where is atosa bdo, booked on the bayou jefferson parish, ncsa junior nationals 2022 qualifying times, unity endless runner game source code, chris powell heart attack, fridge won’t turn on after unplugging, dishoom cocktail recipes, crumbl cookies franchise application, thompson center compass recoil pad, edwardsville high school athletic director, unemployment appeal decision reversed, has elton john cancelled his 2022 tour, zomg value list bgs, paul wallace obituary,Related: pictures of french bulldogs for sale, cast iron teapot turning tea black, duke lacrosse commits 2023, tiktok shop order tracking, fort hood id card appointment, lake oconee bridge clearance, downtown reno redevelopment, peters and lee save all your kisses for me, cameron county, pa gis parcel viewer, oakhurst, ca recent arrests, v8 +energy flavors, taurus g2c trigger upgrade, harry and meghan fight at eugenie wedding, young living sulfurzyme for hair growth, what is alex afrasiabi doing now,Related: compare and contrast schools of thought in psychology, clear creek school district salary schedule, lander university football schedule, how to shrink a brain aneurysm naturally, griff rhys jones house pembrokeshire, ncp car park utilita arena birmingham, cartamodello lettere alfabeto da stampare pdf, how to calibrate powera controller, tropius coordinates, lugo family puerto rico, missing chicago man found in river, putnam county, fl breaking news, gaap accounting for referral fees, aldershot town stadium, a48 cross hands to carmarthen,Related: knox county football jamboree, what is the poinsettia called in central america, rivals for catan era of gold rules, kenny drug urban dictionary, female push dagger necklace, cdcr fugitive apprehension team, daily blast al jackson wife, valrhona inspiration recipes, breathless montego bay room service menu, american express personal savings login, nextamz wireless thermometer manual, bristol harbourside regeneration, oklahoma state basketball coaches salaries, booker noem age, santa clara county sheriff pio,Related: robert d smith obituary, kenmore elite refrigerator model 795 recall, what is a well constrained fault, how to get hellsplit arena on oculus quest 2, lisbon portugal obituaries, gentry williams highlights, normal distribution probability calculator with steps, who is pastor billy burke married to, alvarez banjo catalog, rice a roni spanish rice without tomatoes, which denominations are cessationist, laos capital, montez de durango mix descargar, teppanyaki catering inland empire, fullerton college water polo roster,Related: mdoc gps tether phone number, parable of the talents verse, how to establish residency in new hampshire, smithbilt homes in maryville tn, thom bierdz partner, how do nba teams decide which jersey to wear, deities associated with tarot cards minor arcana, jesse lingard mother and father, salisbury school lacrosse roster, leif erickson net worth, private label personal lubricant manufacturer, snmp configuration in linux, arthur lyman attorney, alexa and katie house, june rose rothery daughter,Related: shane johnston daughter of charmian clift, are old 20 euro notes still valid 2021, lucky triple diamonds, gemini ascendant 2022, boat property tax calculator, university of southern maine club hockey, berkeley police scanner, sam and colby warehouse location, broken leg nicknames, concussion vs brain bleed, skye ranch sarasota master plan, recent child obituaries, aimbridge hospitality employee room rates, brunswick county animal shelter, android 12 google search bar,Related: is casey mize related to johnny mize, celebration email to employees, how does cultural diversity contribute to devolution, cre lox recombination ppt, how to volunteer in ukraine as an american, university of bridgeport pa program, commodore perry estate private club membership cost, canterbury bankstown council zoning map, pee holding quiz, bootleg urban dictionary, halimbawa ng social awareness campaign na napapanahon, herrera family drug cartel, will working after age 70 increase social security benefits, illinois state university honors scholarship, technical supervisor requirements,Related: what’s the green dot next to my battery android, oregon recruiting rankings by year, santa rosa county classlink login, ohio university ticket office, fuddruckers milkshakes, tsubota pearl lighter vs zippo, galveston county arrests, what age should i get a phone quiz, tom brady sebago lake house, famous dead bodies mount everest, what did john ritter die from, retron sq custom firmware, the firm series ending explained, ethos cookies strain allbud, treatment for pokeweed poisoning in cattle,Related: katherine gray height and weight, collectible newspapers value australia, herman mitchell caddie obituary, pearl kai shopping center directory, darnella frazier net worth, thong bikini swimsuits, lacey township ori, the bucs club westminster, md, are zodiac signs haram shia, do wesleyans believe in speaking in tongues, once upon a farm baby food recall, jb bickerstaff salary, m72 law vs at4, petsmart cashier job description, the scarecrows wedding powerpoint,Related: allentown police reports today, dr swaiman singh contact number, 901 melbourne airport bus timetable, san mateo county sheriff scanner, cobb middle school death, middle digit filing examples, truly anti cellulite serum before and after, glycerol empirical formula, redstone federal credit union lienholder address, eclinicalworks an error occurred in verifying username and password, jennifer moreno clinic radiology, how to hide salary on indeed job posting, frank biden car accident, lars gren obituary, valuation multiples by industry 2022,Related: hyndburn funeral notices, atlantic fish and chips cleethorpes, seabrook, nh fire department, grace elizabeth coleman newport beach, oaklawn park track records, what does reg sh w mean on a pay stub, rutgers football indoor practice facility, mayan archer rush build order, kununurra to nt border distance, mission dispensary deals, watford vaccination centre, paano mo mapapahalagahan ang mga nabanggit na kontribusyon ipaliwanag, first chakra, archangel michael, spragga benz foxy brown, tony gosselin pitcher,Related: south dakota high school basketball coaching records, grapeland tx obituaries, garage sale football cards, average drag queen salary uk, larry, darryl and darryl actors, how much do caddies make at the masters, drunken scotsman extended, donald wilson obituary michigan, flathead beacon obituaries, new canaan recreation, can you bond out on a capias warrant, land for sale in malvern, st elizabeth jamaica, special education conferences 2022, port protection gary muhlenberg obituary, raw use of parameterized class arraylist,Related: what does sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity mean, jimmy buff’s 14th ave, newark, nj, bushtec motorcycle trailer for sale, alhambra unified school covid dashboard, springvale crematorium book of remembrance, puerto rico travel restrictions 2022, calories in fried calamari appetizer, aao orthodontics meeting 2025, space coast daily arrests in brevard county, matt mladin daughters, private gardens melbourne, comfrey for teeth and gums, sort velour stol med guldben, draco and hermione husband and wife fanfiction, www tnfiretraining com moodle,Related: transit through vienna airport covid, houston neighborhoods to avoid, animal print scrubs, adrienne urrutia wisenberg, reboot team sebring, brent averill death, st michael’s college residence halls, where are montana west purses made, exotic travelers membership levels, jim quick and coastline net worth, microsoft corporate vice president salary, dr ibrahim nephrologist leesburg, fl, shellpoint mortgage ditech, raf henlow married quarters, sheryl crow backup singer,Related: the entry to journalize paying a semimonthly payroll, debra winger accident, oswego county pistol permit office hours, is wearing a lei cultural appropriation, antares complete herbicide label, can you carry a pocket knife in a casino, synonyms for said angrily, lago venoso labbro rimedio naturale, barefoot contessa chocolate eclair cake, mass essential workers bill, terre haute execution schedule 2021, tower air fryer t17021 timer knob, ironworkers local 22 benefits, dara treseder wedding, land for sale bend, oregon by owner,Related: pueden las hormigas hundir una casa, gemma costin pete bennett wedding, how to cook canadian bacon for breakfast, mac wiseman wife, parent trap filming locations 1961, hombre film locations, what ethnicity is jordan poyer, 3 categories of evacuation care home, list of orphanages in pakistan, corey perry house london ontario, sales tax on catering services california, letter to daughter after argument, hakeem jeffries parents, nfl players from ventura county, how old is danny adams and clive webb,Related: chinchilla breeders northern california, did fallon sherrock get a tour card, exercises for tethered spinal cord, crime rate by zip code san antonio, parking at yankee stadium cost, primerica under investigation 2020, aquastop hose bunnings, what happened to stephanie on bold and beautiful, malmark vs schulmerich handbells, how to skip ads on 9now, stockport county players wages, foothills brewery parking, sleeping with daddy quotes, 1 kg cake recipe measurements, kosas concealer shade match,Related: marble palace teamsters, fortnite geoguessr unblocked, whes40 vs whes40e, is sycamore falls flowing, how to soothe irritated skin after nair, st george tabernacle events 2022, meiosis occurs during all of the following except, iu health police officer salary, supernatural in macbeth quotes and analysis, the feed restaurant logan ohio, clayton county most wanted, does granite conduct electricity, most valuable 1990 nba hoops cards, scott shleifer philanthropy, okc thunder coaching staff 2022,Related: falsely nominating another driver nsw, valerie jarrett sorority, bt email login, fender shawbucker vs wide range humbucker, how long has ben crawford been phantom, homes for rent in queen creek with private pool, emerson research smartset clock radio problems, judge rickmon will county, should i regear tacoma, australian mathematics competition for the westpac awards, i will never forget you text messages, alolan marowak moveset let’s go, little falls youth hockey embezzlement, elmer wayne henley interview, what to wear to a dietary aide interview,Related: mgh holiday calendar 2022, tractor pull schedule 2022, duracell optimum battery expiration date, nick cordero hamilton character name, every cauchy sequence is convergent proof, pizza pizzazz won’t rotate, nyu winthrop general surgery residents, enhance crossword clue 8 letters, grainger county tomatoes shipped, alex wagner husband, satanic verses page 307, sec football referees salary, jo carole knopf lauder, angelo musitano wife, patrick francis lynch jane curtin,Related: the seven deadly sins ova 1 bandit ban, fbinaa conference 2020, lsu shreveport general surgery residency, phoenix suns arena food map, what if i win all 10 placement matches, male celebrities with cowlicks, brooks kingsnake facts, inmate classification abbreviations md, can you drive a boom lift on grass, gavin macleod ace ventura, isabel cowles murphy wedding, ducks unlimited stamp print value, jw mitchell high school cheerleading, burnout sick leave germany, illinois township road commissioners salary,

Bible commentary: preachers & teachers workingpreacher.org commentary

Summary: The conclusion of the church year, Reign of Christ (or Christ the King) Sunday presents preachers with an opportunity to reflect on the future, especially to examine what assumptions about the future influence their own theologies and sermons. The scene in John’s Gospel when Pontius Pilate interrogates Jesus manifests the failure of Pilate’s imagination. He cannot understand Jesus’ identity as a king in a manner other than what he is used to; it must be about power and domination. Pilate’s categories are inflexible. This resembles too much Christian preaching and teaching about the future and about the nature of the gospel. A kingdom or reign that is “not from this world” is one that is unfamiliar to this world and our norms. One piece of a preacher’s job description is to break open our closed minds so that we might imagine and live into a future that is indeed different.

I wrote this article for those preparing to preach or hear sermons on John 18:33-37. It was originally a contribution to the “Dear Working Preacher” series. Read the full article at Working Preacher.

Bible commentary: preachers & teachers workingpreacher.org commentary

Summary: When a conversation between Jesus and a group of scribes and Pharisees moves from hand washing to the dangers of moral impurity, preachers have an opportunity to explore the capacity each of us has for doing harm to others. During our current journey with the Covid-19 pandemic, we are already well acquainted with the ways in which the actions or inactions of individuals can have widespread negative consequences. But preachers can find ways to put this Gospel text into conversation with our circumstances to help a congregation see the ways in which our existence and wellbeing are corporate, collective things. Facing the realities of our interdependence and the obligations we have to one another is an important step toward fostering a community that takes healing seriously.

I wrote this article for those preparing to preach or hear sermons on Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23. It was originally a contribution to the “Dear Working Preacher” series. Read the full article at Working Preacher.

Bible commentary: preachers & teachers workingpreacher.org commentary

Summary: Believing in God’s love is much easier than trusting in it. Trust implies action and a willingness to open ourselves up. It has become increasingly difficult to trust in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, and God’s love appears not to have motivated the most of our wider society to imitate it. To embrace a passage like the one in which Jesus insists that he has come because “God so loved the world,” we need to do more than just convince ourselves and our neighbors about God’s love and its benefits. We need to open ourselves up to the magnetic power of that love, something we experience less through intellect and more through desire.

I wrote this article for those preparing to preach or hear sermons on John 3:14-21. It was originally a contribution to the “Dear Working Preacher” series. Read the full article at Working Preacher.

Bible commentary: preachers & teachers workingpreacher.org commentary

Summary: Psalm 126 originally spoke of the cultural and geographical restoration experienced (or expected) by those who had returned home from a prolonged exile. It delights the senses with its images of refreshment and sustenance. It reminds us that dreaming can offer a way into knowing who we are, why we suffer, and what we want for our future. The short and colorful psalm gives us language to use when imagining the kinds of restoration we long for as we move forward in the confidence that God is committed to our well-being and in the hope that the future must be greater and more just than the past.

I wrote this article for PsalmSeason, a project led by Hebrew College’s Miller Center for Interreligious Learning and Leadership and Interfaith Youth Core. PsalmSeason is an 18-week exploration of 18 Psalms conducted by a diverse and multifaith group of religious leaders, cultural critics, musicians, poets, artists, and activists. Read the full article at PsalmSeason.

Bible commentary: general audience

Summary: In Matthew’s Gospel, as soon as Peter correctly identifies Jesus as “the Christ,” Jesus offers an enigmatic saying: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” It’s noteworthy that the conversation about who Jesus truly is leads directly to a discussion about freedom. That reminds us who preach that our primary task is liberation — not inspiration, not instruction, but deliverance. If you’re going to preach “Jesus is the Christ,” then the purpose of your preaching has to be to set people free. Of course, people are bound by many things in these awful days. The locks that hold the chains tight are not always easy to locate, but fortunately preachers have a key that fits.

I wrote this article for those preparing to preach or hear sermons on Matthew 16:13-20. It was originally a contribution to the “Dear Working Preacher” series. Read the full article at Working Preacher.

Bible commentary: preachers & teachers workingpreacher.org commentary

Summary: The Parable of the Sower (or Parable of the Soils) is simple enough, as a story about planting, growth, and yield goes. But the way the Gospels present it to us quickly reveals itself to be disturbing. Those who interpret the parable without consulting Matthew 13:10-17, the verses in which Jesus implies that his parables keep the truth hidden from many, miss the point. This is a parable that underscores the difficulty of the good news taking root in the world. It is a parable that asks us to consider the rest of the Gospel story if we are going to be able to consider difficult and unnerving questions about the goodness of God and the problem of resistant hearts. Fortunately, most preachers are well equipped and situated to venture into difficult places.

I wrote this article for those preparing to preach or hear sermons on Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23. It was originally a contribution to the “Dear Working Preacher” series. Read the full article at Working Preacher.

Bible commentary: preachers & teachers workingpreacher.org commentary

Summary: When Jesus, at the end of the Gospel according to Matthew, assures his followers that he will be with them always, he does not promise that he will be always offering them comfort or always present “for” them or endorsing their agendas. We might read it, instead, as another of his statements about his solidarity with people, especially the oppressed and ignored. Trinitarian theology stems from a related conviction: in various ways, God shows up and becomes manifest in our experiences and our encounters with others. We encounter the Trinitarian God not through transcendental escapism but in, among, and always for the sake of human bodies. That is a vital truth for churches that need to remember and then repent of their role in overt and covert systemic racism. Together we can discover Jesus dwelling among our neighbors and affirming life–their lives.

I wrote this article for those preparing to preach or hear sermons on Matthew 28:16-20 for Trinity Sunday. It was originally a contribution to the “Dear Working Preacher” series. Read the full article at Working Preacher.

Bible commentary: preachers & teachers workingpreacher.org commentary

Summary: The story that Luke tells about the risen Christ becoming known to Cleopas and his partner at a dinner table in Emmaus makes a statement about the power of community and shared spaces. That statement is painful to hear, however, during an Easter when the Covid-19 pandemic has taken so much community and interpersonal interaction away from us. But Easter does not mean that we cannot lament the things we have lost and the things for which we long. The good news in this story isn’t simply that Jesus becomes recognized when he shares hospitality with friends; it’s also residing in the fact that he journeys alongside them, without being recognized, while they pour out their disappointment.

I wrote this article for those preparing to preach or hear sermons on Luke 24:13-35. It was originally a contribution to the “Dear Working Preacher” series. Read the full article at Working Preacher.

Bible commentary: preachers & teachers workingpreacher.org commentary

Summary: When people ask Jesus, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” his answer rejects the premises of the question. He would rather talk about what it means to see “the works of God” become manifest among us. Jesus’ move in John 9 provides an insight for preachers who are facing enormous challenges as they figure out how to do ministry in the midst of a pandemic and all the public-health controls that have been put into place: focus less on the “why?” and “how?” questions and instead think creatively about how to point people toward the works of God in our midst. Christian faith refuses to be bound by prevailing assumptions about how things “must” be done but instead sees signs of God’s presence and transformations in seemingly desolate conditions. Christian faith knows how to find creative ways to love and serve others in the midst of adversity. Indeed, Christian faith came into being in precisely that kind of a context.

I wrote this article for those preparing to preach or hear sermons on John 9:1-41. It was originally a contribution to the “Dear Working Preacher” series. Read the full article at Working Preacher.

Bible commentary: preachers & teachers workingpreacher.org commentary