Podcasts about narrative lectionary

We're so glad you're listening to our podcast! This sermon is based on Acts 2:1–4, and Philippians 4:1–7. This sermon is from Pentecost Sunday. Very appropriately, the reading from Acts 2 recounts the Pentecost story and the coming of the Holy Spirit on Jesus's followers after his ascension. But our pastor, Rev. Dr. Art Wright, wonders if there is any connection to be found with the Narrative Lectionary reading from Philippians 4, as well. We hope that you'll enjoy this sermon and that it will be meaningful to you this week.To find out more about our church, you can head on over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.williamsburgbaptist.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you have a moment, we'd also love for you to click over to follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We are a small but vibrant and growing congregation, and there are lots of ways to connect. Please don't hesitate to reach out if we can help support you in any way! Thanks so much for tuning in!

We're so glad you're listening to our podcast! This sermon is based on Philippians 1:1–11, which is the very beginning of Paul's letter to the church at Philippi. We have been reading narratives for months—the Gospel of John and then the book of Acts. Now we are reading this letter to the Philippians for the next three weeks. It's a big but important jump in as we follow through the Narrative Lectionary. We hope that you'll enjoy this sermon and that it will be meaningful to you this week.To find out more about our church, you can head on over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.williamsburgbaptist.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you have a moment, we'd also love for you to click over to follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We are a small but vibrant and growing congregation, and there are lots of ways to connect. Please don't hesitate to reach out if we can help support you in any way! Thanks so much for tuning in!

IntroductionThis guide covers the four Revised Common Lectionary readings for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year A (May 10, 2026). Ascension Thursday falls four days later (May 14), and these texts are shaped by the awareness that Jesus is preparing to leave — and that what he leaves behind is not a void but a presence. Acts shows the gospel reaching into Athens. The psalm testifies to coming through hard places intact. First Peter calls the church to be ready to explain its hope. And John 14 promises the Spirit to people who are afraid of being left alone.From Art in the Christian Tradition, Vanderbilt Lectionary PageThe ReadingsActs 17:22–31The First Lesson — Paul at the AreopagusSummaryStanding before the Areopagus in Athens, Paul addresses a sophisticated audience of philosophers and civic leaders. He opens by observing that the Athenians are clearly a religious people — he even found an altar inscribed ‘To an Unknown God.' That unknown God, he says, is the one he has come to tell them about. This God made the world and everything in it, does not live in human-built temples, and does not need anything from us — God is the one who gives life and breath to all people. God made every nation from one source and set their boundaries, so that people might search for God, who is never actually far from any of us. Paul quotes their own poets: ‘In him we live and move and have our being,' and ‘We are his offspring.' If that is true, then God cannot be represented by gold or silver or stone carved by human hands. God has overlooked times of ignorance, but now calls all people everywhere to turn around, because a day of judgment is coming — appointed through a man God raised from the dead. At that, some laugh, some want to hear more, and a few believe.Key Ideas for Preaching1. The Sixth Sunday of Easter falls just before Ascension, and this reading from Acts, while jumping ahead in the timeline a bit, bridges the two: it shows the gospel already moving outward into the wider world, beyond the familiar territory of Jerusalem and Judea. Paul is standing in the intellectual capital of the ancient world and holding his own. We may want to use this as a moment to reflect on what it means for faith to travel into unfamiliar places.2. Paul finds common ground before he makes his central claim. He does not begin by telling the Athenians what they are missing — he starts with what they have already built and what they are already reaching toward. That approach is worth examining as a posture for the church's engagement with people outside it.3. The description of God in this passage is notable for what it does not say as much as what it does. God needs nothing, is not confined to a building, and is closer to every human being than they realize. This is a picture of God that many in a congregation may not have fully absorbed. A sermon could simply dwell in it.4. The mixed response at the end — mockery, curiosity, belief — is a realistic picture of how proclamation lands in the world. Not every sermon ends with a packed altar call. As preachers, we may need to remind ourselves — and help congregations hold this reality — with some peace rather than treating every unresolved response as a failure.Significant Cautions⚠ This passage overlaps significantly with last week's NL reading (Acts 17:16–31 is the same text). Preachers who used the Narrative Lectionary last Sunday should be aware their congregation has just heard this passage. Consider either going deeper into a specific element they did not explore, or framing the repetition as an opportunity to return to something worth sitting with longer.⚠ Paul's opening compliment about Athenian religiosity has limits — he goes on to call them to turn from what they have built toward the God he is proclaiming. Preachers should hold both moves together rather than presenting Paul as simply affirming whatever spiritual seeking people are doing.⚠ The phrase ‘times of ignorance God overlooked' needs care. It is not a blanket dismissal of all religious life outside Christianity, but it does signal that Paul sees this moment as a turning point rather than a continuation of business as usual. There is truth, even truth about God, that can be learned outside of our religious traditions.Psalm 66:8–20The Psalm — Tested, Tried, and Brought ThroughSummaryThis portion of Psalm 66 shifts from a call to general praise into something more personal and hard-won. The speaker describes a period of severe testing — God allowed the community to be burdened, passed through fire and water, and brought to what felt like a breaking point. But they came through to a spacious place. The psalmist then moves to personal testimony: I cried out to God, and God listened. If I had held on to anything wrong in my heart, God would not have heard — but God did hear, and did not take away steadfast love. The psalm closes with praise for a God who kept listening.Key Ideas for Preaching1. The testing described in this psalm is not metaphorical softness — it involves being ridden over, fire, and flood. This is real hardship, and the psalm does not apologize for naming it. We may use this as an opening for honest conversation about seasons of life that feel like they are breaking something in us.2. The movement from ‘you brought us through' to ‘I cried out and was heard' — from communal memory to personal testimony — mirrors what often happens in a healthy congregation. Corporate faith provides the framework; personal experience fills it in. Both matter, and neither replaces the other.3. The conditional in verse 18 — ‘if I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened' — is worth addressing carefully. It is not a claim that only morally perfect people get heard. It is an observation that a life turned deliberately away from God is also a life turned away from the relationship that makes prayer possible.4. The phrase ‘brought us out to a spacious place' is one of the most evocative images in the Psalter for what deliverance feels like. It is not just relief — it is room. We can use this image to describe what life on the other side of a hard season can look like.Significant Cautions⚠ Verse 18 — about God not hearing those who cherish wrongdoing — has been used harmfully to tell people whose prayers seem unanswered that they must have some hidden sin. That is a pastoral minefield. The psalm is a personal expression of gratitude, not a theological formula for how prayer works.⚠ The testing in this psalm is framed as something God allowed or even directed. That raises honest questions about theodicy that, as preachers, we should not sidestep or resolve too quickly. It is fine to acknowledge that the psalm holds this tension without resolving it neatly.⚠ The call to ‘bless our God' at the opening of this section can feel jarring if a congregation is in the middle of the fire rather than on the other side of it. Preachers should be aware that not everyone in the room is at the thanksgiving end of this psalm's arc.1 Peter 3:13–22The Epistle — Ready to Give a Reason for Your HopeSummaryThe letter addresses people who are vulnerable — outsiders in their communities, prone to mistreatment for no good reason. The writer asks: who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if they do, you are blessed for it. Do not be frightened. Instead, set Christ apart as holy in your heart, and be ready at any moment to give anyone who asks a clear, gentle account of the hope that lives in you. Keep your conscience clear so that those who slander you will be put to shame. It is better to suffer for doing good than for doing wrong. Christ himself suffered once for sins — the just person for the unjust — to bring us to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit. The passage ends with a reference to Noah and the flood, connecting that rescue through water to baptism, which the writer describes not as the removal of dirt but as an appeal to God from a clear conscience, made possible through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.Key Ideas for Preaching1. The phrase ‘always be ready to give an account of the hope that is in you' is one of the most practical calls in the New Testament. Many people in a congregation have never been asked to articulate what they actually hope in, or why. We can use this as an opportunity to help the congregation practice that clarity — not as a debate technique, but as an honest personal testimony.2. The instruction to give that account ‘with gentleness and respect' is often overlooked. The call to be ready is not a call to be aggressive or combative. The manner of the answer is part of the witness. We can explore what it looks like to speak about faith in a way that invites rather than shuts down.3. The passage puts suffering for doing right in the context of Christ's own suffering. This is not abstract — the writer is speaking to people who know what it is to be mistreated for no good reason. The solidarity offered here is not a philosophical argument but a shared experience.4. The Noah and baptism connection at the end of the passage is compressed and a little hard to follow, but the key idea is worth lifting out: what saves is not the water itself but the resurrection of Jesus, to which the water points. Baptism is described as an appeal — a turning toward God. We can use this to open up what baptism means in practice for people who were baptized long ago and may not think of it often.Significant Cautions⚠ The question ‘who will harm you if you are eager to do good?' can sound naive to people who have experienced serious harm despite living with integrity — victims of injustice, discrimination, or abuse. We need to acknowledge this rather than letting the verse imply that right living guarantees protection (the Job Principle).⚠ Like last week's epistle text, this passage has a complicated history of being used to demand passive endurance from people in genuinely harmful situations. The same cautions apply: this is not a command to remain in danger. Naming that history explicitly can be a pastoral gift.⚠ The Noah passage has been used in Christian history to make exclusivist claims about who gets saved — only eight people, and so on. I think we should resist this reading. The writer's point is not about the narrowness of rescue but about its reality and about what it points toward.⚠ The reference to Christ preaching to spirits in prison is one of the most debated passages in the New Testament. Preachers do not need to resolve what it means, but they should not pretend it says something it does not. It is fine to acknowledge the difficulty honestly and keep the focus on the surrounding text.John 14:15–21The Gospel — The Promise of the SpiritSummaryThis passage continues Jesus' farewell conversation with his disciples on the night before his death. He tells them that if they love him, they will keep his commandments — and he will ask the Father to give them another Advocate who will be with them forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees nor knows the Spirit. But the disciples know the Spirit, because the Spirit lives with them and will be in them. Jesus then says something that sounds paradoxical: he is going away, but he is also coming back. He is not going to leave them as orphans. On that coming day, they will know that Jesus is in the Father, they are in Jesus, and Jesus is in them. The passage closes with a restatement of the love-obedience connection: whoever has and keeps Jesus' commandments is the one who loves him, and that person will be loved by the Father and by Jesus himself, who will make himself known to them.Key Ideas for Preaching1. The word translated ‘Advocate' or ‘Comforter' or ‘Helper' (depending on the translation) is the Greek word paraclete — literally, one called alongside. The image is of someone who comes to stand next to you in a difficult situation. We can explore what it means in practice to live as though that presence is real and active.2. Jesus says he will not leave them as orphans. That word — orphans — is striking in this context. It captures the specific terror of being left without the primary person who oriented your life. This is the emotional reality Jesus is addressing, and it is one many people in the congregation may know in various forms.3. The connection between love and obedience in this passage runs both ways: love leads to keeping Jesus' commands, and keeping his commands is itself the expression of love. This is not about earning anything — it is about the natural relationship between genuine love and the way it shapes behavior. Preachers can help the congregation feel the difference between obedience as duty and obedience as the overflow of a real relationship.4. The mutual indwelling described at the end — Jesus in the Father, believers in Jesus, Jesus in them — is one of John's central images for what resurrection life looks like. It is not a distant, transactional relationship. It is something more like being woven into one another. This image can do real pastoral work for people who experience faith as mostly external obligation.Significant Cautions⚠ The love-obedience connection has been used to make people feel that any struggle or failure in keeping Jesus' commands is evidence that they do not really love him. That reading turns the passage into a source of shame rather than invitation. The context is encouragement, not accusation — Jesus is promising the Spirit precisely because he knows his followers will need help.⚠ The statement that the world cannot receive the Spirit because it does not see or know the Spirit should not be used to draw a sharp line between insiders and outsiders in a way that produces contempt for those outside the church. The passage is about the disciples' particular relationship with the Spirit, not a verdict on everyone else.⚠ The ‘coming back' Jesus describes in this passage is not straightforwardly about the second coming. In John's Gospel it more likely refers to the post-resurrection appearances and/or the coming of the Spirit. Watch out for confident claims about eschatological timelines.Thematic ConnectionsAll four texts this week are, in different ways, about what sustains people when familiar support is removed or threatened. Paul speaks to people whose religious frameworks offer them something real but incomplete. The psalmist has come through fire and flood and has a story to tell about it. First Peter speaks to scattered, vulnerable people and tells them to hold their hope clearly and gently, ready to name it when asked. And John 14 speaks directly to the fear of being left — promising that what comes next is not abandonment but a new and closer kind of presence.John 14:15–21 is the natural preaching center this week, especially with Ascension approaching. The promise of the Spirit — the one who comes alongside, who will not leave the disciples as orphans — is exactly the word that the season calls for. But First Peter's practical charge to be ready to give a gentle account of one's hope is an equally powerful angle, especially for congregations who want to think carefully about how they talk about faith with people outside the church. Either text rewards a sermon that takes its time.Narrative LectionaryIntroductionThis guide covers the Narrative Lectionary reading for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year 4 (May 10, 2026). The primary text is from Paul's letter to the Philippians — one of the warmest and most personal letters in the New Testament. Paul is in prison when he writes it, and he opens by telling the Philippians how grateful he is for their partnership with him in the work of the gospel. Even his imprisonment has turned out to be good news of a kind, and he finds himself genuinely glad no matter what. The supplemental text from Luke 9 gives a sharp image from Jesus about what greatness looks like in the kingdom of God — it looks like a child.The ReadingPhilippians 1:1–18aThe Primary Text — Partnership in the GospelSummaryPaul writes from prison — we do not know exactly which one — to the congregation at Philippi, a community he clearly loves. He opens with warmth and unusual candor: every time he thinks of them, he gives thanks. He is confident that the good work God began in them will keep going until the day of Christ. He holds them in his heart, and he longs for them with something that sounds almost like homesickness. He prays that their love will keep growing in knowledge and discernment, so they can tell what really matters and arrive at the day of Christ full and unblemished.Then Paul gets honest about his situation. His imprisonment, far from shutting down the gospel, has actually spread it — the whole imperial guard has heard about Christ, and other believers have been emboldened to speak more freely. There are people preaching Christ out of goodwill toward Paul, and there are others doing it out of rivalry, trying to stir up trouble for him while he is stuck in prison. But Paul does not seem to care much about their motives. Christ is being proclaimed, he says, and in that he rejoices.Key Ideas for Preaching1. The tone of this letter from the very first lines is worth naming. Paul is in prison. His situation is objectively bad. And he opens by saying he gives thanks every time he thinks of the Philippians, that he holds them in his heart, that he longs for them. This is not forced positivity — it is a picture of what genuine community does for a person in a hard place. Preachers can open up the question of what it means to be the kind of congregation that someone in trouble thinks of with that kind of warmth.2. Paul's confidence that God will complete what God began is stated simply and without qualification. He is not worried about the Philippians' spiritual state. He trusts that the God who started something in them will see it through. Preachers can explore what it looks like to hold people in that kind of faith — not anxiously checking whether they are keeping up, but trusting that God is at work in them even when you cannot see it.3. The imprisonment has spread the gospel rather than stopped it. The whole imperial guard knows about Christ because of Paul's chains. This is a striking reversal — the attempt to silence him has given him a captive audience. Preachers can use this to explore the theme, repeated across Acts and the epistles, that what looks like a setback for the church often turns out to be a door.4. Paul's response to people preaching Christ out of bad motives is remarkable: as long as Christ is proclaimed, he is glad. He does not pursue the rivals or try to correct them from prison. He chooses to focus on what is actually happening — the name of Jesus is getting out — rather than on the impurity of some people's intentions. This is a mature and somewhat counterintuitive posture, worth examining honestly with a congregation.5. The prayer in verses 9–11 is one of the most beautiful in Paul's letters. He prays not that the Philippians will be protected or comfortable, but that their love will grow in knowledge and discernment — that they will be able to tell what really matters. That is a prayer worth sitting with. What would it look like for a congregation to grow in that specific kind of wisdom?Significant Cautions⚠ The joy and gratitude in this letter can be preached in a way that makes suffering sound easy if you just have the right attitude. Paul's joy is real, but it is the product of deep relationship with God and with this community — it is not a technique anyone can simply adopt. Preachers should present it as a witness to what is possible rather than a standard people are failing to meet.⚠ The people preaching from rivalry and selfish ambition are a real presence in this passage. Paul dismisses their motives but celebrates their message getting out. Preachers should not use this as a blanket endorsement of any and all Christian proclamation regardless of how it is done. Paul is making a specific observation about his specific situation — he is not saying that motives never matter.⚠ The confidence that God will complete what God began can become a way of avoiding accountability — if God is going to finish it anyway, why does anything we do matter? That is not Paul's intent. (cf. “God forbid” in Romans 6.) His prayer for growing love and discernment assumes that the Philippians have real work to do. God's faithfulness and human responsibility sit alongside each other in this letter without one canceling the other.Luke 9:46–48The Supplemental Text — Greatness and the ChildSummaryThe disciples have been arguing about which of them is the greatest. Jesus, knowing what they are thinking, takes a small child and stands the child beside him. Whoever welcomes this child in my name, he says, welcomes me — and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Then comes the line that turns the argument upside down: the one who is least among all of you is the one who is great.Key Ideas for Preaching1. Placed alongside Paul's letter to the Philippians, this passage reframes what Paul's partnership and humility actually look like in practice. Paul is grateful, generous with his affection, and completely uninterested in asserting his own status in this letter. The disciples are arguing about rank. The supplemental text makes the contrast sharp: the way of the kingdom runs in the opposite direction from the way of competition.2. The child in this passage is not a symbol of innocence or charm — in the ancient world, a child had no social status whatsoever. Welcoming a child meant extending care to someone who could give you nothing in return. That is the act Jesus holds up as the measure of greatness. Preachers can use this to ask who the equivalent of that child might be in the congregation's own context.Significant Cautions⚠ The image of the child can easily slide into sentimentality — a cute child as a feel-good illustration. The passage is actually quite pointed. It is addressed to people who are in a dispute about their own importance. Preachers should let the sharpness of the original moment come through rather than softening it into a general lesson about being kind to children.⚠ The phrase ‘the least among all of you is the greatest' has been used to romanticize powerlessness — as if suffering itself confers spiritual status, or as if people with no power should be content with their situation because they are actually the greatest. That is a distortion. Jesus is speaking to people with power about how to use it. He is not telling people who are already marginalized that they should be grateful for their position.Thematic ConnectionsBoth texts this week describe what a life shaped by genuine partnership and genuine humility actually looks and feels like. Paul in prison is more concerned with the Philippians' flourishing than with his own circumstances. He rejoices when Christ is proclaimed even by people who mean him harm. He prays not for his own release but that his friends' love will keep growing in depth and discernment. The disciples argue about who is the greatest, and Jesus answers by standing a powerless child in the middle of them. These texts hold together a vision of community where status is not the organizing principle — love and welcome are.The Philippians passage is substantial enough to anchor the sermon entirely. Paul's joy from prison is one of the most compelling images in the New Testament, and there is more than enough in verses 1–18a for a full message. The Luke text works best as a brief bookend — either opening with the disciples' argument to frame what kind of community Paul is describing, or closing with Jesus' answer to let it land as a final image. Either way, the two texts together press the same question: what does it look like to care more about others' flourishing than about your own standing? This is a public episode. 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This guide covers the four Revised Common Lectionary readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year A (May 3, 2026). The week's texts circle around two related questions: * what does it look like to trust God when everything is falling apart, and * what is the community of faith being built into? Stephen dies praying for his killers. The psalmist says their times are in God's hands. First Peter calls the church a living temple still under construction. And Jesus, the night before his own death, tells his frightened friends not to let their hearts be troubled.The ReadingsActs 7:55–60The First Lesson — The Stoning of StephenSummaryStephen has just finished a long speech before the Jewish council in Jerusalem — a retelling of Israel's history that ends with a sharp accusation: the council has done what their ancestors did and resisted the Holy Spirit. The crowd is furious. But Stephen, filled with the Spirit, looks up and says he can see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. That is the final straw. They rush at him, drag him out of the city, and stone him. As they do, Stephen prays two prayers: one asking Jesus to receive his spirit, and one asking God not to hold this sin against his attackers. He says the second one kneeling down, and then he dies. The text notes in passing that a young man named Saul is standing there, approving of the execution.Key Ideas for Preaching1. Stephen's final prayers are direct echoes of Jesus on the cross — committing his spirit to God and asking forgiveness for those killing him. This is not coincidence in the telling of the story. We can explore what it means to die the way Jesus died, and how that kind of dying becomes a form of witness.2. The vision of the Son of Man standing — not seated — at the right hand of God is worth pausing on. In most other texts the image is of Jesus seated. Here he is standing, as if rising to receive Stephen. That small detail carries significant pastoral warmth. God is not indifferent to what is happening.3. Saul is introduced with chilling brevity: he was there and he approved. This one sentence sets up one of the most important turning points in the whole book of Acts. We may want to use this moment to reflect on how proximity to events — even terrible ones — plants seeds whose growth we cannot predict.4. Stephen's prayer for his killers puts forgiveness in the most extreme possible context. This is not forgiving a minor slight. It's an honest struggle to ask how hard this is, without making it sound like a simple requirement. What enables someone to pray this way? The text points to what Stephen was seeing.Significant Cautions⚠ Stephen's speech leading up to this passage includes pointed criticism of the Jerusalem leadership, and it has historically been used to fuel anti-Jewish sentiment. Preachers should be careful to locate the conflict within an internal first-century Jewish debate, not as a universal verdict on Jewish people or Judaism as a whole.⚠ Martyrdom accounts can be preached in ways that romanticize or even encourage suffering and death. Be careful not to hold Stephen up as someone to imitate in a way that suggests his death was straightforwardly good or desirable. The text mourns his death even as it honors his faithfulness.⚠ The mention of Saul's approval is easy to treat as mere scene-setting. But it deserves to be named honestly: the same person who would later write much of the New Testament participated in this killing. That is uncomfortable, and it should be. There's something here (or coming) about what it means to be truly converted.Psalm 31:1–5, 15–16The Psalm — Refuge in CrisisSummaryThis psalm is a cry for help from someone in serious trouble — pursued by enemies, trapped, and frightened. The speaker turns to God as a place to hide, a strong fortress, and the one who can pull them out of the net that has been set for them. Verses 15 and 16 reach the heart of the psalm's trust: ‘My times are in your hand.' Whatever is happening, and however little control the speaker has over it, God holds the clock. The psalm ends with a plea for God's face to shine and for deliverance to come.Key Ideas for Preaching1. The phrase ‘my times are in your hand' is one of the most quietly powerful statements of trust in the Psalter. It does not claim that everything will turn out fine. It claims that the one who holds time is trustworthy. We can open up the difference between those two things for a congregation.2. Paired with the death of Stephen, this psalm gives language for what it might feel like to face mortal danger with faith intact. Stephen's vision and his prayers suggest someone who had already internalized something like this psalm — not that death is easy, but that God holds what we cannot hold ourselves.3. The image of God as a rock, a fortress, and a hiding place is physical and concrete. God is not an abstraction here but a place to go. We may well ask: what does it look like in practice to run to God rather than away from difficulty?Significant Cautions⚠ The psalm's language about enemies is vivid and personal. In the context of worship, be thoughtful about how ‘enemies' is interpreted. The text is not an invitation to name specific people as targets of divine punishment — it is the prayer of someone overwhelmed, using the language available to them.⚠ Verse 5 — ‘Into your hand I commit my spirit' — is the verse Jesus quotes from the cross in Luke's Gospel. It is also traditionally used at the time of death. If preached alongside the Stephen text, be aware that this verse may carry deep weight for people in the congregation who are grieving or facing serious illness.1 Peter 2:2–10The Epistle — Living StonesSummaryThe letter calls its readers to crave the word the way newborn babies crave milk — purely, instinctively, urgently. They have already tasted that the Lord is good, and that taste should create appetite, not satisfaction. The passage then builds a picture of the church as a living temple, not made of cut stone, but of people — each a living stone being built into something together. Christ is the cornerstone, the one the builders rejected but whom God placed at the foundation. Those who trust in him will not be put to shame. And those who belong to this community are named in layered, rich terms: a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people — called out of darkness into remarkable light.Key Ideas for Preaching1. The image of spiritual milk and growing appetite is unusual and worth dwelling on. Many people in a congregation have lost the hunger they once had for Scripture, prayer, or worship. The text does not scold them for this — it invites them to taste again and see what happens. We could use this image to reopen a conversation about spiritual hunger without making people feel guilty for being dry.2. The ‘living stones' image is a genuinely striking way to describe the church. Each person is a stone — not decorative, but structural. The building does not hold together without each one. This gives a theological grounding to the practical reality that every person in the congregation matters.3. The string of titles in verses 9–10 — chosen, royal, holy, God's own — were originally applied to Israel in the Hebrew scriptures and are here applied to the church, a community that includes Gentiles. We may need to help the congregation hear these not as credentials they earned but as a description of who God has made them. The emphasis falls on what they were called to do: proclaim the mighty acts of the one who called them.4. The cornerstone that the builders rejected is a direct reference to Psalm 118, which Jesus applied to himself. The image connects back to Stephen's death and forward to what the church is being built into. Rejection is not the end of the story.Significant Cautions⚠ The titles in verses 9–10 — ‘chosen race,' ‘holy nation,' and so on — have been used to justify religious exclusivism or even nationalism. We want to be clear that these are descriptions of a community defined by calling and trust, not by ethnicity, culture, or any human marker of identity.⚠ The use of Israel's titles for the church has a complicated history in relation to Jewish-Christian relations. This text has sometimes been read as suggesting the church has replaced Israel. We want to avoid that reading and instead note that the letter is drawing on a shared inheritance, not canceling it.⚠ The ‘newborn infants' image for spiritual hunger can be misread as a call for people to remain permanently childlike in their faith — dependent, unquestioning, always needing to be fed. The context makes clear this is about appetite and receptivity, not permanent immaturity.John 14:1–14The Gospel — The Way, the Truth, and the LifeSummaryJesus is at the table with his disciples on the night before he dies, and he is trying to prepare them for what is coming. He tells them not to let their hearts be troubled — he is going to prepare a place for them, and he will come back and take them to be with him. Thomas pushes back honestly: they do not know where he is going, so how can they know the way? Jesus answers with one of the most famous lines in John's Gospel: he is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through him. Philip then asks to be shown the Father, and Jesus responds with some surprise: after all this time, Philip still does not recognize that seeing Jesus is seeing the Father. The passage ends with a promise: whoever trusts in Jesus will do the works he has done, and even greater ones, because he is going to the Father.Key Ideas for Preaching1. This passage opens with a pastoral word: ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled.' Jesus says this to people who are about to go through the worst night of their lives. It is not a command to suppress grief or pretend things are fine — it is an invitation to locate their trust somewhere steady. We can help people sit with that distinction carefully.2. Thomas's question is one of the most honest moments in the Gospels. (Why we called him “Honest Thomas” a few weeks ago!) He does not pretend to understand. He says plainly: we do not know where you are going. Jesus does not scold him. He answers. We can use Thomas here to give the congregation permission to ask the questions they are actually carrying.3. The claim ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life' is one of the most contested verses in John's Gospel. We want to address it directly rather than skipping past its difficulty. It is worth exploring what Jesus means by ‘way' — not a set of rules, but a person to follow — before moving to what is claimed about the Father. I still like what Eugene Peterson had to say (at length) on this matter:We can't suppress the Jesus way in order to sell the Jesus truth. The Jesus way and the Jesus truth must be congruent. Only when the Jesus way is organically joined with the Jesus truth do we get the Jesus life.”― Eugene H. Peterson, The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways That Jesus Is the Way4. Philip's request — ‘show us the Father and that will be enough for us' — is deeply human. Most people in the congregation have, at some point, wanted exactly that: a clear, unambiguous sight of God. Jesus' answer is that they have already been given it. 5. The promise that believers will do ‘greater works' than Jesus is genuinely puzzling and often glossed over. It is worth addressing honestly. The clue is in the reason Jesus gives: he is going to the Father. The resurrection and the Spirit's coming make possible a wider reach than Jesus' own earthly ministry had. This is not about individual superpowers — it is about a community continuing a movement.Significant Cautions⚠ The verse ‘no one comes to the Father except through me' has been used as a blunt instrument in conversations about salvation and who is included or excluded. We should engage it honestly rather than either avoiding it or using it to draw sharp lines around other religious traditions. The context is pastoral — Jesus is comforting grieving disciples, not issuing a theological boundary statement.⚠ The ‘many dwelling places' in the Father's house has been heavily freighted with speculation about heaven and the afterlife. The text does not describe what those dwelling places look like. Be careful to resist the temptation to fill in what the text leaves open, and instead focus on the promise itself: there is room, and Jesus is preparing it.⚠ The claim that seeing Jesus is seeing the Father is one of John's deepest theological commitments. It is also easily misread as making Jesus and the Father identical in every way. The Gospel itself maintains distinction alongside unity. We do not need to resolve this fully, but we should not flatten it either.Thematic ConnectionsThe thread running through all four readings this week is trust in the face of things we cannot control. Stephen cannot stop what is happening to him, but he can choose what he does with his final moments — and he chooses prayer. The psalmist cannot see how their situation will resolve, but they name their trust in the one who holds their times. First Peter tells a scattered, vulnerable community that they are being built into something that will last. And John 14 begins with Jesus telling his closest friends not to let fear run the show.John 14 is the natural center for preaching this week — it is rich and wide enough for a full sermon on its own. But Acts 7 offers a powerful alternative angle: what does trust look like not in a quiet moment of reflection but in the worst moment of a life? A preacher willing to sit in that question without resolving it too quickly will find a great deal to work with. The psalm and First Peter can serve as supporting voices in either direction.Narrative LectionaryThis guide covers the Narrative Lectionary reading for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year 4 (May 3, 2026). The primary text is Paul's sermon in Athens — one of the most unusual moments in Acts, where Paul finds himself in the middle of a philosophically sophisticated city full of altars to gods he does not recognize. Rather than leading with condemnation, he starts with what he finds and builds from there. The supplemental verses from John 1 name what Paul is ultimately pointing toward: the God whom no one has seen has been made known in Jesus Christ, from whose fullness we have all received grace upon grace.The ReadingActs 17:16–31The Primary Text — Paul's Sermon at AthensSummaryPaul arrives in Athens while waiting for his companions and finds himself deeply unsettled by how many idols fill the city. He begins debating in the synagogue with Jews and God-fearers, and then in the public square with anyone who will listen. Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encounter him and bring him to the Areopagus — Athens' formal court of intellectual and civic life — to explain this new teaching they keep hearing about. They note, somewhat dismissively, that he seems to be talking about foreign gods. Paul stands up and starts not with an attack but with an observation: he can see that the Athenians are very religious people. He even found an altar inscribed ‘To an Unknown God.' That, he says, is exactly what he has come to tell them about.Paul then speaks in terms his audience can follow. The God who made the world does not live in temples made by human hands and does not need anything from us — God is the one who gives life and breath to everything. God made every nation from one source and set the boundaries of where they live, so that people everywhere might search for God and perhaps find him, though God is not actually far from any of us. Paul even quotes their own poets: ‘In him we live and move and have our being,' and ‘We are his offspring.' If we are God's offspring, then God cannot be made of gold or silver or stone shaped by human imagination. God has overlooked the times of ignorance, but now calls everyone everywhere to turn around, because a day of judgment is coming. The judge has been appointed — and God raised him from the dead as proof. At the mention of resurrection, some laugh, some want to hear more, and a few believe.Key Ideas for Preaching1. Paul does not open by telling the Athenians they are wrong. He opens by telling them he has been looking at what they have built and finds them genuinely religious. The altar to an unknown god is his starting point, not an object of ridicule. This is a remarkable model of how to enter a conversation with people outside the faith — starting with what is already there rather than what is missing.2. The God Paul describes is not contained in any building, does not need anything, and is already close to every human being. This is a picture of God that cuts against every form of religious gatekeeping. Preachers can ask: how does a congregation hold this truth — that God is not far from anyone — alongside a commitment to proclaiming Jesus specifically?3. Paul quotes the Athenians' own poets back to them. He finds truth about God already present in their tradition and uses it as a bridge. This is a rare moment in Acts, and it raises a genuinely important question for preachers: where do we see true things about God showing up outside the walls of the church? How do we engage those places?4. The audience splits at the mention of resurrection. Some laugh, some want to hear more, some believe. Paul does not chase the laughers or try to convince the skeptical. He states what he came to say and lets people respond as they will. (He has spoken his piece and counted to three, so to speak.) 5. The sermon ends with a call to turn around — the same basic movement as every other proclamation in Acts, just dressed in different clothes. The framework is cultural and philosophical rather than scriptural, but the destination is the same. Preachers can explore what it looks like to say the same essential thing to very different audiences without simply giving the same sermon.Significant Cautions⚠ It is tempting to use this passage as a simple endorsement of cultural engagement or interfaith dialogue. The passage is more complicated than that — Paul is genuinely troubled by the idols around him, and his sermon ends with a clear call to leave them behind. A sermon that only celebrates Paul's openness without noting where he still draws a line will miss the tension the text holds.⚠ The phrase ‘times of ignorance God overlooked' has sometimes been read as dismissive of all non-Christian religious practice before the gospel arrived. That reading oversimplifies. The text is pointing toward a shift in how God is acting in the world, not making a sweeping judgment about the sincerity or value of other people's religious lives.⚠ Be careful about using this passage to suggest that all religions are ultimately saying the same thing and pointing to the same God. Paul does not say that. He finds a point of contact, and then he redirects. The altar to the unknown god is a starting point, not an ending point. Those two moves need to be kept together.⚠ The mixed response at the end — laughter, curiosity, belief — can be used to prepare congregations for the reality that not everyone will respond to the gospel. That is legitimate and worth naming. But be careful not to use the laughers as a way of dismissing skeptical people in the congregation or culture as simply closed-minded. Intellectual doubt is not the same thing as hardness of heart.John 1:16–18The Supplemental Text — Grace upon GraceSummaryThese three verses come from the prologue of John's Gospel — the opening hymn that sets up everything the Gospel will say about who Jesus is. From his fullness, the writer says, we have all received grace upon grace. The law came through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, has made God known. It is a compressed statement about what the incarnation actually accomplished: a full, overflowing gift, and a revelation of God that no one could have accessed any other way.Key Ideas for Preaching1. Placed alongside Paul's sermon at Athens, these verses clarify what Paul is ultimately pointing toward. He finds the unknown God in the Athenians' own altar and works outward from there. John 1 names what has now been made known: the God whom no one has seen has been revealed in the person of Jesus. The supplemental text gives Paul's proclamation its destination.2. The phrase ‘grace upon grace' — sometimes translated ‘grace in place of grace' — suggests not just a one-time gift but a continuing, layered generosity. There is always more. Preachers can use this image to speak to people who feel they have used up their portion of God's patience or kindness, or who are afraid that what they have received is all there will be.3. The contrast between Moses and Jesus in verse 17 is not a dismissal of the law — it is a statement about what has now been added. Grace and truth have arrived in a person, not just a set of instructions. Preachers can explore what it means that the fullest revelation of God is not a document or a system but a life.Significant Cautions⚠ The contrast between Moses and Jesus has a long and painful history of being used to set Christianity against Judaism — as if the law was a failed experiment that grace replaced. That reading distorts both testaments. The law was itself a gift of grace; what John describes is addition and fulfillment, not replacement and rejection.⚠ The claim that Jesus has made God known in a way no one else has can sound like a dismissal of all other religious experience or understanding of God. Preachers should present it as a statement about the particularity and depth of what God has done in Christ, not as a verdict that nothing true about God has ever been known anywhere else.Thematic ConnectionsBoth texts this week move in the same direction: from searching toward finding, from not knowing toward being shown. Paul stands in a city full of altars to gods that no one can quite name, and he points toward the one who has now been made known. John 1 names what that making-known actually looks like: the fullness of God, given in a person, producing grace upon grace. Paul's sermon at Athens is the proclamation; John's prologue is its theological ground. Together they describe a gospel that meets people in their reaching and brings them to something specific.The Acts passage is rich enough for a full sermon. A preacher could focus on Paul's method — starting with what is already there — or on what he says about the nature of God, or on the mixed response at the end. The John verses work best as a brief anchor, either opening the sermon with a statement of what Paul is ultimately pointing toward, or closing with it as a final word about what ‘making God known' actually means. Either placement gives the sermon a theological center that the Athens scene alone does not quite provide. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lectionarypro.substack.com/subscribe

For this special episode we're reading the Narrative Lectionary texts for both Maundy Thursday and Good Friday in John 19:23-42. The text opens with two starkly different scenes set at the foot of the cross where Jesus is dying. On the one side, Roman soldiers gamble to see who gets to keep Jesus's nice garment, indifferent to the agony of the one they are executing. At the same time, on the other side of the cross, unfolds a tender scene in which Jesus stitches together a new relationship between his mother and the beloved disciple, creating a new family, formed at the foot of the cross. Which group will we join, we wonder. Those who fight over scraps while ignoring our own cruelty, or those who are knit together in unexpected ways by the God of love?

The world tries to tell us that everything is fine.  But it isn't.  The Narrative Lectionary takes us to John 19 and the condemning of Jesus for crucifixion.  No one looks good in the story.  The cross doesn't expose Jesus.  The cross exposes everyone else and all the arrangements of power that exist.  Jesus is a mirror and the people didn't like what they saw reflected back.  The sermon is based on John 19:1-16a.  

We're so glad you're listening to our podcast! We are in the season of Lent in the life of the church, a season of preparation, reflection, and repentance in the lead up to Holy Week and Easter. This sermon by Rev. Kali Cawthon-Freels is based on John 19:1–16a, which features the second half of Jesus's trial before Pilate, the Roman governor, in which he is condemned to crucifixion. We hope this sermon will be meaningful to you this week. We're also so glad you're joining us on this journey through Lent together.To find out more about our church, you can head on over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.williamsburgbaptist.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you have a moment, we'd also love for you to click over to follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We are a small but vibrant and growing congregation, and there are lots of ways to connect. Please don't hesitate to reach out if we can help support you in any way! Thanks so much for tuning in!

G'day, colleagues and friends. We are just about here and it will be time to enter Holy Week. My prayers for strength and clarity for you during this “heavy” time of the year.Churches often choose either the Palm liturgy or the Passion liturgy on this Sunday, though many combine them. It's a bit of a sticky wicket whichever way you attempt it. I have included fairly brief summaries of these familiar texts, very light pastoral cautions, and a potential outline for combining not only the Palm/Passion texts, but the Narrative lectionary text, as well. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't; that's the tension we face every week, isn't it? RCL texts include:Palms:* Matthew 21:1–11* Psalm 118:1–2, 19–29Passion:* Isaiah 50:4–9a* Psalm 31:9–16* Philippians 2:5–11* Matthew 26:14–27:66Big IdeaJesus enters Jerusalem as the promised king, but the crowd's expectations collide with God's plan: the Messiah will not conquer through power but through suffering, humility, and the cross.Text SummariesMatthew 21:1–11 — The Triumphal EntryJesus enters Jerusalem riding a donkey, fulfilling Zechariah's prophecy of a humble king. Crowds spread cloaks and branches on the road, shouting “Hosanna” and welcoming him as the Son of David. The scene is filled with celebration, but the crowd does not yet understand the kind of king Jesus truly is.Summary:Jesus publicly reveals himself as Israel's king, but his kingdom will unfold very differently than people expect.Psalm 118:1–2, 19–29 — The King's ProcessionThis psalm celebrates God's steadfast love and the victory of the one whom God has chosen. The line “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord” becomes the crowd's cry during Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.Summary:The psalm celebrates God's deliverance and foreshadows the welcome given to the coming king.Isaiah 50:4–9a — The Suffering ServantThis servant song portrays one who faithfully obeys God despite suffering humiliation and violence. The servant trusts that God will ultimately vindicate him.Summary:God's servant remains faithful through suffering, trusting God's final justice.Psalm 31:9–16 — A Cry of TrustThis psalm expresses deep distress and persecution while maintaining confidence in God's protection. The words echo the emotional reality of the Passion story.Summary:Even in suffering and rejection, the faithful place their lives in God's hands.Philippians 2:5–11 — The Humility of ChristPaul describes Christ's self-emptying: though equal with God, he humbled himself, taking the form of a servant and becoming obedient to death on a cross. Because of this humility, God exalted him above all.Summary:The path to glory for Christ—and for his followers—is humility and sacrificial obedience.Matthew 26–27 — The Passion NarrativeThe Gospel recounts the betrayal of Jesus, his arrest, trial, suffering, crucifixion, and burial. What appears to be defeat becomes the unfolding of God's plan for redemption.Summary:The rejected king gives his life to redeem the world.Preaching Cautions1. Avoid romanticizing the Palm Sunday crowd.With all the exultation in the air, it would be easy to assume that this crowd was “all in” for Jesus. But the same voices shouting “Hosanna” can quickly turn toward rejection when expectations are not met — or fear and political persuasion take hold. (Not to mention a few shekels crossing palms, no pun intended.)2. Do not separate Palm Sunday from the cross.The triumphal entry only makes sense when read in light of the coming crucifixion. Prettty much ‘nuff said about that, but it become especially important if your schedule is light on the other services of Holy Week (or most folks simply won't be there for Maundy Thursday or Good Friday.)3. Avoid portraying the Passion as merely tragic.The suffering of Jesus is part of God's redemptive plan. Again, this is a basic and important theological stand. There were plenty of other individuals crucified this week and all of them were tragic. But none of them had the deep significance of THIS crucifixion.Narrative Lectionary Text:John 19:16b–22 — The Crucifixion BeginsBig IdeaThe world believes it is executing a criminal, but in reality it is lifting up the true king whose cross becomes the throne of God's redeeming love.SummaryJesus carries his cross to Golgotha where he is crucified between two others. Pilate orders an inscription to be placed above him: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Though meant as a charge against him, the title reveals the deeper truth of John's Gospel: the crucified one is truly the king.Summary:The cross exposes both human injustice and the paradoxical kingship of Christ.Preaching Cautions1. Avoid portraying the crucifixion as accidental.In John's Gospel, the cross unfolds within God's sovereign plan.2. Do not focus solely on brutality.The Gospel emphasizes theological meaning rather than graphic detail.3. Avoid antisemitic interpretations.The conflict reflects specific leadership decisions, not the guilt of an entire people.4. Do not overlook John's irony.The inscription meant to mock Jesus actually proclaims the truth.5. Keep the resurrection horizon visible.John presents the cross as the beginning of Jesus' glorification.A Unified Sermon OutlineThe King We Did Not ExpectOne Line SummaryJesus is the true king, but his kingdom is revealed not through power and conquest, but through humility, suffering, and sacrificial love.IntroductionPalm Sunday begins with celebration.Crowds line the road.Branches wave in the air.People shout:“Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”They believe the king has finally arrived.And they are right.But they misunderstand what kind of king he is.The same paradox appears again in the Narrative Lectionary reading.Above Jesus' cross Pilate posts a sign:“Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”Pilate means it as mockery.But John wants us to see something deeper:The cross itself becomes the throne of the king.Movement 1The King Who Comes in HumilityJesus enters Jerusalem riding a donkey.This fulfills Zechariah's prophecy:“See, your king comes to you, humble and riding on a donkey.”In the ancient world, kings entered cities on war horses after military victory.But Jesus comes differently.Not on a war horse.Not surrounded by soldiers.He arrives as a king of peace.The crowd expects liberation from Rome.Jesus comes to bring liberation from sin and death.Movement 2The King the World RejectsThe excitement of Palm Sunday quickly fades.Within days:* religious leaders oppose him* the crowd turns* Roman authorities condemn himBy the time we reach John 19, the king is hanging on a cross.And yet John fills the scene with irony.The soldiers dress him in royal clothing.A crown rests on his head.A sign announces his kingship.Everything meant to mock Jesus actually reveals the truth.The world thinks it is executing a criminal.In reality, it is witnessing the enthronement of the king.Movement 3The King Who Reigns from the CrossThe cross completely redefines power.In most kingdoms:Power means taking control.Power means defeating enemies.Power means domination.But in the kingdom of God:Power looks like sacrifice.Power looks like forgiveness.Power looks like love.The cross becomes the place where God defeats sin—not by destroying enemies, but by absorbing evil and overcoming it with grace.Closing IllustrationOn Palm Sunday the people waved palm branches.In the ancient world, palm branches were symbols of victory and triumph. When a king returned from battle, people welcomed him by waving branches and celebrating his conquest.So when the crowd waved palms for Jesus, they were declaring something important:“The king has come to win the victory.”But the victory they expected was not the victory Jesus came to bring.They expected a king who would overthrow Rome.They expected a king who would take political power.Instead, within days the story takes a shocking turn.The palm branches disappear.The cheering stops.The crowd that welcomed him fades into silence.And the king who entered Jerusalem in celebration is given a different crown.Not a crown of gold.A crown of thorns.To the world, that crown looked like defeat.But the Gospel tells us something extraordinary.The crown of thorns was actually the beginning of the king's victory.Because the cross would not be the end of the story.Three days later, the one who wore the crown of thorns would walk out of the tomb alive.And the victory the crowd longed for on Palm Sunday would finally be revealed—not as a political triumph, but as the defeat of sin, death, and evil itself.The palms were not wrong.They were just too small. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lectionarypro.substack.com

We're so glad you're listening to our podcast! We are in the season of Lent in the life of the church, a season of preparation, reflection, and repentance in the lead up to Holy Week and Easter. This sermon is based on John 18:28–40, which features the first part of Jesus's trial before Pilate, the Roman governor. We hope this sermon will be meaningful to you this week. We're also so glad you're joining us on this journey through Lent together.To find out more about our church, you can head on over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.williamsburgbaptist.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you have a moment, we'd also love for you to click over to follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We are a small but vibrant and growing congregation, and there are lots of ways to connect. Please don't hesitate to reach out if we can help support you in any way! Thanks so much for tuning in!

We're so glad you're listening to our podcast! We are in the season of Lent in the life of the church, a season of preparation, reflection, and repentance in the lead up to Holy Week and Easter. This sermon (a "homily") is based on John 18:12–27, the story of Peter's Denial. We hope this sermon will be meaningful to you this week. We're also so glad you're joining us on this journey through Lent together.To find out more about our church, you can head on over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.williamsburgbaptist.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you have a moment, we'd also love for you to click over to follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We are a small but vibrant and growing congregation, and there are lots of ways to connect. Please don't hesitate to reach out if we can help support you in any way! Thanks so much for tuning in!

We're so glad you're listening to our podcast! We are in the season of Lent in the life of the church, a season of preparation, reflection, and repentance in the lead up to Holy Week and Easter. This short sermon (a "homily") is based on John 13, the story of Jesus washing his followers' feet. We hope this sermon will be meaningful to you this week. We're also so glad you're joining us on this journey through Lent together.To find out more about our church, you can head on over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.williamsburgbaptist.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you have a moment, we'd also love for you to click over to follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We are a small but vibrant and growing congregation, and there are lots of ways to connect. Please don't hesitate to reach out if we can help support you in any way! Thanks so much for tuning in!

NO PODCAST (voice production) this week, as John has been sick and has no voice! So, written comments only. Hope to be back in tune next week!*********************************************************************************************************Hey gang — thanks for the comments and encouragement! Please keep them coming along with your requests and suggestions. I am playing around a bit with the format this week — putting a little more “meat” into each scripture section with preaching notes, some pastoral commentary with application, and a possible preaching thread to tie all the passages together. You can tell me if it works or not!RCL TextsExodus 17:1–7Israel is in the wilderness with no water, and panic turns into accusation: “Why did you bring us out here to die?” Their fear shows how quickly hardship can erase memory of God's past faithfulness. Moses cries out, and God tells him to strike the rock at Horeb. Water comes from an impossible place. The site is named Massah (“testing”) and Meribah (“quarreling”) because the people tested the Lord by asking whether God was really with them. The passage holds both human distrust and divine provision side by side. “Moses Strikes the Rock” from reformconfess.com)Preaching note:This is not just a “don't complain” text. It's a story about fear under pressure and God's mercy in the middle of distrust. Israel's panic is real; God's provision is still real.Pastoral caution:Don't shame people for anxiety, grief, or survival-level stress by flattening this into “faithful people never question God.”Application move:Invite people to name one “wilderness fear” honestly in prayer this week, then pair it with one remembered sign of God's faithfulness from their own life.Psalm 95The psalm begins as a joyful call to worship: come singing, kneeling, and remembering that we belong to the God who made and shepherds us. Then it pivots hard into warning: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” It recalls the wilderness rebellion, where people saw God's works but still resisted trust. That contrast is the point — true worship is not just praise language; it is responsive, obedient listening in the present moment (“today”).Preaching note:The psalm links praise and obedience. It starts in celebration but insists that worship without listening becomes hollow.Pastoral caution:Avoid using “do not harden your hearts” as a weapon against wounded people who need time, safety, and patience.Application move:Give a simple daily practice: before bed, ask, “Where did I resist God today? Where did I respond?”Romans 5:1–11Paul describes what justification by faith produces: peace with God through Jesus Christ, access to grace, and a hope rooted in God's glory. He then deepens it: suffering is not proof God has abandoned us; in Christ, suffering can shape endurance, character, and hope. This hope does not collapse because God's love has already been poured into believers by the Holy Spirit. The center of the passage is God's initiative: Christ died for us “while we were still sinners.” Reconciliation is not earned by moral improvement; it is received as gift and then lived out with confidence and gratitude.Preaching note:Paul is not romanticizing suffering. He is saying suffering is no longer meaningless in Christ because God's love and reconciliation come first, not last.Pastoral caution:Never imply people should be grateful for trauma or that pain automatically produces maturity.Application move:Encourage people to replace self-condemning language with Romans 5 language this week: “I have peace with God,” “I stand in grace,” “I am reconciled in Christ.”John 4:5–42Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well and asks for water, crossing social, ethnic, religious, and gender barriers in one move. The conversation shifts from literal water to “living water,” then to her real life. Jesus names her story truthfully but without shaming her, and she stays in the conversation rather than withdrawing. She recognizes him first as prophet, then in messianic terms, and becomes a witness to her town: “Come and see.” Many Samaritans believe, first through her testimony and then through encountering Jesus themselves. The text shows evangelism as overflow from being truly seen and offered grace.Preaching note:Jesus meets someone at social and spiritual distance, begins with a request, tells truth without humiliation, and turns a marginalized person into a messenger.Pastoral caution:Do not preach this text in a way that reduces the woman to a stereotype of sexual failure; the text's center is revelation, dignity, and mission.Application move:Call the church to one “well-side conversation” this week: listen to someone outside their normal circle with curiosity, not agenda.A Sermon Outline: “When You're Running on Empty”Core claim: God meets thirsty people with mercy, truth, and living water.Opening (Name the thirst)• “Most people aren't living rebellious lives; they're living depleted lives.”• Name common thirsts: peace, clarity, forgiveness, belonging, hope.• Bridge line: “Today's texts are for people running on empty.”Exodus 17 (Fear + Provision)• Israel has no water; fear turns to accusation.• They ask: “Is the Lord among us or not?”• God brings water from a rock — provision in an impossible place.Pastoral sentence: “God is not surprised by panic prayers.”Psalm 95 (Worship + Listening)• Starts with praise, shifts to warning.• Worship is not only singing; it is hearing and responding: “Today… do not harden your hearts.”Key line: “A lifted voice means little with a closed heart.”John 4 (Living Water + Honest Grace)• Jesus crosses boundaries to meet the Samaritan woman.• He asks for water, offers living water, tells truth without humiliation.• She becomes a witness: “Come and see.”Pastoral sentence: “Jesus does not expose people to shame them; he reveals truth to heal them.”Romans 5 (Peace + Hope)• Justified by faith → peace with God.• Access to grace is present reality, not future possibility.• Suffering is real, but not final; hope does not disappoint because God's love is poured out by the Spirit.• Christ died for us while we were still sinners.Key line: “Your standing with God is grounded in Christ's work, not your performance.”An IllustrationA healthy family doesn't erase a child's place at the table because of one bad day.Imagine a kid who has a meltdown, talks back, slams a door, and fails a test all in the same week. There are still consequences. There are still conversations. But at dinner, the plate is still there. The name is still theirs. The address hasn't changed.That's the distinction Romans 5 helps us make: discipline is real, but belonging is deeper.Paul says we are “justified by faith” and therefore “have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” He doesn't say, “We have peace with God because this week we behaved well.” He says our standing with God is through Christ. That means our relationship is not recalculated every morning by our spiritual performance score.So yes, Christians confess sin. Yes, we repent. Yes, we grow.But we do all of that from grace, not for grace.From belonging, not trying to earn belonging.Concrete Application (This Week)Choose one:1. Name your thirst honestly before God (no editing).2. Take one reconciliatory step (call, apology, forgiveness, boundary).3. Have one well-side conversation with someone outside your normal circle.4. Pray nightly: “Lord Jesus, give me living water for tomorrow.”Narrative Lectionary, March 8, 2026 (Lent 3) the text is:Narrative LectionaryJohn 18:12–27 — Jesus before Annas; Peter's denial1) Expanded Text SummaryJesus is arrested and brought first to Annas, the former high priest, in a scene where political power, religious authority, and fear are all in play. Jesus is questioned about his disciples and teaching, but he responds with calm clarity: he has spoken openly, not in secret. He is struck for answering, and the legal process already feels tilted before formal charges are even set. In parallel, Peter stands in the courtyard and is asked if he belongs to Jesus. Three times he denies it, and the rooster crows. The passage intentionally contrasts Jesus' steady public witness with Peter's anxious self-protection, showing both the cost of discipleship and the fragility of even devoted followers.2) Major Themes• Truth under pressure• Public courage vs private fear• The loneliness of faithful witness• Failure is real, but not final (as the larger Peter arc shows)3) Preaching Arc * 1. Name the pressure — fear changes what people say and do.* 2. Watch Jesus — clear, non-defensive, truthful in hostile space.* 3. Watch Peter — close enough to observe Jesus, not steady enough to confess him.* 4. Name ourselves in the text — we're often both: courageous sometimes, evasive sometimes.* 5. Gospel turn — Jesus remains faithful even when his friends fail him.4) Preaching Notes + Caution + ApplicationPreaching note:John places Jesus' hearing and Peter's denial side by side so the congregation feels the contrast: Jesus bears witness at personal cost; Peter avoids cost by distancing himself.Pastoral caution:Don't preach Peter as a cartoon hypocrite. Fear responses are human, especially when people feel exposed or unsafe.An IllustrationThink about how courage usually fails.It's rarely in dramatic, movie-scene moments. It fails in ordinary settings — by a fire, in a hallway, in a break room, in a group chat. No one is threatening prison. No one is holding a weapon. But social risk feels real: embarrassment, exclusion, eye-rolls, being labeled, losing status.A person can be bold in principle and shaky in practice.On Sunday, they say, “I'll stand with Jesus no matter what.”On Tuesday, someone asks a simple question — “You don't really believe that, do you?” — and they pivot, soften, dodge, or joke their way out of clarity.That's Peter in John 18.He's not indifferent to Jesus. He followed Jesus into danger.He's not evil. He's scared.He wants proximity without exposure, closeness without cost.And that is exactly why he is so relatable.The good news is not “real disciples never falter.”The good news is “Jesus remains faithful when disciples falter.”Failure is real, but it is not final.The rooster crow is not just exposure — it's invitation back.Application move:Invite one concrete “truthful confession” this week:• owning faith in a conversation,• admitting a moral compromise, or• choosing honesty where silence is easier. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lectionarypro.substack.com

We're so glad you're listening to our podcast! We are now in the season of Lent in the life of the church. Lent is a season of preparation, reflection, and repentance in the lead up to Holy Week and Easter. This sermon is based on John 11:1–44, the story of the raising of Lazarus. We hope this sermon will be meaningful to you this week. We're also so glad you're joining us on this journey into Lent together.To find out more about our church, you can head on over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.williamsburgbaptist.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you have a moment, we'd also love for you to click over to follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We are a small but vibrant and growing congregation, and there are lots of ways to connect. Please don't hesitate to reach out if we can help support you in any way! Thanks so much for tuning in!

RCL Texts:Genesis 2:15–17; 3:1–7; Psalm 32; Romans 5:12–19; Matthew 4:1–11(Narrative Lectionary text and comments follow below)Theme: From Hiding to TrustCore ClaimLent begins with hard truth about sin, but moves quickly to mercy: in Christ, we are called out of hiding and formed into a life of trust.1) Scripture SummariesGenesis 2:15–17; 3:1–7Humanity is placed in the garden with freedom and responsibility, but the serpent reframes God's command and plants distrust. The man and woman choose autonomy over trust, and their eyes are opened—not to wisdom as promised (or as they perhaps imagined it), but to shame and vulnerability. Sin appears as broken trust, disordered desire, and rupture of innocence.Psalm 32A testimony of grace: confessed sin becomes forgiven sin. Silence before God becomes burden; honest confession opens mercy, guidance, and joy. Those who trust the Lord are surrounded by steadfast love.Romans 5:12–19Paul contrasts Adam and Christ. Through Adam, sin and death spread; through Christ, grace and life overflow. Christ's obedience is stronger than Adam's disobedience. Where sin condemned, Christ justifies and restores.Matthew 4:1–11Jesus, led by the Spirit, is tempted by appetite, power, and false security. Each temptation invites self-serving control instead of trustful sonship. Jesus answers with Scripture and remains faithful, revealing true obedience where humanity often falls.2) Unifying Thread“From Distrust to Trust: the Lenten journey from hiding to grace.”• Genesis: the root problem—distrust of God's goodness.• Psalm 32: the turning point—stop hiding, confess, receive mercy.• Romans 5: the gospel claim—Christ's faithfulness is greater than Adam's failure.• Matthew 4: faithfulness embodied—Jesus trusts where we are tempted to seize control.A Preaching Arc1. The lie – “God is withholding from you.” (Genesis)2. The burden – unconfessed sin crushes the soul. (Psalm 32)3. The gift – grace surpasses sin. (Romans 5)4. The way – trustful obedience in real temptation. (Matthew 4)One-Sentence TakeawayLent begins by naming our distrust, but does not leave us there: in Christ, we are invited out of hiding, into confession, and into a new life of trust.3) Homily Outline (7–10 minutes)“From Hiding to Trust”1) Opening (1 minute)• Lent is honesty, not spiritual theater.• Sin begins in Genesis not with rule-breaking, but distrust.• Theme: distrust → confession → grace → trustful obedience.2) Genesis: Anatomy of Temptation (2 minutes)• “Did God really say…?” begins with suspicion.• Focus shifts from gift to restriction.• Result: shame and hiding, not freedom.• Modern echoes: “I must control this, or I'm not safe.”• The beginning of sin is trusting the wrong voice.3) Psalm 32: Grace of Confession (1.5–2 minutes)• “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away…”• Confession is not humiliation for its own sake; it is healing.• God's response is forgiveness and guidance.• Pastoral invitation: Where are we exhausted from pretending?4) Romans 5: Adam and Christ (2 minutes)• Adam's distrust spreads sin and death.• Christ's obedience brings justification and life.• Grace is greater than sin's reach.• Good news line: Your failure is real—but not final.5) Matthew 4: Jesus in the Wilderness (2 minutes)Three temptations, one test: trust vs control.• Stones to bread: satisfy need without trust.• Temple leap: demand proof instead of faith.• Kingdoms by compromise: gain power without the cross.Jesus answers with words from God and trustful obedience.6) Application for the Week (1 minute)1. Name the lie you're most tempted to believe.2. Practice specific, daily confession.3. Choose one act of trustful obedience where you usually choose control.7) Closing (30–45 seconds)Lent is not proving ourselves to God; it is being led by Christ from hiding into trust.Closing line: “From Eden's hiding place to the wilderness of testing, God is drawing us toward one truth: we are saved not by grasping, but by grace—and grace teaches us to trust.”An IllustrationA parent in one congregation spoke about a weeknight that felt painfully ordinary.Nothing dramatic happened—just the accumulated pressure of a long day. Work ran late. Dinner was rushed. Homework wasn't done. A younger child was melting down. An older child was answering in that teenage tone that instantly raises your blood pressure.The parent said, “I came into the evening already empty, but I kept telling myself I could power through.” And then one small moment set everything off. A spilled drink, a sarcastic reply, a slammed cabinet door—something tiny.The parent snapped. Words came out sharper than intended. A child yelled back. Another child went quiet. And within ten minutes, the whole house was in that heavy silence families know too well.Later that night, the parent stood at the sink and thought, “How did we get here again?”Not because they didn't love their family. Not because they were a bad person. But because fear and exhaustion had quietly become the loudest voice in the room.The next line the parent said really struck home:“The hardest part wasn't losing my temper. The hardest part was walking down the hallway and knocking on my child's door.”Because confession in family life is vulnerable. It is easier to lecture than to repent. It is easier to defend your tone than to say, “I was wrong.” It is easier to stay silent and hope tomorrow resets things automatically.But that parent knocked on the door, sat down, and said: “I'm sorry for how I spoke to you. You matter more than my frustration. Will you forgive me?”And the child—after a pause—said, “I'm sorry too.”That was not a dramatic miracle. No music. No spotlight. Just two people stepping out of hiding. That is Psalm 32 in a kitchen and hallway.* “When I kept silent…”—the house got heavier.* “I acknowledged my sin…”—grace opened the room again.Lent often looks like this: not grand gestures, but truthful repentance. Not pretending we are fine, but choosing repair. Not winning the argument, but preserving communion.And that is where trust is rebuilt—one confession, one apology, one act of mercy at a time.Narrative Lectionary — Lent 1 (Feb 22, 2026)Text: John 11:1–44Theme: From Grief to Glory1) Scripture SummaryLazarus becomes ill and dies, despite Jesus' love for him and his family. Jesus' delay creates anguish for Martha and Mary, who both cry, “Lord, if you had been here….” At Bethany, Jesus enters their sorrow, weeps at the tomb, and then declares, “I am the resurrection and the life.” He calls Lazarus out of death and commands the community to unbind him. The passage reveals both Christ's compassion in the face of grief and his authority over death.2) Unifying Thread“From Tomb to Trust: Jesus meets us in grief and calls life forth.”• The story begins in honest lament and disrupted expectations.• Jesus does not stand outside suffering; he shares it. (“Jesus wept.”)• The center is Christ's identity: resurrection is not only an event, but a person.• The raising of Lazarus becomes a pattern of discipleship: called to life, then unbound for freedom.A Preaching Arc1. The ache — “Lord, if you had been here…”2. The claim — “I am the resurrection and the life.”3. The sign — “Lazarus, come out.”4. The call — “Unbind him, and let him go.”One-sentence takeawayLent invites us to bring our grief to Jesus, trust him in the delay, and respond to his life-giving voice at the very place we fear is final.3) Homily Outline (7–10 minutes)Opening (1 minute)Name the reality of grief, disappointment, and delayed answers in the spiritual life. Introduce the key lament: “Lord, if you had been here…”I. The Delay and the Crisis of Trust (2 minutes)Jesus loves this family, yet Lazarus dies.Explore the tension: divine love and human pain coexist.Pastoral line: delay is painful, but it is not the same as abandonment.II. Jesus at the Tomb (1.5–2 minutes)“Jesus wept.”Emphasize Christ's solidarity with human sorrow.God is not detached from our grief.III. The Center Confession (1.5–2 minutes)“I am the resurrection and the life.”Resurrection is present in the person of Christ, not only a future hope.Call hearers to trust Christ himself in present sorrow.IV. Called Out, Then Unbound (1.5–2 minutes)“Lazarus, come out.”“Unbind him, and let him go.”Christ gives life; the community participates in unbinding.Application (1 minute)Name one grief before God each day this week.Pray honestly in the place of delay.Take one concrete “unbinding” step (confession, reconciliation, seeking support, surrender).Closing (30–45 seconds)Christ meets us at the tomb and speaks life where we expect finality.End with hope rooted in his voice, not our circumstances. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lectionarypro.substack.com

We're so glad you're listening to our podcast! We have been moving through the season of Epiphany, the season of light, and this sermon is from Transfiguration Sunday, the culminating Sunday in the Epiphany season. This sermon is based on John 9:1–41, the story of Jesus and a man born blind. It is a fascinating and intriguing story, and we hope this sermon will be meaningful to you this week.To find out more about our church, you can head on over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.williamsburgbaptist.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you have a moment, we'd also love for you to click over to follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We are a small but vibrant and growing congregation, and there are lots of ways to connect. Please don't hesitate to reach out if we can help support you in any way! Thanks so much for tuning in!

Delmer and I had 14 great years of writing and producing the Lectionary Lab blog and podcast… along with sharing workshop time with a bunch of you. Those were the “salad days” and shall never be repeated. But, I have been kicking around an idea for a lectionary preaching resource that I'd like to put out here and give it a whirl for the upcoming season of Lent.This will NOT be the format of the former Lectionary Lab — which, by the way, is pretty much officially defunct. Our web address no longer works, and the archive has been on its last legs for some time now. But, I would like to do something to help the toil of working pastors be a little easier and more efficient, if possible. So, I'm trying out Lectionary.pro, a mostly-digital resource that can be viewed on smartphones, tablets, and — or course — computers. Lectionary.pro will have both a written and spoken element each week, for those that prefer to listen rather than read.I wanted to call this resource Lectionary.go, but that won't make a URL; so, Lectionary.pro was the second choice. After all, we are professionals at what we do, are we not? In addition to the Revised Common Lectionary texts each week, Lectionary.pro will also have a section for the Narrative Lectionary (a request that we had frequently back in the day.)Very brief summary comments for each text, some common threads that unite the readings, and some suggestions for building a sermon. That's about it. I will miss the sermons and stories from my Bubba, Delmer Chilton… but, who knows? We might talk him into a guest appearance every once in a while!So, I will put out the material for the 5 Sundays in Lent, as well as Palm/Passion Sunday here on this site. Again, if you'd prefer not to receive it, feel free to exercise your option to unsubscribe. Let me know what you think in the comments from week to week. If enough people find it useful, we'll let'er rip for Holy Week, Eastertide, and at least through Pentecost. Thanks again… and see you soon for Lectionary.pro! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lectionarypro.substack.com

We're so glad you're listening to our podcast! We are now in the season of Epiphany, the season of light. This sermon is based on John 3:1–21, the story of Nicodemus's nighttime conversation with Jesus, which includes one of the most famous verses in all of Scripture: John 3:16. We hope this sermon will be meaningful to you this week.To find out more about our church, you can head on over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.williamsburgbaptist.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you have a moment, we'd also love for you to click over to follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We are a small but vibrant and growing congregation, and there are lots of ways to connect. Please don't hesitate to reach out if we can help support you in any way! Thanks so much for tuning in!

We're so glad you're listening to our podcast! We are now in the season of Epiphany, the season of light, and this sermon is based on John 4:1–42, with the story of Jesus's encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. This was a "snow day" and so worship was virtual, but we're glad we can share this with you. We hope this sermon will be meaningful to you this week.To find out more about our church, you can head on over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.williamsburgbaptist.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you have a moment, we'd also love for you to click over to follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We are a small but vibrant and growing congregation, and there are lots of ways to connect. Please don't hesitate to reach out if we can help support you in any way! Thanks so much for tuning in!

We're so glad you're listening to our podcast! We are now in the season of Epiphany, the season of light, and this sermon is based on John 2:13–25, with the story of Jesus entering the Temple and flipping tables. We hope this sermon will be meaningful to you this week.To find out more about our church, you can head on over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.williamsburgbaptist.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you have a moment, we'd also love for you to click over to follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We are a small but vibrant and growing congregation, and there are lots of ways to connect. Please don't hesitate to reach out if we can help support you in any way! Thanks so much for tuning in!

We're so glad you're listening to our podcast! We are now in the season of Epiphany, the season of light, and this sermon is based on John 2:1–11, with the story of Jesus turning water into wine. We hope this sermon will be meaningful to you this week.To find out more about our church, you can head on over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.williamsburgbaptist.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you have a moment, we'd also love for you to click over to follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We are a small but vibrant and growing congregation, and there are lots of ways to connect. Please don't hesitate to reach out if we can help support you in any way! Thanks so much for tuning in!

We're so glad you're listening to our podcast! We are now in the Christmas season, and this sermon is based on John 1:35–51, with the story of the call of the disciples. We hope this sermon will be meaningful to you this week.To find out more about our church, you can head on over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.williamsburgbaptist.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you have a moment, we'd also love for you to click over to follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We are a small but vibrant and growing congregation, and there are lots of ways to connect. Please don't hesitate to reach out if we can help support you in any way! Thanks so much for tuning in!

Merry Christmas! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! We are now in the Christmas season, and this sermon is based on John 1:19–34, with the story of John the Baptist. We hope this sermon will be meaningful to you this week.To find out more about our church, you can head on over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.williamsburgbaptist.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you have a moment, we'd also love for you to click over to follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We are a small but vibrant and growing congregation, and there are lots of ways to connect. Please don't hesitate to reach out if we can help support you in any way! Thanks so much for tuning in!

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! We are now in the Advent season, and this sermon is based on John 1:1–18, the very beginning of the Gospel of John. We're moving this week into the New Testament, and we'll be in John's Gospel for month, now, through Easter and beyond. This is such a powerful and intruigign way to start a Gospel, and we hope this sermon will be meaningful to you this week as we reflect on the Advent theme of love.To find out more about our church, you can head on over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.williamsburgbaptist.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you have a moment, we'd also love for you to click over to follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We are a small but vibrant and growing congregation, and there are lots of ways to connect. Please don't hesitate to reach out if we can help support you in any way! Thanks so much for tuning in!

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! We are now in the Advent season, and this sermon is based on Isaiah 55:1–13. It is a powerful passage and image, and we hope this sermon will be meaningful to you this week as we reflect on the Advent theme of Joy.To find out more about our church, you can head on over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.williamsburgbaptist.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you have a moment, we'd also love for you to click over to follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We are a small but vibrant and growing congregation, and there are lots of ways to connect. Please don't hesitate to reach out if we can help support you in any way! Thanks so much for tuning in!

Join hosts Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Karoline Lewis as they explore one of Scripture's most famous passages: Jesus' nighttime conversation with Nicodemus in John 3:1-21. This episode unpacks the Third Sunday after Epiphany text from the Narrative Lectionary, examining the encounter that contains perhaps the Bible's most well-known verse—John 3:16.The hosts dive deep into what it truly means to be "born from above" (anothen in Greek), clarifying common misconceptions about this phrase often translated as "born again." Karoline Lewis, a Johannine scholar, explains how belief (pisteuō) in John's Gospel functions not as cognitive assent but as an active relationship with Jesus—always a verb, never just a noun. The conversation explores how eternal life in John isn't merely about the afterlife but describes the abundant life possible now through relationship with God and Jesus (John 17:3).Discover why Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews, comes to Jesus under cover of darkness—a detail that contrasts sharply with the woman at the well who meets Jesus in broad daylight. The hosts examine the narrative function of misunderstanding in John's Gospel, showing how Nicodemus's confusion (and similar misunderstandings by the Samaritan woman, the man born blind, and even Thomas) serves as an invitation into deeper theological revelation.This episode addresses critical preaching challenges: How do we interpret John 3:16 beyond football game signs? What does it mean for traditions that practice infant baptism to engage with "born from above" language? The hosts trace Nicodemus's character arc throughout John's Gospel, from his nighttime visit in chapter 3, to his defense of Jesus in chapter 7, to his anointing of Jesus' body in chapter 19.Special attention is given to verse 19's crucial claim: God sent Jesus not to condemn the world but to save it, yet judgment comes through humanity's choice of darkness over light. This framing helps preachers connect ancient text with contemporary ministry, addressing how sin functions as a condition of separation from God rather than merely individual moral failings.Drawing on Craig Koester's forthcoming commentary on John and scholarly research on the Greek term anothen, this episode equips pastors and ministry leaders with tools for sermon preparation that balance academic rigor with accessibility for congregational settings.TIMECODES:00:00 Introduction to Nicodemus and John 3:1603:05 Understanding Belief and Eternal Life in John05:52 The Encounter Between Jesus and Nicodemus09:07 Misunderstandings and Revelations in the Gospel12:08 The Journey of Nicodemus13:29 Conclusion and Reflections on the Narrative LectionaryListen now and equip yourself for your preaching journey! Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share with fellow preachers.

Join hosts Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Karoline Lewis as they explore one of the most pivotal yet frequently misunderstood passages in John's Gospel—the cleansing of the temple. Why does John place this dramatic event at the beginning of Jesus' ministry instead of during Holy Week like the synoptic gospels? The answer reveals something profound about where God's presence truly dwells.In this episode of "I Love to Tell the Story," the hosts unpack John 2:13-25, examining how this passage differs significantly from its synoptic counterparts. Rather than simply critiquing temple corruption, John uses this incident to make a theological statement about Jesus himself as the new location of God's presence. When Jesus declares, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up," he's pointing toward his resurrection and redefining where humanity encounters the divine.The conversation addresses critical pastoral concerns, including how to preach John's Gospel responsibly given its history of misuse to justify anti-Semitism. The hosts emphasize Jesus' identity as a faithful Jewish male who observed Passover and the pilgrimage festivals, helping preachers counter supersessionist interpretations while honoring the text's theological claims.Key insights include the significance of John's three Passover references (establishing Jesus' three-year ministry), the pattern of misunderstanding that characterizes responses to Jesus throughout the gospel, and the meaning of Greek terms like "pisteuō" (believe/entrust) in verse 24. The hosts also tackle contemporary applications, warning against the commodification of religion—from first-century money changers to modern prosperity gospel preachers who treat God's grace as something that can be bought and sold.Whether you're preparing Sunday's sermon, leading Bible study, or deepening your own understanding of John's unique theological perspective, this episode offers scholarly insight made accessible for ministry contexts. Discover how John 2:13-25 proclaims good news: God's presence is not confined to religious institutions or controlled by religious authorities, but is freely available to everyone in Jesus Christ.TIMECODES:00:00 Introduction to the Temple Cleansing03:13 Understanding Jesus' Actions in the Temple05:59 The Significance of Jesus' Presence in Jerusalem09:11 The Good News Beyond the Temple10:26 Law and Gospel in the Context of the Temple

Join Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Karoline Lewis as they explore Jesus' first miracle in the Gospel of John—the wedding at Cana. This episode unpacks the theological significance of John's "Book of Signs" and what it means that Jesus inaugurates his public ministry not with fasting or wilderness temptation, but with overflowing wine at a celebration.Key Themes Explored:* The Book of Signs: Understanding John's unique structure (chapters 1-12) and how the seven signs point to Jesus' identity and the grace he offers* Grace Upon Grace: How the abundance at Cana—six stone jars holding 20-30 gallons each, filled to the brim with the best wine—embodies John 1:16's promise of grace upon grace* Honor and Shame: The cultural context of first-century Palestinian weddings and how Jesus' intervention saves a family from public disgrace* The Role of Jesus' Mother: Mary's unique presence in John's Gospel, appearing only at the beginning and end of Jesus' public ministry, and her profound recognition of who Jesus is* Signs vs. Miracles: Why John calls these events "signs" (σημεῖα) rather than miracles—they point beyond the act itself to reveal God's presence and powerWhy This Matters for Preaching:The hosts discuss how this narrative offers multiple homiletical directions: the experience of abundance in our lives, the removal of shame through Christ's compassion, and the call to "do whatever he tells you"—a pattern that continues throughout John's Gospel where obedience to Jesus leads to transformation and abundance.Karoline Lewis brings her expertise in Johannine literature to illuminate how this first sign sets the pattern for Jesus' entire ministry in John and how it differs significantly from the synoptic gospels' approach to Jesus' early ministry.

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! We are now in the Advent season, and this sermon is based on Ezekiel 37:1–14, the famous Valley of the Dry Bones. It is a powerful passage and image, and we hope this sermon will be meaningful to you this week as we reflect on the Advent theme of peace.To find out more about our church, you can head on over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.williamsburgbaptist.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you have a moment, we'd also love for you to click over to follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.We are a small but vibrant and growing congregation, and there are lots of ways to connect. Please don't hesitate to reach out if we can help support you in any way! Thanks so much for tuning in!

Join hosts Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Karoline Lewis as they explore the calling of Jesus' first disciples in John 1:35-51 for the Second Sunday of Christmas and the beginning of Epiphany. This episode delves into the powerful questions that frame discipleship in John's Gospel: "What are you looking for?" and "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"Discover how the verb "finding" shapes this narrative—Andrew finding Simon Peter, Philip finding Nathanael—and what it means that we are both found by Christ and called to invite others to "come and see." The hosts explore John's favorite concept of "abiding" (menō in Greek), tracing how Jesus' invitation to "come and see where I am staying" echoes throughout the Gospel, from the woman at the well to the resurrection appearances.Karoline Lewis illuminates how John uniquely holds together Jesus' full divinity and full humanity—the Word made flesh who comes from both God and Nazareth. Rolf Jacobson offers a fascinating deep dive into Messianic exegesis, connecting Nathanael's fig tree encounter to Zechariah's prophecy about the "branch" and revealing the Hebrew wordplay behind "Nazareth" (netzer). Kathryn Schifferdecker traces the Jacob's ladder imagery from Genesis 28 to Jesus' promise that disciples will see "angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."Whether you're preparing a sermon for Christmas or Epiphany, leading Bible study, or seeking deeper understanding of John's Gospel, this episode offers rich theological insights and practical applications for contemporary Christian life and ministry.

Join Profs. Rolf Jacobson, Karoline Lewis, and Matt Skinner for the Fourth Sunday of Advent on December 21, 2025. Commentaries for the Fourth Sunday of Advent can be found on the Working Preacher website at https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/fourth-sunday-of-advent/commentary-on-matthew-118-25-11. ⏰Timecodes⏰ 00:00 Introduction to Advent and Scripture Readings 02:59 John the Baptist's Doubts and Expectations 06:00 Jesus' Response to John and the Nature of His Ministry 08:49 The Role of Isaiah in Advent Themes 11:56 The Highway of Return and God's Promise 15:03 The Significance of the Psalm and God's Justice 17:59 James' Call for Patience and Endurance 20:58 Reflections on Advent and Christian Living *  *  * Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share to stay connected with more insightful lectionary discussions! Reminder: We have commentaries for the Revised Common Lectionary, the Narrative Lectionary, and Evangelio (Spanish-language Gospel). We're here for you, working preachers! ABOUT SERMON BRAINWAVE: Sermon Brainwave is a production of Luther Seminary's Working Preacher, which has been providing trusted biblical interpretation and preaching inspiration since 2007. Find more episodes and resources by visiting https://www.workingpreacher.org/. Watch this episode on YouTube at https://youtu.be/vZTqxnSWuTg.

The conversation explores first-century Jewish apocalyptic expectations, drawing on scholarly work about messianic figures and prophetic forerunners. Discover why John's Gospel omits the heavenly voice at Jesus's baptism—because Jesus doesn't need confirmation of his identity. Instead, the baptism becomes John the Baptist's moment of witness, setting up the gospel's major theme: discipleship as testimony.Whether you're preparing Sunday's sermon, leading Bible study, or deepening your understanding of John's unique theological perspective, this episode offers rich insights into witness, identity, and relationship with God. Perfect for preachers, lay leaders, and anyone seeking to understand how John's Christmas season texts invite us to "behold" Emmanuel—God with us.Episode Highlights:* John the Baptist as witness rather than Elijah or "the prophet"* The meaning of "Lamb of God" in Johannine theology* Why Jesus's baptism in John serves a different purpose than in the synoptics* First-century Jewish messianic expectations and apocalyptic figures* "Sin" as separation from God versus moral failure* The "come and see" invitation throughout John's gospelTIMECODES:00:00 Introduction to the Gospel of John03:05 The Role of John the Baptist05:50 Witnessing and Testifying to Jesus09:12 Understanding Sin and Relationship with God

Join hosts Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Craig Koester as they explore the beloved Christmas story from Luke 2 in this special Christmas Eve and Christmas Day episode. While the Narrative Lectionary typically follows the Gospel of John this year, the hosts return to Luke's account because "you got to have the shepherds and the angels at Christmas." This conversation moves beyond sentimentality to reveal the cosmic significance of Christ's birth and its enduring power to speak to experiences of both homecoming and dislocation.TIMECODES:00:00 Christmas Reflections: Homecoming and Tradition02:52 The Significance of Dislocation and Divine Presence06:08 Hospitality and the Cosmic Nature of Christmas09:00 The Fulfillment of Promises and the Birth of a Savior

Join hosts Rolf Jacobson and Kathryn Schifferdecker as they welcome Karoline Lewis, Luther Seminary's resident Gospel of John expert, for the first episode in John's gospel year. This timely discussion explores John 1:19-34, perfect for the first Sunday after Christmas and sermon preparation for the Narrative Lectionary. In this episode, the hosts unpack John the Baptist's crucial role as witness rather than baptizer in the Fourth Gospel. Unlike the synoptic gospels, John presents the Baptist not as Elijah or "the prophet," but as one who testifies to Jesus's identity. Caroline Lewis illuminates how John 1:29's declaration—"Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world"—reveals a profound theological distinction: in John's gospel, "sin" isn't a moral category but describes separation from God. The conversation explores first-century Jewish apocalyptic expectations, drawing on scholarly work about messianic figures and prophetic forerunners. Discover why John's Gospel omits the heavenly voice at Jesus's baptism—because Jesus doesn't need confirmation of his identity. Instead, the baptism becomes John the Baptist's moment of witness, setting up the gospel's major theme: discipleship as testimony. Whether you're preparing Sunday's sermon, leading Bible study, or deepening your understanding of John's unique theological perspective, this episode offers rich insights into witness, identity, and relationship with God. Perfect for preachers, lay leaders, and anyone seeking to understand how John's Christmas season texts invite us to "behold" Emmanuel—God with us. Episode Highlights: * John the Baptist as witness rather than Elijah or "the prophet" * The meaning of "Lamb of God" in Johannine theology * Why Jesus's baptism in John serves a different purpose than in the synoptics * First-century Jewish messianic expectations and apocalyptic figures * "Sin" as separation from God versus moral failure * The "come and see" invitation throughout John's gospel TIMECODES: 00:00 Introduction to the Gospel of John 03:05 The Role of John the Baptist 05:50 Witnessing and Testifying to Jesus 09:12 Understanding Sin and Relationship with God

Join Profs. Matt Skinner, Karoline Lewis, and Rolf Jacobson as they explore the lectionary readings for the Second Sunday of Advent, Year A, featuring John the Baptist's prophetic ministry and Isaiah's vision of the peaceable kingdom. In this episode, the hosts examine John the Baptist's dramatic appearance in Matthew's gospel, styled after Elijah as the forerunner to the Messiah. They discuss why John positions himself in the wilderness, his confrontational message to the religious authorities ("brood of vipers"), and how his call to repentance mirrors Jesus' own first words of ministry. The conversation explores John's anti-establishment stance, his popularity in first-century Palestine, and how his expectations of Jesus differed from the ministry that actually unfolded. The discussion of Isaiah 11 delves into the promise of a righteous ruler from Jesse's stump and the beautiful poetry of the peaceable kingdom where wolves dwell with lambs and lions eat straw like oxen. The hosts reflect on how this impossible vision confronts the tragic reality of human nature and our inability to solve our own brokenness, pointing to God's solution in Jesus. Karoline highlights the image of righteousness and faithfulness as the very clothing of the Messiah. The Romans passage brings Paul's climactic call for radical welcome and unity between Jewish and Gentile believers, with Rolf emphasizing the power of blessing as a way God's preferred future breaks into the present moment. The hosts explore two benedictions that offer steadfastness, encouragement, hope, joy, and peace through the Holy Spirit. ⏰Timecodes⏰ 00:00 Introduction to Advent and Scripture Readings 03:02 The Role of John the Baptist 05:58 John's Message and Expectations 09:02 The Imagery of Judgment and Mercy 12:00 Isaiah's Vision of the Peaceable Kingdom 18:05 Psalm 72: The Ideal King 19:59 Paul's Call for Unity in Romans *  *  * Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share to stay connected with more insightful lectionary discussions! Reminder: We have commentaries for the Revised Common Lectionary, the Narrative Lectionary, and Evangelio (Spanish-language Gospel). We're here for you, working preachers! ABOUT SERMON BRAINWAVE: Sermon Brainwave is a production of Luther Seminary's Working Preacher, which has been providing trusted biblical interpretation and preaching inspiration since 2007. Find more episodes and resources by visiting https://www.workingpreacher.org/. Watch this episode on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Psn00Y9C5Io.

Join Profs. Matt Skinner, Karoline Lewis, and Rolf Jacobson as they explore the lectionary readings for the Second Sunday of Advent, Year A, featuring John the Baptist's prophetic ministry and Isaiah's vision of the peaceable kingdom.In this episode, the hosts examine John the Baptist's dramatic appearance in Matthew's gospel, styled after Elijah as the forerunner to the Messiah. They discuss why John positions himself in the wilderness, his confrontational message to the religious authorities ("brood of vipers"), and how his call to repentance mirrors Jesus' own first words of ministry. The conversation explores John's anti-establishment stance, his popularity in first-century Palestine, and how his expectations of Jesus differed from the ministry that actually unfolded.The discussion of Isaiah 11 delves into the promise of a righteous ruler from Jesse's stump and the beautiful poetry of the peaceable kingdom where wolves dwell with lambs and lions eat straw like oxen. The hosts reflect on how this impossible vision confronts the tragic reality of human nature and our inability to solve our own brokenness, pointing to God's solution in Jesus. Karoline highlights the image of righteousness and faithfulness as the very clothing of the Messiah.The Romans passage brings Paul's climactic call for radical welcome and unity between Jewish and Gentile believers, with Rolf emphasizing the power of blessing as a way God's preferred future breaks into the present moment. The hosts explore two benedictions that offer steadfastness, encouragement, hope, joy, and peace through the Holy Spirit.⏰Timecodes⏰00:00 Introduction to Advent and Scripture Readings03:02 The Role of John the Baptist05:58 John's Message and Expectations09:02 The Imagery of Judgment and Mercy12:00 Isaiah's Vision of the Peaceable Kingdom18:05 Psalm 72: The Ideal King19:59 Paul's Call for Unity in Romans* * *Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share to stay connected with more insightful lectionary discussions!Reminder: We have commentaries for the Revised Common Lectionary, the Narrative Lectionary, and Evangelio (Spanish-language Gospel). We're here for you, working preachers!ABOUT SERMON BRAINWAVE:Sermon Brainwave is a production of Luther Seminary's Working Preacher, which has been providing trusted biblical interpretation and preaching inspiration since 2007.

Join hosts Rolf Jacobson, Karoline Lewis, and Matt Skinner for this Third Sunday of Advent episode as they explore John the Baptist's profound question from prison: "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" (Matthew 11:2-11) The hosts examine John's struggle with doubt and disappointment while imprisoned by Herod Antipas, offering a deeply human perspective on faith when reality doesn't match expectations. They explore how Jesus responds not with rebuke but with evidence of the kingdom unfolding: the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised. Karoline suggests building a sermon around John's central question, exploring themes of expectation, waiting, and what we're actually looking forward to in Jesus' coming. Matt highlights how Jesus' answer reveals kingdom work happening one person at a time rather than through dramatic displays of power, connecting this back to the vision of the Sermon on the Mount from just four chapters earlier. The conversation delves into the meaning of "blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me" and discusses how this might be a subtle correction to John's expectations about the pacing and style of messianic work. The hosts emphasize the importance of "go and tell what you hear and see" as an Advent practice of noticing where God is already at work. The James reading introduces patience as a necessary Advent practice, though the hosts humorously acknowledge how difficult it is to hear "just be patient" when you're suffering or waiting for change. They explore the tension between John's radical immediacy and James' call to patient endurance. Commentaries for the Third Sunday of Advent can be found on the Working Preacher website at https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/third-sunday-of-advent/commentary-on-matthew-112-11-7. ⏰Timecodes⏰ 00:00 Introduction to Advent and Scripture Readings 01:15 John the Baptist's Doubts and Expectations 04:49 Jesus' Response to Doubts and the Nature of His Mission 10:16 Exploring Isaiah's Prophetic Message 18:45 The Role of the Psalm in Advent 22:06 Patience and Waiting in Advent 23:34  Outro *  *  * Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share to stay connected with more insightful lectionary discussions! Reminder: We have commentaries for the Revised Common Lectionary, the Narrative Lectionary, and Evangelio (Spanish-language Gospel). We're here for you, working preachers! ABOUT SERMON BRAINWAVE: Sermon Brainwave is a production of Luther Seminary's Working Preacher, which has been providing trusted biblical interpretation and preaching inspiration since 2007. Find more episodes and resources by visiting https://www.workingpreacher.org/. Watch this episode on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Q0ZtcMuVm2U.

Join hosts Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Craig Koester as they explore the beloved Christmas story from Luke 2 in this special Christmas Eve and Christmas Day episode. While the Narrative Lectionary typically follows the Gospel of John this year, the hosts return to Luke's account because "you got to have the shepherds and the angels at Christmas." This conversation moves beyond sentimentality to reveal the cosmic significance of Christ's birth and its enduring power to speak to experiences of both homecoming and dislocation. TIMECODES: 00:00 Christmas Reflections: Homecoming and Tradition 02:52 The Significance of Dislocation and Divine Presence 06:08 Hospitality and the Cosmic Nature of Christmas 09:00 The Fulfillment of Promises and the Birth of a Savior

Join Profs. Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Craig Koester for the Third Sunday of Advent as they explore Isaiah 55:1-13, a climactic prophetic word from the end of Second Isaiah that offers hope at the close of exile.This episode examines the vivid marketplace imagery of God's free invitation—"Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price"—and unpacks how this passage bridges exile and restoration while pointing toward the incarnation in John's Gospel.Key Themes Explored:* The marketplace imagery of Isaiah 55 and its evocative call to spiritual nourishment* God's everlasting covenant with David and its messianic significance* The shift from literal food to spiritual sustenance and hope* How covenant relationship transforms celebration beyond surface-level feasting* The expansion of God's covenant to include all nations, not just Israel* Connections between Advent themes and Isaiah's vision of restorationTIMECODES:00:00 Hope in Exile: The Message of Isaiah 5503:01 The Invitation to Spiritual Nourishment06:33 Feasting and Relationship: Beyond the Surface08:48 Covenant and Inclusion: A Universal Message

Join hosts Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Craig Koester as they explore John's magnificent prologue for the Fourth Sunday of Advent (December 21st). This episode examines one of Scripture's most eloquent passages - the opening 18 verses of John's Gospel that present a cosmic perspective on the incarnation.The hosts dive deep into the poetic and hymnic qualities of John's prologue, contrasting its cosmic, awe-inspiring message with the traditional nativity narratives. Rather than focusing on shepherds and mangers, this passage presents the Word becoming flesh in ethereal, almost haunting language that integrates both mind and heart.This episode unpacks the multi-dimensional concept of "zoe" (life) in Greek, which encompasses physical existence, relational connection with God, communal belonging, and resurrection promise. The hosts trace how this theme of life runs throughout John's entire Gospel - from "God so loved the world" in John 3:16 to Jesus declaring "I am the way, the truth, and the life."The discussion explores the profound imagery of light and darkness, emphasizing how people are naturally drawn to the light of Christmas Eve candles as an embodiment of humanity's deep longing for relationship with God. As Augustine wrote, "You have created us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you."TIMECODES:00:00 Introduction to the Prologue of John's Gospel02:52 The Cosmic Perspective of Jesus' Significance06:06 Exploring the Theme of Life in John's Gospel08:50 The Multidimensional Nature of Life12:07 The Relationship Between Humanity and the Divine

Join hosts Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Craig Koester as they explore John's magnificent prologue for the Fourth Sunday of Advent (December 21st). This episode examines one of Scripture's most eloquent passages - the opening 18 verses of John's Gospel that present a cosmic perspective on the incarnation. The hosts dive deep into the poetic and hymnic qualities of John's prologue, contrasting its cosmic, awe-inspiring message with the traditional nativity narratives. Rather than focusing on shepherds and mangers, this passage presents the Word becoming flesh in ethereal, almost haunting language that integrates both mind and heart. This episode unpacks the multi-dimensional concept of "zoe" (life) in Greek, which encompasses physical existence, relational connection with God, communal belonging, and resurrection promise. The hosts trace how this theme of life runs throughout John's entire Gospel - from "God so loved the world" in John 3:16 to Jesus declaring "I am the way, the truth, and the life." The discussion explores the profound imagery of light and darkness, emphasizing how people are naturally drawn to the light of Christmas Eve candles as an embodiment of humanity's deep longing for relationship with God. As Augustine wrote, "You have created us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you." TIMECODES: 00:00 Introduction to the Prologue of John's Gospel 02:52 The Cosmic Perspective of Jesus' Significance 06:06 Exploring the Theme of Life in John's Gospel 08:50 The Multidimensional Nature of Life 12:07 The Relationship Between Humanity and the Divine

When everything feels dead and hope seems lost, can dry bones live again? In this powerful episode for the Second Sunday of Advent, hosts Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Craig Koester explore Ezekiel's stunning vision of the valley of dry bones—a message of hope for exiles who believed they were completely cut off from God.The conversation unpacks the rich Hebrew word "ruach" (spirit/breath/wind) that runs throughout Ezekiel 37, revealing how God promises to breathe new life into seemingly hopeless situations. Unlike Jeremiah who wrote from Jerusalem to the exiles, Ezekiel himself was living in exile, speaking directly into the despair of a displaced people whose city had been destroyed and who felt abandoned by God.This isn't just ancient history. Whether you're an individual feeling spiritually dried up, or part of a congregation that seems to have lost its vitality, this text speaks directly to that despair. As the hosts emphasize, the Israelites' lament—"our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, we are cut off completely"—represents the deepest kind of spiritual crisis. Yet God's response through Ezekiel is a vivid, visual promise: I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live.The discussion highlights how Advent functions as a season of holy waiting and exile, longing for home. Kathryn notes Michael Chan's powerful observation that "Ezekiel's audience lives life with an open wound," and that the journey to genuine hope begins with "a hard stare into the eyes of truth." This isn't false optimism—it's hope grounded in the God of life who has the power to bring resurrection even from death-dealing situations.Whether you're preparing a sermon, teaching a Bible study, or seeking personal encouragement, this episode offers both scholarly insight and pastoral wisdom for one of Scripture's most memorable visions of hope.TIMECODES:00:00 Advent Life and Exile02:54 Ezekiel's Vision of Hope05:52 The Power of God in Despair09:00 Understanding Yahweh's Promise11:07 Hope Amidst Exile

Join Profs. Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Craig Koester for the Third Sunday of Advent as they explore Isaiah 55:1-13, a climactic prophetic word from the end of Second Isaiah that offers hope at the close of exile. This episode examines the vivid marketplace imagery of God's free invitation—"Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price"—and unpacks how this passage bridges exile and restoration while pointing toward the incarnation in John's Gospel. Key Themes Explored: * The marketplace imagery of Isaiah 55 and its evocative call to spiritual nourishment * God's everlasting covenant with David and its messianic significance * The shift from literal food to spiritual sustenance and hope * How covenant relationship transforms celebration beyond surface-level feasting * The expansion of God's covenant to include all nations, not just Israel * Connections between Advent themes and Isaiah's vision of restoration TIMECODES: 00:00 Hope in Exile: The Message of Isaiah 55 03:01 The Invitation to Spiritual Nourishment 06:33 Feasting and Relationship: Beyond the Surface 08:48 Covenant and Inclusion: A Universal Message

When everything feels dead and hope seems lost, can dry bones live again?  In this powerful episode for the Second Sunday of Advent, hosts Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Craig Koester explore Ezekiel's stunning vision of the valley of dry bones—a message of hope for exiles who believed they were completely cut off from God. The conversation unpacks the rich Hebrew word "ruach" (spirit/breath/wind) that runs throughout Ezekiel 37, revealing how God promises to breathe new life into seemingly hopeless situations. Unlike Jeremiah who wrote from Jerusalem to the exiles, Ezekiel himself was living in exile, speaking directly into the despair of a displaced people whose city had been destroyed and who felt abandoned by God. This isn't just ancient history. Whether you're an individual feeling spiritually dried up, or part of a congregation that seems to have lost its vitality, this text speaks directly to that despair. As the hosts emphasize, the Israelites' lament—"our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, we are cut off completely"—represents the deepest kind of spiritual crisis. Yet God's response through Ezekiel is a vivid, visual promise: I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live. The discussion highlights how Advent functions as a season of holy waiting and exile, longing for home. Kathryn notes Michael Chan's powerful observation that "Ezekiel's audience lives life with an open wound," and that the journey to genuine hope begins with "a hard stare into the eyes of truth."  This isn't false optimism—it's hope grounded in the God of life who has the power to bring resurrection even from death-dealing situations. Whether you're preparing a sermon, teaching a Bible study, or seeking personal encouragement, this episode offers both scholarly insight and pastoral wisdom for one of Scripture's most memorable visions of hope. TIMECODES: 00:00 Advent Life and Exile 02:54 Ezekiel's Vision of Hope 05:52 The Power of God in Despair 09:00 Understanding Yahweh's Promise 11:07 Hope Amidst Exile

Join Matt Skinner, Karoline Lewis, and Rolf Jacobson for the Sermon Brainwave podcast as they explore the texts for the First Sunday of Advent, Year A. This episode kicks off the new church year with a deep dive into themes of watchfulness, waiting, and Christ's coming in history, mystery, and majesty. In this episode, the hosts discuss: * Isaiah 2:1-5 and the vision of peace among nations * Psalm 122 and Jerusalem as a means of grace * Romans 13:11-14 on waking from sleep and walking in the light * Matthew 24:36-44 and the mystery of Christ's coming The conversation addresses common misinterpretations of the "rapture" theology, examines what it means to be ready and watchful during Advent, and reflects on the contested reality of Jerusalem today in contrast to the biblical vision of peace. Plus, hear about Matt Skinner's new resources for Advent and the Year of Matthew! Resources mentioned in this episode: "Voices of Advent" by Matt Skinner - https://www.cokesbury.com/voices-of-advent" "Matthew: The Gospel of Promised Blessings" by Matt Skinner - https://www.abingdonpress.com/product/9781791030162/ "Paul Among the People" by Sarah Ruden - https://sarahruden.com/book/paul-among-the-people/ Commentaries for the First Sunday of Advent can be found on the Working Preacher website at https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/first-sunday-of-advent/commentary-on-matthew-2436-44-7. ⏰Timecodes⏰ 00:00 Introduction to Advent and New Beginnings 03:03 Understanding the Meaning of Advent 05:49 Theological Reflections on Readiness and Watchfulness 08:53 Exploring Isaiah's Vision of Peace 16:42 Psalm 122 18:04 The Role of Jerusalem in Advent 21:58 The Significance of Romans 13 in Advent -- Being Awake 25:50 Walking Decently and Sarah Rudin's "Paul Among the People" 26:45 Outro *  *  * Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share to stay connected with more insightful lectionary discussions! Reminder: We have commentaries for the Revised Common Lectionary, the Narrative Lectionary, and Evangelio (Spanish-language Gospel). We're here for you, working preachers! ABOUT SERMON BRAINWAVE: Sermon Brainwave is a production of Luther Seminary's Working Preacher, which has been providing trusted biblical interpretation and preaching inspiration since 2007. Find more episodes and resources by visiting https://www.workingpreacher.org/. Watch this episode on YouTube at https://youtu.be/9f29qmFOdbA.

Join Rolf Jacobson, Caroline Lewis, and Matt Skinner for Sermon Brainwave as they explore the texts for Christ the King/Reign of Christ Sunday (November 23, 2025) - the final Sunday of the church year and Year C. In this episode, the hosts dive deep into what it means for Jesus to be called "king" and how we understand Christ's reign in a world unfamiliar with monarchies. They examine the Gospel reading from Luke 23:33-43, where Jesus is crucified alongside two criminals, asking: What kind of king is this? A crucified king who sees those we overlook and extends mercy to the marginalized. The conversation also explores Jeremiah 23:1-6 and its promise of a righteous shepherd-king who will execute justice, Luke 1:68-79 (Zechariah's Benedictus) and how it bookends the liturgical year, and Colossians 1:11-20's cosmic vision of Christ's reign. Key themes include: * Unpacking the language of "king," "lord," and "reign" for contemporary contexts * The contrast between earthly kingdoms and the kingdom of God * How Christ's reign is realized person by person through tender mercy * The significance of Jesus riding a donkey as a symbol of peace, not war * God's faithfulness in keeping promises to God's people This episode invites preachers and listeners to reimagine citizenship in Christ's kingdom and what it means to live under a reign marked by justice, righteousness, and mercy. Commentaries for the Christ the King Sunday can be found on the Working Preacher website at https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/christ-the-king-3/commentary-on-luke-2333-43-6. ⏰Timecodes⏰ 00:00 Introduction to Christ the King Sunday 03:01 Understanding Christ as King 05:54 The Significance of the Crucifixion 09:03 Theological Reflections on the Cross 12:02 Exploring the Nature of Jesus' Kingship 14:56 Jeremiah's Prophetic Vision of Kingship 18:04 The Role of Mercy in Christ's Reign 20:52 The Cosmic Christ in Colossians 24:08 Conclusion and Reflections on Preaching *  *  * Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share to stay connected with more insightful lectionary discussions! Reminder: We have commentaries for the Revised Common Lectionary, the Narrative Lectionary, and Evangelio (Spanish-language Gospel). We're here for you, working preachers! ABOUT SERMON BRAINWAVE: Sermon Brainwave is a production of Luther Seminary's Working Preacher, which has been providing trusted biblical interpretation and preaching inspiration since 2007. Find more episodes and resources by visiting https://www.workingpreacher.org/. Watch this episode on YouTube at https://youtu.be/O9ff_wp4X0w.

Join Matt Skinner, Karoline Lewis, and Rolf Jacobson as they explore the lectionary texts for the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost (November 9, 2025). This episode dives deep into Luke 20:27-38, where the Sadducees challenge Jesus with a seemingly absurd question about resurrection and marriage. Is there such a thing as a stupid question? The hosts discuss what it means to live without fear of death, how to sit in the promise of resurrection rather than our own expectations, and why the urgency of worship matters. They also explore Job 19:23-27a (including the famous "I Know That My Redeemer Lives"), Haggai 1:15b-2:9 (about rebuilding the temple), and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17 (the man of lawlessness and eschatology). Highlights include: * Why the Sadducees' question was a trap (and why it's actually a stupid question) * Understanding resurrection beyond our cultural expectations * The difference between "Redeemer" and "Vindicator" in Job * The urgency of sacred spaces for worship * What we're really hoping for in eschatology * Why we shouldn't confuse resurrection with our personal specifications This conversation offers preachers practical insights and fresh perspectives while keeping pastoral concerns at the forefront. Commentaries for the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost can be found on the Working Preacher website at https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-32-3/commentary-on-luke-2027-38-6. ⏰Timecodes⏰ 00:00 Introduction to the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost 01:08 Debating Resurrection: Jesus and the Sadducees 08:05 Understanding the Promise of Resurrection 11:51 Job's Hope and the Nature of God 17:07 The Urgency of Worship in Haggai 22:00 Eschatology and Resurrection in 2 Thessalonians *  *  * Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share to stay connected with more insightful lectionary discussions! Reminder: We have commentaries for the Revised Common Lectionary, the Narrative Lectionary, and Evangelio (Spanish-language Gospel). We're here for you, working preachers! ABOUT SERMON BRAINWAVE: Sermon Brainwave is a production of Luther Seminary's Working Preacher, which has been providing trusted biblical interpretation and preaching inspiration since 2007. Find more episodes and resources by visiting https://www.workingpreacher.org/. Watch this episode on YouTube at https://youtu.be/3LLc5ez6DwY.

Join Profs. Karoline Lewis, Rolf Jacobson, and Matt Skinner for Sermon Brainwave as they explore the texts for the Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost (November 16, 2025). This episode dives into Luke 21:5-19, focusing on Jesus's apocalyptic speech about the destruction of the temple and the call to bear witness through endurance. The hosts discuss what it means to testify in times of difficulty, how endurance is not just about getting through hard times but about embodying witness to God's provision. They explore connections between vulnerability and the desire for security, Luther's theology of vocation, and the ecological dimensions of Psalm 98. The conversation also tackles the challenging passage from 2 Thessalonians about work and busybodies, reframing Christian witness as living faithfully in everyday vocations. This episode offers practical preaching insights for the end of the liturgical year, emphasizing testimony, endurance, and faithful witness in a world of upheaval. Commentaries for the Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost can be found on the Working Preacher website at https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-33-3/commentary-on-luke-215-19-6. ⏰Timecodes⏰ 00:00 Introduction to the Texts for the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost 02:52 Exploring the Apocalyptic Themes in Luke 21 06:00 Endurance and Witness in Times of Persecution 08:58 The Role of Hope and God's Provision 11:51 Connecting Malachi and Isaiah's Messages 14:57 The Joyful Anticipation of New Creation 18:08 Understanding 2 Thessalonians and Christian Living *  *  * Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share to stay connected with more insightful lectionary discussions! Reminder: We have commentaries for the Revised Common Lectionary, the Narrative Lectionary, and Evangelio (Spanish-language Gospel). We're here for you, working preachers! ABOUT SERMON BRAINWAVE: Sermon Brainwave is a production of Luther Seminary's Working Preacher, which has been providing trusted biblical interpretation and preaching inspiration since 2007. Find more episodes and resources by visiting https://www.workingpreacher.org/. Watch this episode on YouTube at https://youtu.be/8JdZ_9BnpY0.

Join Karoline Lewis, Rolf Jacobson, and Matt Skinner for Sermon Brainwave as they explore the texts for All Saints Sunday (Year C). In this episode, the hosts dive deep into Luke 6:20-31 (the Beatitudes and Woes), Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18, Psalm 149, and Ephesians 1:11-23. The conversation examines Luke's unique "Sermon on the Plain" where Jesus comes down to be with the people, addressing them directly with "blessed are you" (all y'all) rather than Matthew's third-person "blessed are those." The hosts discuss the challenging juxtaposition of blessings and woes, exploring how these words hit differently depending on whether you're in a position of privilege or disadvantage. Key themes include: * Jesus' solidarity with those who grieve ("He came down with them and stood on a level place") * The interconnectedness of our liberation and wholeness * God's mercy as the foundation for Jesus' vision of the Kingdom * The role of saints as models of faith (not just a necrology) * Daniel's theological shift: persecution as a badge of faithfulness * Christ as "all in all" in Ephesians The hosts bring humor, scholarly insight, and practical preaching wisdom as they wrestle with these complex texts, offering preachers fresh perspectives for All Saints Sunday. Looking for the Sermon Brainwave podcast episode covering the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost, go to https://youtu.be/Xe8Mp6VbyfI. NOTE: We acknowledge that the cameras were not in focus for this episode — apologies from the production team. ⏰Timecodes⏰ 00:00 Introduction to All Saints Sunday Texts 01:30 Exploring Blessings and Woes in Luke 04:54 The Concept of Community and Responsibility 10:15 Understanding Saints in Protestantism 12:17 Theological Reflections on Vengeance 16:57 Ephesians and the Cosmic Scope of Christ *  *  * Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share to stay connected with more insightful lectionary discussions! Reminder: We have commentaries for the Revised Common Lectionary, the Narrative Lectionary, and Evangelio (Spanish-language Gospel). We're here for you, working preachers! ABOUT SERMON BRAINWAVE: Sermon Brainwave is a production of Luther Seminary's Working Preacher, which has been providing trusted biblical interpretation and preaching inspiration since 2007. Find more episodes and resources by visiting https://www.workingpreacher.org/. Watch this episode on YouTube at https://youtu.be/P1Y2yXp5DRM.

Join Profs. Rolf Jacobson, Karoline Lewis, and Matt Skinner as they explore the powerful story of Zacchaeus and discuss the Revised Common Lectionary texts for the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost. In this episode, the hosts dive deep into Luke 19:1-10, wrestling with a critical translation question in verse 8: Is Zacchaeus announcing a conversion, or revealing his existing practices? This interpretive choice completely changes how we understand the story. They explore themes of salvation, seeking the lost, and Jesus's consistent ministry of seeing those others overlook. The conversation also covers: * Isaiah 1:10-18 and prophetic sarcasm about religious hypocrisy * Habakkuk's lament about justice and faithful waiting * Psalm 32 as a penitential prayer often overlooked * 2 Thessalonians and prayers in times of affliction The hosts challenge assumptions about wealth, righteousness, and who belongs in God's kingdom, offering fresh perspectives for preachers preparing for this crucial moment in Luke's gospel as Jesus approaches Jerusalem. *  *  * Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share to stay connected with more insightful lectionary discussions! Reminder: We have commentaries for the Revised Common Lectionary, the Narrative Lectionary, and Evangelio (Spanish-language Gospel). We're here for you, working preachers! ABOUT SERMON BRAINWAVE: Sermon Brainwave is a production of Luther Seminary's Working Preacher, which has been providing trusted biblical interpretation and preaching inspiration since 2007. Find more episodes and resources by visiting https://www.workingpreacher.org/. Watch this episode on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Xe8Mp6VbyfI.

Join Matt Skinner, Karoline Lewis, and Rolf Jacobson for another insightful episode of Sermon Brainwave as they explore the texts for Reformation Sunday (October 26, 2025). This episode dives deep into the themes of freedom, truth, and God's covenant faithfulness through the lens of Jeremiah 31:31-34, Psalm 46, Romans 3:19-28, and John 8:31-36. The hosts discuss the complex theological debates in John 8, often avoided in the lectionary, and explore what it truly means to be set free by Christ. They examine the difference between freedom FROM versus freedom FOR, drawing insights from Luther's "Freedom of a Christian." Karoline offers valuable commentary on the meaning of "abiding" in John's Gospel, while Rolf connects the promise of God's presence in Psalm 46 to overcoming both natural and moral evil. This episode provides practical preaching insights for Reformation Sunday, including how to approach the new covenant in Jeremiah, the significance of justification by grace in Romans, and the importance of understanding spiritual freedom without mischaracterizing Judaism. Whether you're preparing a sermon or simply interested in biblical interpretation, this conversation offers rich theological reflection perfect for Reformation season. Commentaries for Reformation Sunday can be found on the Working Preacher website at https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/reformation-day/commentary-on-john-831-36-19. *  *  * Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share to stay connected with more insightful lectionary discussions! Reminder: We have commentaries for the Revised Common Lectionary, the Narrative Lectionary, and Evangelio (Spanish-language Gospel). We're here for you, working preachers! ABOUT SERMON BRAINWAVE: Sermon Brainwave is a production of Luther Seminary's Working Preacher, which has been providing trusted biblical interpretation and preaching inspiration since 2007. Find more episodes and resources by visiting https://www.workingpreacher.org/. Watch this episode on YouTube at https://youtu.be/RUi5PmcXJaU.