Each of us is irreplaceable; each of us can be replaced. Both these statements are true, and both are important for us to remember as we look around at those we...

In this passage, Jesus asks to see the coin used to pay the taxes to the emperor. He asks what image is on the coin and counsels to “Give . . . to...

Our passage today is from Paul’s letter to the Christian converts in Thessalonica—one of his earliest missionary journeys. Paul affirms the people: “You became imitators of us and of the Lord,...

This passage from Matthew’s Gospel finds Jesus back in Jerusalem in the last week of his life. He has cleansed the Temple (21:12-17), cursed a fig tree (21:18-22), confronted those who...

In today’s reading the people of Israel are in a time of crisis. They have broken their covenant with God by making golden idols. God has called the people of Israel...

Who is this God to whom we belong? God, the sovereign of the universe, enthroned in heaven upon the cherubim, is not a distant God. This God listens to us and...

Who is this God to whom we belong? In today’s reading, this God is proclaimed as the sovereign of the universe, “enthroned upon the cherubim.” This enthronement psalm recognizes God as...

In today’s reading, the people of Israel are nearing the end of their wandering in the wilderness. Moses is proclaiming God’s word to the people who have journeyed together from the...

We come to the end of our readings this week in a strange place. The Gospel lesson puts us there. Unlike the other readings, the parable from Matthew offers no deliverance,...

Our Gospel lesson is among the most difficult to interpret of all the teachings of Jesus. If we admit this up front, maybe we have some hope of gleaning something of...