Baptism of the Lord: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Luke’s retelling of the baptism of Jesus is so succinct, it allows us to see something very basic. While John was proclaiming, prophesying, and leading the people to follow the will of God. Jesus was in line with all the ordinary people to obey and get baptized by John.
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1st Sunday after Christmas: Luke 2:41-52
Luke tells us about the time Mary and Joseph lost Jesus in Jerusalem at Passover time. There’s a lot in this text. The theme I see today is the similarities between Jesus and Samuel. This is probably around the age Samuel was when God called him. Samuel answered, “send me.”
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14th Sun after Pentecost: James 1:17-27
This letter sounds a little harsher and rules oriented than many of the other letters found in the New Testament. Sure, the other letters have rules, but they’re also relational and include encouragements. Before jumping into this text, it would be good to zoom out a bit and look at the style of the writing. James is categorized as wisdom literature, the same style found in the book of Proverbs. So, instead of having the tone of explaining the faith, James is urging this community to examine their ethics and to take action. Wisdom literature speaks in extremes, comparing good and bad, right and wrong. Continue reading