[RCL]: Exodus 1:8-2:10; Psalm 124; Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20 Every part of the story is important. Every piece of the puzzle, every theme in the narrative, every member of the body. There are so many pieces to our story. Take today’s Exodus reading: Slavery. A jealous Pharaoh. Infanticide. A pair of possibly lying midwives. A…

[RCL] Ezekiel 17:22-24; Psalm 92:1-4,11-14; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, [11-13], 14-17; Mark 4:26-34 Note: During the 2024 Season after Pentecost, Sermons That Work will use Track 2 readings for sermons and Bible studies. Please consult our archives for many additional Track 1 resources from prior years. Oh, the mustard seed. Like tiny granules of salt or…

[RCL] Joshua 5:9-12; Psalm 32; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 During Lent, it can be easy to view the season of penitence as one focused on sin, separation, and shame. We can use Lenten disciplines as a way to self-flagellate, wear sackcloth and ashes, bear the crosses of giving up chocolate or committing to…

[RCL] Numbers 6:22-27; Psalm 8; Galatians 4:4-7 or Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 2:15-21 We put a lot of weight on names. Think about the importance that is conveyed when we use our complete name, middles and hyphens and Jr.’s and all, in a vow or an oath. Or the exciting rush when a host at a…

RCL:  Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 70; Hebrews 12:1-3; John 13:21-32 Accept joyfully the sufferings of the present time? Don’t you wish you could be the kind of person who could do what our collect says? You know, the kind of person who turns the other cheek, who never gets pulled into the petty, who responds to…

[RCL] Isaiah 1:1, 10-20; Psalm 50:1-8, 23-24; Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16; Luke 12:32-40 Don’t be afraid, little flock. There’s no need to spiral, to crash out, to stress yourself over things that won’t last. Instead, root yourself in what truly matters. You don’t have to figure it all out on your own. Open your hands. Melt…

[RCL] Acts 16:9-15; Psalm 67; Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5; John 14:23-29 or John 5:1-9 We begin with a garden. It’s no small matter that the committee who culled, edited, and arranged our anthology of sacred texts started the pages with the story of creation, of growth, of dreams. And in the final pages of our anthology,…

[RCL]: Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 26:14- 27:66 or Matthew 27:11-54 In the name of the One who saves. Amen. We might need a deep breath after hearing this epic story. We’ve just heard a long passage narrating days of events that take us from Jesus planning a dinner with his friends, to…

[RCL] Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Psalm 22:22-30; Romans 4:13-25; Mark 8:31-38 God’s truth is unchangeable. But it’s not predictable. Do you ever wish we lived in precedented times? Maybe live a week without a once-in-a-hundred-years catastrophe, without shock and surprise in the news, without a rupture in our day-to-day that might make things feel out of…

[RCL] Genesis 1:1-2:4a; Psalm 8; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; Matthew 28:16-20 Today is Trinity Sunday, which might also be interpreted as Unity Sunday. Not to be confused with conformity or sameness, unity is, of course, impossible to create without generosity, love, and humility in inevitable conflict. The Trinity itself is an example of the tension, beauty,…