[RCL]: Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 149; Romans 13:8-14; Matthew 18:15-20 Today’s Gospel reading merits a bit of investigation—it needs to be mined to find the gold.                                                                First of all, some notes about the text.  This passage appears only in Matthew—and it’s only in Matthew that we hear Jesus use the word “church”—so it probably holds a bit…

[RCL]: Numbers 11:4-6,10-16,24-29; Psalm 19:7-14; James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-50 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. O God, the light of the minds which know you, the joy of…

[RCL] Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; John 1:1-14 Merry Christmas! Emmanuel. God is with us. We wake to a new day after participating in the joyful arrival of the One we have been anticipating throughout the season of Advent. We have been waiting for the hope, peace, love and joy that comes through the…

[RCL] Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14; Psalm 116:1, 10-17; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31b-35 Take a moment to picture the context in which Jesus lived. Howard Thurman reminds us, in Jesus and the Disinherited, that Jesus’s social location matters. We lose an understanding of Jesus—the implications and application of his teachings—when we fail to understand the thickness of…

[RCL] Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 71:1-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; John 12:20-36 Conflict, confrontation, and choices amid feelings, hopes, and fears. What’s happening on this Tuesday of Holy Week? What have we seen and what will we witness on this part of our journey? How does it speak to us today? We are called to remember that…

[RCL] Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7; Psalm 66:1-11; 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Luke 17:11-19 “But the word of God is not chained.” We can find strength, peace, and courage from these words in the Second Letter of Paul to Timothy. We are living in rapidly changing times. Uncertainty can be sensed in the minds, bodies, hearts, and concrete…

[RCL] Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-9; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36 We are living in a time of significant change. Whether it is the up and down of elections; the energy and tension embedded in politics in the public square, international conflicts and wars, climate change, or shifts in the economy, there is a feeling of…

[RCL]: Wisdom of Solomon 1:16-2:1, 12-22 or Jeremiah 11:18-20; Psalm 54; James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a; Mark 9:30-37 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. O God, the light of the…

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:  Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the…

Before it was a noun, “thanksgiving” was a verb. The difference matters. A desert father once said: “If you have a chest full of oranges, and leave it for a long time,the fruit will rot inside of it.It is the same with the thoughts in our heart.If we do not carry them out by physical…