The Jesus Life: Eight Ways to Recover Authentic Christianity by Stephen W. Smith 231 pp.  David Cook.  $14.99. I’ve said before that, if you want to see what a writer’s…

Revised Common Lectionary Page for 3 June 2012 (Trinity Sunday, Year B) Isaiah 6:1-8 and Psalm 29  • Romans 8:12-17  • John 3:1-17 I enjoy the challenge of passages like Isaiah 6.  The narrative is familiar…

Revised Common Lectionary Page for 27 May 2012 (Pentecost, Year B) Acts 2:1-21 or Ezekiel 37:1-14  •  Psalm 104:24-34, 35b  • Romans 8:22-27 or Acts 2:1-21  • John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 The first warning I got was thus: Don’t import the…

Revised Common Lectionary Page for 6 May 2012 (Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year B) Acts 8:26-40  • Psalm 22:25-31  • 1 John 4:7-21  • John 15:1-8 First things first: I apologize for missing…

I realize I’m a dinosaur in all sorts of ways, and my paleophilia runs all the way from a preference for epics over novels (though some novels are undeniably good)…

Revised Common Lectionary Page for 15 April 2012 (Second Sunday of Easter, Year B) Acts 4:32-35  • Psalm 133  • 1 John 1:1-2:2  • John 20:19-31 Until I studied rhetoric, I was vaguely…

Revised Common Lectionary Page for 1 April 2012 (Palm Sunday, Year B) Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29  • Mark 11:1-11 or John 12:12-16 Palm Sunday is, second only to Ash Wednesday, my favorite…

General Introduction – What song is in David’s heart? – Good Monday – When does Spring Break start? – Listener feedback Moses in the Desert – God’s three names –…

General Introduction – Listener feedback – Who’s listening? – What’s on the blog? – Formatting a dissertation The Patience of Job – The patience of Job? – Gregory the Great…

Revised Common Lectionary Page for 18 March 2012 (Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year B) Numbers 21:4-9  • Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22  • Ephesians 2:1-10  • John 3:14-21 I don’t preach from Paul often, perhaps…

General Introduction – Talking weather – Listener feedback The Roots of the Episode – Who studies the Alamo? – Davids Grubbs, Crockett, and Bowie – Stories, not definitions The Courage…

General Introduction – What’s not on the blog? – Thus begins the triptych of spring 2012 New Testament Humility – The ethics of humility – The Golden Rule, further –…

Revised Common Lectionary Page for 4 March 2012 (Second Sunday of Lent, Year B) Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16  •  Psalm 22:23-31  •  Romans 4:13-25  •  Mark 8:31-38 or Mark 9:2-9 When plain speech follows chapters of parabolic teaching, a…

Revised Common Lectionary Page for 26 February 2012 (First Sunday of Lent, Year B) Genesis 9:8-17  •  Psalm 25:1-10  •  1 Peter 3:18-22  •  Mark 1:9-15 When I do preach this on Sunday, I’m going to…

Revised Common Lectionary Page for 12 February 2012 (Sixth Sunday of Advent, Year B) 2 Kings 5:1-14  • Psalm 30  • 1 Corinthians 9:24-27  • Mark 1:40-45 2 Kings 5 begins with an assertion that YHWH…