Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32, Cycle A

• NEW FOR CYCLE B — Sermons for Lent/Easter   Mary Austin From Ashes to Rainbow Genesis 9:8-17 Noah and the start Lent off for us, and we begin the season of preparation for Easter firmly anchored in the covenant God makes with humanity. It's a nice reassurance to kick off the twists and turns, the ups and downs of Lent reminded that we belong to God, no matter what.     The idea of covenant has been much in the news lately, with the reworking of social contracts companies and states have made with their employees. As same-gender marriage comes before courts, voters, and state legislatures, people are also rethinking what the covenant of marriage means. Lent invites us to look again at the idea of covenant, and what it means for us as people of faith....more "He Descended Into Hell" Familiar words from the Apostles' Creed, but words that not every church recites. "He descended into hell" was not in the earliest versions of the creed. In fact, we do not run into the statement at all until about 400 years after Christ. The other ancient statement of faith, the Nicene Creed, makes no mention of any descent into hell. Why not? Perhaps two reasons....more David Kalas On the Other Side When our children were younger, I would often wash their feet for them when they came inside from playing outdoors in the summertime. Whether in flip-flops, sandals, or barefoot, they would come into our home's entryway with filthy feet. And my wife, eager to protect our investment in carpeting, insisted that they not leave that entryway until their feet had been washed....more Keith Hewitt Cousins Mark 1:9-15 He looked like my mother.     Not that he looked like a woman but there was something about his eyes, and his nose... when I looked up, that day, and saw him standing on the riverbank, for just a moment I saw my mother. I blinked the memories out of my eyes and raised a hand, held it against the sun while I studied the man. He stood there with the others -- the motley collection of shepherds and farmers who had heard my cries, and a few townspeople from nearby villages who knew of my message or of me -- and looked back steadily.....more Janice Scott The Rainbow -- God's Sign Roly Bain, the ordained Anglican priest whose ministry is based around presenting the gospel through clowning, has a unique and powerful way of offering intercessions. He uses a small pot of bubble mixture and as he blows the bubbles he invites the audience to look at the bubbles and draws the congregation's attention to the rainbow within each bubble....more Anna Shirey Being the Beloved First Thoughts: This Sunday it would be easy to stick with the first part of the text, which focuses on God's glorious affirmation of Jesus' ministry. But we are remiss if we don't also recognize that immediately following this affirmation, Jesus is driven into the wilderness of temptation and John the Baptist (his mentor and ally) is arrested and ultimately executed. Even here, at the beginning of Jesus' ministry, we see resonance of the cross that is coming....more

Author of Lectionary Scripture Notes

Dr. Norman A. Beck

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