Listen for the Word

In our text for the First Sunday of Christmas we look at the way Luke's story of the presentation of Jesus continues the themes in his infancy narrative. We particularly look at Simeon and Anna, and the way they express their hopes for restoration.

The text for the third Sunday in Advent presents the vision of "Third" Isaiah of the fulfillment of God's justice in the kingdom of God. It is a beautiful, hopeful, and inspiring vision that reminds us that this is God's purpose and that God will be faithful to accomplish it ultimately.

The Judgment of the Nations: In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats Jesus teaches the practice of kindness toward the “least of these”: the vulnerable, the disenfranchised, and the outcasts. We discuss how the Reformers saw this as a parable of hope.

This week we discuss the Parable of the Talents. As with the parable last week, this parable in Matthew’s Gospel appears to be one that he has revised to urge his community to a life of consistent discipleship. While his community would undoubtedly have read most of the parable positively, the final verse is troubling. Again, in light of the work of the Reformers and modern scholars, we discuss approaches to preaching this passage.

This week we discuss the Parable of the Bridesmaids. In Matthew’s Gospel it appears to be a parable that he has revised to urge his community to a life of consistent discipleship, based on his view that the church contains both “good” and “evil” persons. Unfortunately, the legacy of this idea has been one of fear and insecurity. We discuss the various ways in which different interpreters in the Reformation era read this passage. Finally, we discuss the difficulty of preaching on this passage.

This week we discuss the introduction to what has been called the “unloveliest chapter in the gospel.” It is a chapter where Jesus criticizes the Jewish religious leaders. We discuss the fact that this reflects intra-Jewish polemics and perhaps Matthew addressed this to the leaders of his own community. We also discuss the views of the Reformers about the Jewish people. Finally, we discuss how to practice humility in Christian leadership.

This week we discuss the conclusion of the conflict scene between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders at the Temple. One of the “experts in the law” asks Jesus about the “great” commandment, to which he responds with the combination of Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, which was unprecedented. Then Jesus “turns the tables” and questions them about the identity of the “Messiah.” They are silenced, and all that is left for him to do in Matthew’s Gospel is to pronounce woes upon them.