Exodus 24:12-18 & Matthew 17:1-9 (and a little 1 Kings 19) - Who doesn't love a mountaintop experience? Concerts, Superbowl parties, conferences, graduations... but then what do we do on the following Monday? This week, the lectionary texts help us see God on the mountaintop, and in the valley.

Isaiah 58:1-9a & Matthew 5:13-20 - Look, there are all kinds of ways to act just now. But, what are God's priorities and how does God want us to spend our energy?

Micah 6:1-8 & Matthew 5:1-12 - Lots of examples of anti-meekness out there right now... How does knowing the context of Micah and Matthew help us think about what God wants in our own times of injustice and idolatry?

Isaiah 9:1-4 & Matthew 4:12-23 (and a little of 1 Cor 1:10-18) - Honestly, I am tired of a certain kind of winning that pits one group of humans against another group of humans. That's bad news. The good news of Jesus eschews that sort of domination and instead, seeks to heal, exorcise, and forgive.

Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 40:1-11; 1 Cor 1:1-9; John 1:29-42 - Looking back, do you recognize any moments when you were SO close to finishing or succeeding, but you were exhausted, maybe burnt out, ready to quit? But you pushed through and finished strong! This is me about every night at 9pm in putting my kids down... The lectionary passages this week are all about pushing through and finishing strong!

Isaiah 42:1-9; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17 - A lot of times, we are searching for the "what?". What's the meaning of life? What is my purpose? What is the correct way to life? What am I doing? This week, the lectionary readings assume you already know the "what". Instead, they move to focus on the "why" behind these questions.

Jer 31:7-14; Psa 147:12-20; Eph 1:3-14; John 1:10-18 - Can you remember a time that might have been a little TOO good? The lectionary passages this week describe God heaping up grace upon grace for those who will turn from Caesar's injustice and idolatry and follow the True God. Not even King James text editors can squash this good news that God piles up many different flavors of grace!

Isaiah 63:7-9 & Matthew 2:13-23 - As we sit around with families during this time of year, we hear a lot of old stories repeated. But are any of them still relevant to our lives? If we have wisdom and gentleness to really listen and learn from them, of course! Isaiah and Matthew this week insist that the old stories of God's people are still relevant for their audiences, and for us!

Isaiah 7:10-16 & Matthew 1:18-25 - There's never a perfect time to have a baby. But there are worse times than others. Major international conflict, pandemics or even just bad politicians make having a baby more difficult and more dangerous. God steps into two such times, announcing the births of two babies, both of whom remind us that God is with us!

Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 146:5-10; Matthew 11:2-11 - Wilderness times in the life are difficult (and pretty common!). What do we do as we wait for salvation and redemption?