Sunday, May 28, 2023

This Sunday we celebrate Pentecost Sunday, when God’s Spirit was poured out on all flesh. Pentecost is also the birth of the church as the Spirit dwells in and through the community of Jesus.

On this day, we celebrate the God who is always giving, sharing, loving, pouring out himself for the world.

Resources:

Dennis R. Cole, Numbers: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture, (Nashville: B&H, 2000).

John Goldingay, Numbers and Deuteronomy for Everyone, (Louisville: Presbyterian Publishing Company, 2010).

G. Herbert Livingston, The Pentateuch in It’s Cultural Environment, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987).

Willie James Jennings, Acts: A Theological Commentary on the Bible (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2017).

Tom Wright,  Acts for Everyone, (Louisville: John Knox, 2008).

Rowan Williams, “Pentecost Eucharist at St Gregory’s Tredington,” Rowan Williams Archbishop of Canterbury, May 27, 2012, http://rowanwilliams.archbishopofcanterbury.org/articles.php/2513/pentecost-eucharist-at-st-gregorys-tredington.html.

Fredrick Dale Bruner, The Gospel of John: A Commentary, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012).

Wright, John for Everyone, Part 1, (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2002).

Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg, Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009).

Sunday, May 21, 2023

Today, we hear the story of Christ’s ascension into heaven and how it demonstrates God’s character and the nature of humanity. We also look at the church's calling to be “witnesses” in the world.

Resources:

Tom Wright, Acts for Everyone (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2008).

Rowan Williams, “‘A sermon by the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Ascension Day Sung Eucharist.”

Glenn Packiam, “What Does the Ascension of Jesus Mean?”  https://www.glennpackiam.com/post/what-does-the-ascension-of-jesus-mean.

Ben Meyers, The Apostles Creed: A Guide to the Ancient Catechism, (Bellingham: Lexham, 2018).

Fredrick Dale Bruner, The Gospel of John: A Commentary, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012).

Chris E.W. Green, “On Ascension,” https://cewgreen.substack.com/p/on-ascension

The clip from “Friends” can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTjqz0_wsZo

Sunday, May 14, 2023

This week we hear the Good News that God is always “turning toward” his world in love. 

Resources:

Tom Wright, Acts for Everyone (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2008).

Willie James Jennings, Acts (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2017).

Wright, Paul: A Biography, (New York: HarperCollins, 2018).

Scot McKnight, 1 Peter, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996).

Wright, John for Everyone, Part 2, (Louisville: Westminster, 2004).

Sunday, April 23, 2023

Sunday, April 16, 2023

As we continue in the Easter season, we hear the good news in times of doubt. 

N.T. Wright, Surprised By Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, (New York: HarperCollins, 2008), 

Brian Rohan, “AP Explains: Who are Egypt’s Coptic Christians?” AP News, April 10, 2017, https://apnews.com/article/579769f1c074476089cf21593732a5b2.

“Forgiveness Incarnated,” The Bible Society of Egypt, 2017, https://vimeo.com/212755977?ref=fb-share.

Lewis B. Smedes, Forgive and Forget: Healing the Hurts We Don’t Deserve, (San Fransisco: Harper, 1984).

John Chrysostom, “Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles 4.”

Sunday, April 9, 2023

Sunday, April 2, 2023

On Palm Sunday, we hear the story of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry and Passion. We reflect on the way of suffering and how it contrasts with our expectations.

Fleming Rutledge, The Undoing of Death (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002).

Karl Barth, Dogmatics in Outline, (New York: Harper, 1959).

N.T. Wright, Matthew for Everyone: Part 2,(Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2002).

James H. Cone, The Cross and the Lynching Tree, (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2011).

Sunday, March 26, 2023

This week, we look at the reality of grief and loss, how God enters our pain and, in doing so, reveals the promise.

I gleaned a lot on the Ezekiel reading from a sermon given by Rev. Fleming Rutledge at the Washington National Cathedral in 2008. Unfortunately, the sermon appears to no longer be available. But here is the link where I originally found it.

https://generousorthodoxy.org/schedule/preaching-during-the-celebration-of-american-preaching-at-washington-national-cathedral-1115-am/.

Robert W. Jenson, Ezekiel, (London: SCM, 2009).

Irenaeus, “Against Heresies 5.10.2.”

Chris E.W. Green, Surprised by God: How and Why What We Think about the Divine Matters, (Eugene: Cascade, 2018).

Walter Brueggemann, The Prophetic Imagination, (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1978).

Rowan Williams, “Go to where it hurts the most,” Sermon at Christ’s College, Christchurch, New Zealand, November 6, 2012, https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/pressreleases/archbishops-sermon-in-christchurch-go-to-where-it-hurts-the-most-2/.

Sunday, March 19, 2023

This Sunday, our readings challenge us to consider our perspective. In what ways might we be too confident in our ability to see things clearly?

Resources:

Eugene H. Peterson, First and Second Samuel (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1999).

Peter J. Leithart, A Son to Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel (Moscow, ID: Canon Press, 2003).

Tim Keller, “David’s Anointing,” Redeemer Presbyterian Church, April 26, 2015.

Lynn H. Cohick, Ephesians, (Eugene: Cascade, 2010).

John Chrysostom, “Homily on Ephesians."

Eugene H. Peterson, Practice Resurrection: A Conversation on Growing Up in Christ, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010), 2491-2552.

Chris E.W. Green, Surpised by God: How and Why What We Think About the Divine Matters, (Eugene: Wipf and Stock, 2018).

Fleming Rutledge, “Was Blind but Now I See,” Duke University, Chapel, February 17, 1980, Accessed on July 15, 2020, https://repository.duke.edu/dc/dukechapel/dcrau001953.

Rowan Williams, Being Christian: Baptism, Bible, Eucharist, Prayer, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014).

Sunday, March 12, 2023

Each of our readings this week are about thirst. We explore the idea of dependence, and the choices made in the context of need, suffering, and pain.

Lynn Cohick, “Session 6: The Samaritan Woman,” YouVersion, Accessed on March 7, 2023, https://www.bible.com/videos/40738-session-6-the-samaritan-woman.

Lynn Cohick, Women in the World of the Earliest Christians: Illuminating Ancient Ways of Life, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2009).