#proper 23a

Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash The work we already know to doProper 23A  | Matthew 22:1-14, Exodus 32:1-14 Jesus is at the Temple in Jerusalem. He had only, the day before, entered the city on a donkey and flipped the tables of the money-changers. A visual parable of God’s humility in the seat of human power and order. He came back the next day to be confronted by some of the…

Photo by Nong on Unsplash For SundayProper 23A Collect Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Reading Matthew 22:1-14 Reflection As a teaching tool, the parable may be the most effective. As much as…

A look at the gaps in the lectionary. This week: the gap between Proper 22A and 23AThe text: None [see Matthew 19, 20, and 21] The lectionary has us reading straight from where we left off for the second week in a row. This is normally a good thing for our dear readers and preachers. There isn’t anything to catch up on in between Sundays. The ongoing challenge for us at this point, however, is…

Our blindness to the presence of God is normal. But it is also an obstacle to our work of building the kin-dom.

God and the fear of being abandoned Proper 23A | Matthew 22:1-14, Exodus 32:1-14

Photo by Cheryl Wee from Pexels

God’s people were in the desert, wandering. Freed from slavery. Led by Moses. But really, led by God. A god who promised to be with them through it all. As a cloud by day…

in Matthew 22:1-14, Jesus tells a weird parable about wedding banquet and a murderous king. How could this possibly reveal God to us?

Proper 23A  |  Matthew 22:1-14

Remind me not to let Jesus be in charge of the guest list for any future weddings. That guy will let anyone in. Or would he?

This gospel is really weird. It bedevils scholars and pastors alike. Because it has a bunch of stuff going…