Matthew 5:13-20 The Gospel assigned by the Revised Common Lectionary for the 5th Sunday after Epiphany is Matthew 5:13-20. As often happens when one takes a chunk of the Sermon on the Mount, it is not really one text. (See my children’s sermon on this text through this link.) There are three distinct units here. […]
A Children’s Sermon: Matthew 5:1-12
A children’s sermon on Matthew 5:1-12, the Beatitudes, is challenging because Jesus makes so many different points — nine of them! I think one good way around the problem is to take just two of the beatitudes and talk about them in ways that they relate to a child’s world. I’d love to hear your […]
Monday Meditation: RCL Year A, Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Matthew 5:1-12
Last week’s lectionary Gospel showed us Jesus calling his first disciples. This week we jump ahead a few verses to the Sermon on the Mount. (To see my children’s sermon on this same text, follow this link.) What did we skip over? A quick summary of Jesus’ ministry in and around Galilee: he did a […]
A Children’s Sermon on Matthew 4:12-23
This children’s sermon on Matthew 4:12-23 is my retelling of the story of the calling of the first disciples. Stories in the Bible are often bare outlines of things that happened, leaving many details to our imaginations. One knows there must have been more conversation than made it onto the pages of the Gospels. What […]
Monday Meditation: RCL Year A, Third Sunday after the Epiphany, Matthew 4:12-23
Last week’s lectionary Gospel (John 1:29-42) included John’s version of the calling of the first disciples. This week we are back in Matthew (the main Gospel for Year A) for a very different telling of the same story. (You can find my children’s sermon on this text through this link.) Matthew 4:12-23 Like last week’s […]