Based on Joshua 24:1-26 The Narrative Lectionary moves us way ahead in the story of Scripture from the confrontation at the Red Sea all the way to Joshua’s final official act.  But the beauty of this is that it is a recounting of the story of Israel, including the confrontation...

The Pentagon announced that it was going to live stream the execution of the Fort Hood shooter that killed 13 people in 2009. I commented on this on a Facebook post on 10/10 criticizing the announcement writing the following: “Live streaming an execution is the epitome of dehumanization. It...

(I preached this sermon at Christ Lutheran Church in Harrisburg, PA on Sunday, October 11, 2026. It is based on Exodus 14:5-7, 10-14, 21-29. You can listen to the audio at this link.) Picture the scene. A huge crowd of people is camped by the water. Families. Old folks....

Based on Exodus 14:5-7, 10-14, 21-29 Last week we looked at the retelling of the Passover story with portions of chapters 12, 13, and 15. This week we are in the middle of the story when Israel is at the Red Sea.  We know how the story ends, so let’s...

(I preached this sermon at Christ Lutheran Church in Harrisburg, PA on Sunday October 4, 2026. I was in response to Exodus 12:1-3; 13:14-17; 15:5-6. You can listen to the sermon audio through this link.) Last Sunday we sang “I Love to Tell the Story.” The woman who wrote...

Based on Exodus 12:1-3; 13:14-17; 15:5-6 Before we dive into the reflection, I’d like to offer just a short note.  The reading I’ve selected for this Sunday and next differs from the Narrative Lectionary selection.  This is due to the Narrative Lectionary selecting portions of Exodus 19 and 20 next week,...

(I preached this sermon on Sunday, September 27, 2026 at Christ Lutheran Church. It was in response to Genesis 39:1-23. You can listen to the audio here.) Most Sundays, a lot of you park along 13th Street or one of the side streets and walk to church. If you...

Based on Genesis 39:1-23 The Narrative Lectionary gives us a small, but important piece of Joseph’s story.  On the surface, this is the story of Joseph being brought into Potipher’s house and put in charge of the household, and Joseph rejecting Potipher’s wife’s advances and suffering as a result.  And we...

(I preached this sermon on Sunday, September 13, 2026 at Christ Lutheran Church, Harrisburg, PA. It was in response to Genesis 5:5-22; 8:6-12; and 9:8-17. You can also listen to the audio by going to this link.) We start a new stretch of scripture today. For weeks we’ve been...

Based on Genesis 6:5-22; 8:6-12; 9:8-17 We move into a new cycle in the Narrative Lectionary.  This cycle starts with the story of the flood.  It stretches out over three chapters to give us the highlight of the story.  There’s a lot to this story, and the story raises a ton of...