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Excuses & Apologies
Tags: UncategorizedIf this is pinned, it’s got new information Hi there! I haven’t given up blogging the lectionary, I’ve just fallen behind. Overwhelm is real and threatening to morph into depression. I will still write the missing post later this week. Be well, –Elaine
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Hope has teeth.
Tags: UncategorizedYeah, yeah, I misquoted Dickinson. (She wrote, “Hope is the thing with feathers,” not “Hope’s the thing…”) But this is a meme I made a while back that isn’t really a meme because it’s not meming, but it does seem, unfortunately, to be evergreen: Feel free to use it if you like, though.
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This is not the Lamb you think you seek
The Second Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A—January 17, 2026 Today’s Gospel begins in the second day of a three-day sequence in the ministry of John the Baptist: It seems that the author of this Gospel is taking some pains to sideline the Baptist. He has John say several times, “I myself did not know…
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The First Sunday after the Epiphany
The Baptism of ChristYear A—January 11, 2026Readings:Isaiah 42:1-9Acts 10:34-43Matthew 3:13-17Psalm 29 In the West, we call this feast the Baptism of Our Lord, or something similar. In the East, it is the Theophany—manifestation of God—because, for the first time in history, the Holy Trinity is revealed. God the Son is baptized, while God the Father…
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Epiphany
Year A—January 6, 2026 Readings: The image above is a very small piece housed at the Met. It’s a mere 5.75 x 4.5 inches (14.6×11.4 cm), though the frame it’s in probably almost doubles the size. That small size seems appropriate: Like the magus shown on his knees adoring the Christ child, we must lean…
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The Second Sunday after Christmas
Years A—January 4, 2026 Happy New Year! And Merry Christmas. The readings for this Sunday are: Since these are the same readings assigned to all three years of the lectionary cycle, I will use the first Gospel listed for today. (Additional note: I will cover the Feast of the Holy Name in a subsequent year.)…
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The First Sunday after Christmas
Year A—December 28, 2025 I feel for preachers. My instinct is to try to draw something out of each of these texts and weave it all together…but what hasn’t already been said about these passages? Not only does Christmas recycle John’s Prologue every year in multiple services, but it’s just so familiar. And yet, familiarity…
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