Tag: Gospel
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Simple. But not easy.
The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany—February 1, 2026 Micah 6:1-8 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 Matthew 5:1-12 Psalm 15 “Lord, who can dwell in your tabernacle?” the Psalmist (rhetorically) inquires. His answer is daunting: Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right, who speaks the truth from his heart.There is…
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On the Road by the Sea
The Third Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A—January 25, 2026 Isaiah 9:1-4 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 Matthew 4:12-23 Psalm 27:1, 5-13 Today’s Gospel passage starts out dark: Jesus is just hearing that John the Baptist has been arrested. “He withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum…
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Epiphany
Year A—January 6, 2026 Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6 Ephesians 3:1-12 Matthew 2:1-12 Psalm 72:1-7,10-14 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…
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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: Jeremiah 31:7-14 Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19a Matthew 2:13-15,19-23 or Luke 2:41-52 or Matthew 2:1-12 Psalm 84 or 84:1-8 Since these are the same readings assigned to all three years of the lectionary cycle, I will use the first…
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Christmas Day
Selection I—All Years Isaiah 9:2-7 Titus 2:11-14 Luke 2:1-14(15-20) Psalm 96 Merry Christmas! [There are three different sets of readings for Christmas Day. In my experience—admittedly, only with cathedrals—the first set is used on Christmas Eve, while the second and third are used in services on Christmas Day. Since they…
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The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Year A—December 21, 2025 Isaiah 7:10-16 Romans 1:1-7 Matthew 1:18-25 Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18 We are closing in on Christmas! This week’s readings are compact: they get to the point. Sort of. They hold out familiar words and images, and we can walk right in and take those words and images…
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Advent 3
Year A – December 14, 2025 Lectionary readings:Isaiah 35:1-10James 5:7-10Matthew 11:2-11Psalm 146:4-9or Canticle 15 (the Magnificat, or Song of Mary) This icon type, Theotokos of the Sign, depicts the expectant Mary. Her posture is one of prayer, and while her son is still in her womb, we see him as God, arms…
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Bearing Scars and Good News
Homily for the Feast of St. Luke (observed), Evensong, 10/19/2025Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Detroit (detroitcathedral.org) This morning we observed yesterday’s feast of St. Luke, and we continue that observance this evening. St. Luke’s day has long been important in this cathedral—which is why we can move it to a…
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Some unpolished thoughts on Maundy Thursday
Ideally, I’d have written this post yesterday and posted it early today; but I’m late. On the plus side, I can share what I heard in tonight’s gospel lection while I was at church. Here’s the part that struck me: And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given…
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Whose is the kingdom, the power, and the glory?
Holy Week is here again: that annual liturgical reminder of the horrors humans are capable of. We tame it—make it about the provision of a meek and mute divine sacrificial victim to atone for our personal sins. It’s such a familiar story. Our hymnals automatically flip themselves open to “All…
