Psalm 27
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?2 When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh,My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell.3 Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not […]
Divergence on the Lectionary – Proper 17, Year B
First Reading Song of Solomon 2:8–13 The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills. My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, there he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, looking through the lattice. My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, […]
What You Grasp Matters
(This short paper was written for my group as we were prepared for being inducted into a healing ministry.) In our study of the miracles of Jesus last week we read three accounts of Jesus’ healing of Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. During the discussion we took note of the manner in which Jesus ministered to her, […]
Divergence on the Lectionary – Proper 16, Year B (track one)
First Reading 1 Kings 8:[1, 6, 10-11], 22-30, 41-43 (optional verses in brackets, omitted verses in italics) [Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant […]
Divergence on the Lectionary – Proper 15, Year B (track one)
First Reading 1 Kings 2:10–12, 3:3–14 Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. And the time that David reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. So Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom […]
Divergence on the Lectionary – Proper 14, Year B (track one)
First Reading 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33 And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom. So the army went out into the field against Israel, and the battle […]
Divergence on the Lectionary – Proper 13, Year B (track one)
First Reading 2 Samuel 11:26–12:13a When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband. And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the […]
Divergence on the Lectionary – Proper 12, Year B (track one)
First Reading 2 Samuel 11:1–15 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and […]
Divergence on the Lectionary – Proper 11, Year B (track one)
First Reading 2 Samuel 7:1–14a Now when the king lived in his house and the LORD had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” And Nathan said to the […]
Divergence on the Lectionary – Proper 10, Year B (track one)
First Reading 2 Samuel 6:1–5, 12b-19 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the LORD of hosts who sits enthroned […]
Divergence on the Lectionary – Proper 9, Year B (track one)
First Reading 2 Samuel 5:1–5, 9-10 (omitted verses in italics) Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh. In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the LORD said to you, […]
Divergence on the Lectionary – Proper 8, Year B (track one)
First Reading 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 (omitted verses in italics) After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. And on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came […]
Divergence on the Lectionary – Proper 7, Year B (track one)
First Reading 1 Samuel 17: (1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49 (Optional verses in italics, omitted verses indented) Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the […]
Divergence on the Lectionary – Proper 6, Year B (track one)
First Reading 1 Samuel 15:34–16:13 Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel. The LORD said to […]
Divergence on the Lectionary – Proper 5, Year B (track one)
First Reading 1 Samuel 8:4-11, (12-15), 16-20, (11:14-15) (optional verses shown in parentheses and italics) Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us […]
Chapter Seven – Staying On the Rails
Healing Ministry can be difficult and/or messy because Holy Spirit empowered ministries are often difficult and/or messy. Paul struggled with the congregation in Corinth because they were too enamored of their spiritual gifts and the church has had difficulties with its Spirit-led members ever since. We will not create problems for the leaders of our […]