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Beer and Theology--a weekly spirited theological conversation! Over the past few decades, Duane Priebe has convened a weekly Wartburg Theological Seminary tradition: Beer and Theology. The back room of the [...]

In the fall of 2009, I was introduced to a new and exciting strategy for interpreting the Bible. At the time, I was a senior theology major at Texas Lutheran [...]

My Experience as a Biblical Storyteller Over thirty years ago on my first Palm Sunday as an ordained minister, I decided to perform the Passion Narrative of Mark's Gospel (chapters [...]

The first Gospel reading I performed by heart was from Mark. Jesus was baptized and immediately driven by the Spirit into the wilderness. Then, after John was executed, Jesus began [...]

The invitation to write about my experiences while learning and telling the Gospel of Mark by heart reminds me of an invitation found in 'The Godfather': 'Let me make you [...]

This may be the year for you to begin performing Scripture! The beginning of the new church year offers an opportunity to reassess how we present Scripture in worship and [...]

I have been around 'church folk' most of my life. I have received seminary degrees twice and am now an adjunct professor at two. As a director of Christian education [...]

When I was in seminary, my first New Testament professor, David Tiede, suggested that we choose one of' the four Gospels to relate to in an on-going way throughout our [...]

My title frames the topic of performance criticism in terms of a conversion narrative, and is only partly tongue-in-cheek. Performance criticism erupted into my scholarly work like a geyser, baptizing [...]

A pastor sits with a text and a task. The text is clear enough: that is the gift of lectionaries. The task is also clear enough: analyze and experience the [...]

Food is one of the most striking themes of Luke's Gospel. (1) Jesus in Luke's Gospel is a Jesus who loves to eat. One scholar notes that 'Jesus is either [...]

Acts 10:34-43 or Isaiah 65:17-25 Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 or Acts 10:34-43 John 20:1-18 or Luke 24:1-12 'Alleluia. Christ our Pascal Lamb has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us [...]

Preaching John These "Preaching Helps" take us from Passion Sunday through Pentecost. A friend once agreed to provide commentary on these texts for year B, because he really loves Mark's [...]

Ralph Klein combines meticulous and creative scholarship in the study and teaching of the Old Testament with a strong interest in both the social issues facing the church and our [...]

I must confess that I have come to appreciate--and fear--the organizers of the Hein Fry lecture series! The formidable topics assigned for the series this past year were: (1) The [...]

There is a certain ambiguity in the theme of this Leadership Conference. 'No Easy Answers' points to the fact that certain biblical passages are hard to understand and hard to [...]

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 or Isaiah 58:1-12 Psalm 51:1-17 2 Corinthians 5:20b--6:10 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 First Reading Joel precedes Isaiah as a prophet of Judah. Joel lived in the eighth century [...]

Numbers 21:4-9 Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 Ephesians 2:1-10 John 3:14-21 First Reading Numbers 21:4-9: The Serpent Lifted Up--Moses led the people out of slavery into freedom, but they would rather return [...]

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 Psalm 22:23-31 Romans 4:13-25 Mark 8:31-38 First Reading Genesis: The Abrahamic Covenant. Last week we read the Noahic covenant. This week we hear Gods covenant with Abram [...]

Uncle Raymond has something important to say. He is the sweetest of the characters in the movie Moonstruck and he is sitting with the family at the dinner table. To [...]

Ezekiel 34: 11-16, 20-24 Psalm 95: 1-7a Ephesians 1: 15-23 Matthew 25:31-46 The promise is sure. God will search for the sheep and seek them out. God will rescue them, [...]

Acts 10:34-43 Jeremiah 31:1-6 Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 Colossians 3:1-4 Matthew 28:1-10 or John 20:1-18 First Reading Psalm 118 and Jeremiah 31:1-6 call readers to join in song as God's people [...]

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Psalm 22 Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9 John 18:1-19:42 First Reading Without some sense of the dramatist's, preacher's, or apocalypticist's art, one might think the narrator of [...]

Acts 2:14a, 22-32 Psalm 16:1-11 1 Peter 1:3-9 John 20:19-31 First Reading In Luke's rehearsal, Peter's sermon almost sounds like affirmation of Hellenistic ideas about the immortality of the soul [...]

Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14 Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 John 13:1-17, 31b-35 First Reading As Paul's rehearsal indicates, any commemoration of the night in which Jesus was betrayed has [...]

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 Psalm 32 Romans 5:12-19 Matthew 4:1-11 First Reading In both of this week's temptation stories God places human subjects into a setting where testing proves inevitable. God [...]

Exodus 24:12-18 Psalm 2 or Psalm 99 2 Peter 1:16-21 Matthew 17:1-9 First Reading Zora Neale Hurston had reason enough to title her 1939 novel on the Bible's exodus story [...]

Isaiah 60:1-6 Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 Ephesians 3:1-12 Matthew 2:1-12 First Reading--Revealing accessibility Isaiah 60 instructs hearers to lift up your eyes and look around. As humans, we often close our [...]

Isaiah 52:7-10 Psalm 98 Hebrews 1:1-4 (5-12) John 1:1-14 First Reading--Remember and reveal Themes running through this day, beginning in Isaiah, are the ways God is remembering us and revealing [...]

Numbers 6:22-27 Psalm 8 Galatians 4:4-7 or Philippians 2:5-11 Luke 2:15-21 First Reading--Named God's children A theme that runs throughout these readings, appropriately for the day, is that of being [...]

Isaiah 63:7-9 Psalm 148 Hebrews 2:10-18 Matthew 2:13-23 First Reading--God goes before us Joseph's dreaming borders Christmas this year. Joseph dreamed at the fourth week of Advent that he should [...]

Isaiah 7:10-16 Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 Romans 1:1-7 Matthew 1:18-25 First Reading--God saves In this encounter between King Ahaz and the prophet Isaiah, we get a glimpse of Ahaz interpreting God's [...]

Isaiah 9:2-7 Psalm 96 Titus 2:11-14 Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) First Reading In the reading from Isaiah this night, we're given a vision of light, multiplication and increased joy at the [...]

Isaiah 35:1-10 Psalm 146:5-10 or Luke 1:47-55 James 5:7-10 Matthew 11:2-11 First Reading--Why we can't wait To people in mortal fear, whose mouths are dry and whose stomachs are clenched, [...]

Isaiah 11:1-10 Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 Romans 15:4-13 Matthew 3:1-12 First Reading--Signaling hope In Isaiah, we see signs of hope. First we learn about someone who is coming who will have [...]

It's only natural to seek easy answers, but in the challenges of living together as nations, religions, congregations, local communities, and families we recognize that what we face embodies all [...]

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 Luke 1:46b-55 Romans 16:25-27 Luke 1:26-38 First Reading Today we hear of promises made and promises fulfilled--always in a surprising way. In 2 Samuel we hear [...]

Jeremiah 31:7-14 Psalm 147:12-20 Ephesians 1:3-14 John 1:(1-9) 10-18 First Reading In the days after the celebration of Christmas, we hear each of these readings as a proclamation of what [...]

Isaiah 52:7-10 Psalm 98 Hebrews 1:1-4 (5-12) John 1:1-14 First Reading John's prologue comes to us in words that often sound very formal and almost detached especially after we have [...]

Isaiah 40:1-11 Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 2 Peter 3:8-15a Mark 1:1-8 First Reading As we begin to move closer and closer to the celebration of Christmas and the gift of the [...]

Isaiah 64:1-9 Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Mark 13:24-37 First Reading Isaiah opens the readings for the day with a clarion call for God to 'tear open the heavens [...]

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Psalm 126 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 John 1:6-8, 19-28 First Reading While it is most definitely not Pentecost, an examination of the concept of spirit might be in [...]

2 Kings 5:1-14 Psalm 30 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Mark 1:40-45 First Reading Namaan is a mighty warrior. He is a winner on the battlefield and off. In high favor with [...]

Jeremiah 31:31-34 Psalm 51:1-12 or Psalm 119:9:9-1 6 Hebrews 5:5-10 John 12:20-33 First Reading Jeremiah 31: 31-34: The new covenant--We went from the Noahic Covenant, to the Abraharnic Covenant to [...]

Exodus 20:1-17 Psalm 19 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 John 2:13-22 First Reading Exodus: The Mosaic Covenant. The Ten Commandments form the center of the Mosaic Covenant. In all, there are 613 [...]

Isaiah 40:21-31 Psalm 147:1-11,20c 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 Mark 1:29-39 First Reading After thirty-nine chapters of ranting prophetic doom on Judah (and on other nations, to be inclusive), the book of [...]

Genesis 9:8-17 Psalm 25:1-10 1 Peter 3:18-22 Mark 1:9-15 First Reading Genesis: The Noahic Covenant. The Hebrew readings for Lent B give as a course in covenantal theology. We get [...]

2 Kings 2:1-12 Psalm 50:1-6 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 Mark 9:2-9 First Reading In 2 Kings, Elijah is taken up into heaven by a whirlwind, with a chariot and horses of [...]

Deuteronomy 8:1-18 Psalm 65 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 Luke 17:11-19 The encounter between Jesus and the ten lepers represents one healing among many in Luke: indeed, Luke mentions healing more than [...]

Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18 Psalm 1 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 Matthew 22:34-46 According to Matthew, everybody who is anybody in Jerusalem power circles is out to get Jesus. Chief priests, elders, scribes, [...]