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Mark 1:9
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. There’s some serious ambivalence about this verse. Actually, it’s not the verse, but the event it narrates. So...
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Mark 1:9-10
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a...
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Mark 1:9-11
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a...
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Mark 3:31-35
Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are...
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U R a St!
Alright, I’ll admit it. I’m not on Facebook. I took a little grief for that over the weekend, and figured I’d better come clean. I’m not on Twitter either. And I hardly ever text (although that’s...
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What Is Baptism?
Do you remember anything about your baptism? If you’re like me – that is, if you were baptized as a baby – the answer is probably “no.” A second question: do you remember any stories about your baptism...
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Luke 3:21-22
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came...
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A Baptismal Hymn
Baptism is on my mind. Tomorrow is the Sunday of the Baptism of our Lord, and so last week I wrote a column on that for Working Preacher. This morning’s devotional reading happened to be Luke’s brief...
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Vulnerable God, Vulnerable Church
Vulnerability is a big theme with me – in life, in relationships, in theology. It’s one of the reasons I’m such a big fan of Brené Brown. In her TED Talks on vulnerability and shame, and in books like...
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What I am Learning About Baptism
It’s taken me a little over a week to read through and digest (or at least begin to digest) all the comments and fabulous conversation about baptism. Which is why I title this post, “What I am learning...
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Matthew 3:16-17
And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from...
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Baptism of Our Lord B: Baptism & Blessing
Dear Partner in Preaching, I want to start with a question: how often do you think about your baptism? Perhaps your family reminded you of its importance by celebrating the anniversary of your baptism...
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Baptism of our Lord C: Expecting the Messiah
Dear Partner in Preaching, The first line of this week’s reading really grabbed my attention: “As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John,...
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Baptism of our Lord A: Family Name
Matthew 3:13-17 Dear Partner in Preaching, In the summer of 1906, my great-grandfather, a pastor and professor of theology at Wittenberg Seminary, ventured east to look for a summer cottage. The...
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Lent 1 A: Identity as Gift and Promise
Matthew 4:1-11 Dear Partner in Preaching, I’m going to boil the heart of this passage down into one, probably pretty familiar, saying: You only know who you are when you realize whose you are. I...
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Epiphany 1 B: Powerful Words for a New Year
Mark 1:4-11 Dear Partner in Preaching, I don’t know about you, but from time to time – okay, so maybe a little more often than from time to time – I find myself wondering whether my preaching makes a...
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Lent 1 B: Lenten Courage
Mark 1:9-15 Dear Partner in Preaching, There is a whole lot going on in this Sunday’s Gospel reading from Mark. That may be easy to miss, because we’ve touched on various parts of Mark’s first chapters...
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Baptism of our Lord C: Forgiveness… and So Much More!
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 Dear Partner in Preaching, You may remember from a New Testament class in seminary that Jesus’ baptism – which we typically take for granted as part of the biblical story and, for...
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Baptism of Our Lord B: A Bigger Baptism
Mark 1:4-11 Dear Partner in Preaching, I’m sorry for the late post. It’s been a week, as I know it has been for you. So… very briefly, just a couple of thoughts for Sunday. I wonder how our folks will...
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