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11th January 2026,Baptism of the Lord, Year A
Matthew 3:13-17 Christ revealed as God’s servant 3:13Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 3:14John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 3:15But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for it is proper for…
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Preaching Paths 11 Jan 2026 Baptism of Our Lord Yr A
Sally A Brown, Professor of Preaching Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary We learn in the verses immediately preceding today’s text that crowds gathered at the Jordan both fascinated and terrified by John’s message of an imminent divine epiphany, a day of reckoning. John adjures them to “repent and be baptized.” According to Jewish law, one could…
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4th January 2026, 2nd Sunday after Christmas, Yr A
John 1:(1-9), 10-18 God with us 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 1:2 He was in the beginning with God. 1:3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 1:4…
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Preaching Paths 4 January 2026, 2nd Sunday after Christmas, Yr A
Sally A. Brown, Professor Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary Through Advent, Christmas Day, and the first Sunday of Christmastide, the preacher’s task has been to trace the ministry of John the Baptist, as well as Joseph’s crucial role, in the story of the arrival of Jesus, God’s Anointed One (Messiah). This week, we turn to John’s…
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Preaching Paths, 28 December 2025, First Sunday after Christmas Yr A
Sally A. Brown, Professor of Preaching and Worship Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary On the first Sunday after Christmas, the designers of the lectionary present us—rather awkwardly—with Matthew 2:13-23, the story of Herod’s slaughter of every baby boy in Bethlehem, aged two or younger. We learn, too, how Joseph is guided in dreams to take two…
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Preaching Paths 21 December 2025, Advent 4, Year A
Sally A Brown, Professor Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary Today’s gospel text, Matthew 1:18-25, presents Matthew’s account of the birth of “Jesus the Messiah” (v 18). Matthew’s narrative contrasts strikingly with that of Luke, focusing not on Mary, but on Joseph. Joseph is typically portrayed in Nativity scenes simply standing by, mute and passive as the…
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Preaching Paths 21 December 2025
Sally A. Brown, Professor Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary Preaching possibilities abound in today’s Gospel reading (Lk 1:39-56). Two unlikely expectant mothers—one long considered barren, the other young and unmarried—join in Spirit-inspired celebration of God’s surprising ways. After the angel Gabriel’s life-changing visit, Mary travels to the far Judean hills to visit her older cousin, Elizabeth.…
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Sunday, 28th, 21st, & 14th December 2025 Yr A
1st Sunday after Christmas 2025, Yr A 28th December 2025 Matthew 2:13-23 The slaughter of innocent children 2:13 Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you,…
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Preaching Paths 14 December 2025 Advent 3 Year A
Sally A Brown, Professor Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary The gospel reading for this third Sunday in Advent, Year A, Mt 11:2-11, can be jarring for preachers, to say nothing of their prospective listeners. What merit is there in forcing ourselves to grapple with the consternation of John the Baptist, locked and silenced in Herod’s prison,…
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7th December 2025, 2nd Sunday of Advent, Year A
Matthew 3:1-12 Prepare the way of the Lord 3:1 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 3:2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3:3 This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:…
Insights into Biblical Greek Grammar and Syntax 