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Preaching Paths 26 May 2024 TRINITY Year B
Sally A. Brown, Professor Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary On occasion, preachers find themselves taking issue with editorial divisions of a biblical text, as I do with our chosen text for Trinity Sunday Year B, Romans 8:12-17. Commentators express consternation at the “awkward transition” from v 13 to v 14, yet take for granted the editors’…
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Preaching Paths 19 May 2024 Pentecost Sunday
Sally A. Brown, Professor Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary Why, one might ask, would we preach from John when Luke’s dazzling Acts 2 account of the Spirit poured out is on the lectionary menu? We can preach from John without setting Acts aside. A celebrative presentation of Acts 2:1-21 is fitting every Pentecost Sunday. Overlapping readings…
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Preaching Paths 12 May 2024 Easter 7B
Sally A. Brown, Professor Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary The Gospel reading today, John 17:6-19, is the middle section of Jesus’ intercessory prayer, the final chapter of the “Farewell Discourses” (John 13-17). Here, the one who is God’s Word embodied in the world communes with the divine Source, the one he calls “Father,” about his mission…
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Preaching Paths 5 May 2024 Easter 6B
Sally A. Brown, Professor Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary Today’s lection, John 15:9-17, continues and completes the Vine discourse of 15:1-8. Today’s reading is best understood in relation to those verses. Two verbs tie the two sections together: “to abide” and “to bear fruit.” Yet, verses 9-17 introduce fresh language, most notably, “love.” Occurring 9 times…
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Preaching Paths 28 April 2024 Easter 5B
Sally A. Brown, Professor Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary The metaphor of the vine, its gardener, and its branches is a familiar one (John 15:1-8). Jesus clearly alludes to OT passages that envision Israel as God’s vine (sometimes lamentably fruitless). The text opens with the last of the “I am” statements (with predicate nominative) in John,…
Insights into Biblical Greek Grammar and Syntax 