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Proper 13 (18), 4th August 2024
Ephesians 4:1-16 Maintain the unity of the faith 4:1I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 4:2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 4:3making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit…
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Preaching Paths 4 August 2024 Proper 13B
Sally A. Brown, Professor Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary Ephesians 4:1-16, the 2nd NT Reading for today, opens the paraenetic chapters (4-6) of this epistle. These verses presuppose the Christocentric theological panorama unfurled in chs 1-3. The writer’s addressees are the hard-pressed, mixed Jewish / Gentile congregations of Asia Minor. The very fact of fellowship between…
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Preaching Paths 28 July 2024 Proper 12B
Preaching Paths 28 July 2024 Proper 12B Sally A. Brown, Professor Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary The two miracle stories that comprise today’s gospel reading, John 6:1-21, were of utmost importance to early Christians. All three Synoptics have some version of the feeding of the multitude; all but Luke include the story of Jesus walking toward…
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Proper 9 (14), 7th July 2024
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost Mark 6:1-136:1 He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 6:2 On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given…
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Preaching Paths 14 July 2024 Proper 10B
Sally A. Brown, Professor Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary Today’s Gospel reading, Mark 6:14-29, opens with a report of various speculations about Jesus’ identity (vv 14-16). The dramatic, skillfully crafted story of the execution of John the Baptist by Herod Antipas functions as “back-story,” explaining Antipas’s belief that Jesus is John the Baptist come back to…
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Preaching Paths 7 July 2024 Proper 9B
Sally A. Brown, Professor Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary Mark sets two closely related pericopes side by side in Mark 6:1-13. Both stories advance a now-familiar theme: those who share news of the reign of God, in word or deed, should be prepared to face opposition or downright rejection. Jesus did, even in his own hometown.…
