Acts of the Apostles 1:1-11 The story told in Luke’s Gospel and continuing through his Acts of the Apostles begins in the Temple in Jerusalem and ends in Rome.  It starts with concerns uniquely important to God’s people, the Jews, … Continue reading →

Acts of the Apostles 7: 55-60 Raymond Brown shows through a detailed analysis of the  story of martyrdom of Stephen in Luke’s Acts of the Apostles the  parallels with Luke’s version of the death of Jesus in his gospel.  (A … Continue reading →

Acts of the Apostles 17: 22-31 Religions played many roles in the ancient world: personal comfort, public ceremony, social cohesion, national identity and philosophical inquiry. Luke presents an encounter by Paul with philosophers in Athens.  Paul starts with a deist … Continue reading →

Acts of the Apostles 2: 42-47 Luke’s Acts of the Apostles paints a vivid portrait of the communities of first believers.  We see those who had seen and heard the Risen Christ as well as those who heard their testimony … Continue reading →

Acts of the Apostles 2: 14a, 36-41 In his Acts of the Apostles, the writer of the Gospel of Luke implies that Peter is addressing some of the same people who were in the mob who called for the execution … Continue reading →

Acts of the Apostles 2: 14a, 22-32 As the Acts of the Apostles demonstrates, the proclamation– that Jesus, whose execution was public knowledge, but had been raised from the dead by God– saturated the self-identity of the early church.  Familiar … Continue reading →

Easter Evening Year A.B.C Isaiah 25: 6-9 The prophet imagines a “feast.” which is so vast and so abundant it is attended by all humankind. This feast celebrates the defeat of all the experiences that diminish the universal human condition– … Continue reading →

Acts of the Apostles 10: 34-43 This excerpt is a confession of faith by first witnesses to the announcements of the resurrection of Jesus who feel compelled to testify to what they have heard and seen. OR Jeremiah 31: 1-6 … Continue reading →

THE LITURGY OF THE WORD The Story of Creation, Genesis 1:1-24a  Most likely written while the Jews were exiled in Babylon, this could serve as a liturgical text meant to remind that God is the giver of the gift of … Continue reading →

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 This excerpt from Isaiah parallels Psalm 22 which also asks profound questions: is there some larger meaning to suffering, what is God’s role?  Walter Bureggemann sees this passage as one of only three in the Hebrew scriptures that … Continue reading →