February 22, 2026 - The First Sunday in Lent

Lectionary Readings

Gracious God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things that we can, and the wisdom to know the difference ☩ in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Hearing things you like about people you don’t.” That’s one definition of gossip – hearing things you like about people you don’t. Now, I’m from the South, where gossip could be an Olympic sport, as long as you know how to use the phrase “bless their heart.” Another way of defining gossip would be “talking about, instead of talking with.” This morning’s texts from Genesis and Matthew show us dangers of gossiping about God; of talking about God instead of with God.

February 18, 2026 - Ash Wednesday

Lectionary Readings

In the name of God ☩ Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

One word that describes the modern world is “escapism.” I remember when our youngest daughter was younger, we’d ask her to do a chore and a few minutes later, she’d be off doing something else. When we’d remind her about the neglected chore, she’d say, “Sorry, I’m just so distractable.” And that’s not only true of toddlers who don’t want to clean their rooms, it’s true of us all. We’re all looking for an escape.

February 1, 2026 - Septuagesima

Lectionary Readings

Keep us forever grounded in your blessing, O God of love. Amen.

Faith is a dialogue; a conversation between Creator and Creation. In Genesis, we read that God created not with the snap of the fingers, or by assembling various parts, or by a thought, but with a word – “Let there be.” God spoke to nothingness and nothing responded by becoming something. God’s relationship with Israel is rooted in speech to Abraham, Rebekah, Moses, Deborah, Daniel, Isaiah, and Micah. One way of understanding the faith of Israel is as a holy conversation with God.

January 25, 2026 - The Third Sunday after the Epiphany

Lectionary Readings

Blessed are you, O Lord God, King of the Universe, for you shine upon us the light and warmth of your gracious love. Amen.

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” That is the Ninth Commandment and an ethnical norm for both Jews and Christians. As we so often profess, Jesus is the Truth of God in the flesh, and so to lie is to violate the Godly characteristic of truthfulness. In particular, the directive is not about untruthfulness in general, but specifically is about not spreading falsities about our neighbors.

January 18, 2026 - The Second Sunday after the Epiphany

Lectionary Readings

Lord Jesus, help us to more fully receive and reflect your light. Amen.

Some of you might remember those magic-eye pictures that were extremely popular in the 90s. At first glance, they appear to be just random dots of color – but if you stare at them, a 3D image will pop out. If you don’t look long enough, the image appears to be flat. But with a bit of time, the image becomes alive in three dimensions. This is how I hope that we’ll see our faith as well – that when it exists in three dimensions, it becomes vibrant instead of flat.

January 6, 2026 - The Feast of the Epiphany

Lectionary Readings

Star of wonder, star of light, guide us to God’s perfect light. Amen.

“What kind of God would do this?” That was the refrain of the sermon that I preached on Christmas Eve and it’s still a good question to ask at the Feast of the Epiphany. The oddity of the story continues as does the grace that flows from it. And so, we are left pondering what kind of God would do this.

January 4, 2026 - The Second Sunday after Christmas

Lectionary Readings (full text from Matthew)

In the name of the Word made flesh: Jesus Christ. Amen.

Today’s Gospel text is a tough one. Perhaps the toughest one. It’s often called the “Slaughter of the Innocents,” and it troubles me every time I read or preach on it. As the preacher, I had a choice on which text to preach today. And, truth be told, the appointed readings for today would have given me an easy way out. The assigned verses for today skip 16 through 18, the part about Herod’s rage and murder. But we can’t just cut out the hard parts of the story – either in the Bible or in our lives. The story of Christmas is incomplete if we only tell the pageant and crèche version of it. The whole of the story is not “silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright” because there’s also the Coventry Carol, “Herod the king, in his raging, charged he hath this day. His men of might in his own sight, all young children to slay.”