September 8, 2019 - Proper 18C

Lectionary Readings

Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on us. Melt us, mold us, use us, fill us. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us. Amen.

            Nearly every Sunday, the foundation of the sermon is one of the passages of Scripture that is read. On some occasions, it might be a prayer, hymn, or part of the liturgy that the sermon is based upon. But today I’m going to preach about something that I never, ever thought that I’d preach a sermon about. Today’s sermon is about the bulletin.

Palms and the Passion

                         
As I mentioned in yesterday's sermon, I don't like the conflation of Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday. After church, several people remarked that they, too, thought it makes for a disjointed and confusing liturgical day. The practice of joining these two foci does date back to the Middle Ages, so it is not without historical warrant.