Luke A. Powery (editor) - Connections, a lectionary commentary for preaching and worship. Year A

Editorial Board

General Editors

JOEL B. GREEN (The United Methodist Church), Professor of New Testament Interpretation, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA

THOMAS G. LONG (Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)), Bandy Professor Emeritus of Preaching at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

LUKE A. POWERY (Progressive National Baptist Convention), Dean of Duke University Chapel and Associate Professor of Homiletics at Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC

CYNTHIA L. RIGBY (Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)), W. C. Brown Professor of Theology, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Austin, TX

CAROLYN J. SHARP (The Episcopal Church), Professor of Homiletics, Yale Divinity School, New Haven, CT

Volume Editors

ERIC D. BARRETO (Cooperative Baptist Fellowship), Frederick and Margaret L. Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of New Testament, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ

GREGORY CULLAR (Baptist), Associate Professor of Old Testament, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Austin, TX

WILLIAM GREENWAY (Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)), Professor of Philosophical Theology, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Austin, TX

CAROLYN B. HELSEL (Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)), Assistant Professor of Homiletics, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Austin, TX

JENNIFER L. LORD (Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)), Dorothy B. Vickery Professor of Homiletics and Liturgical Studies, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Austin, TX

SONG-MI SUZIE PARK (The United Methodist Church), Associate Professor of Old Testament, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Austin, TX

ZAIDA MALDONADO PREZ (The United Church of Christ), Retired Professor of Church History and Theology, Asbury Theological Seminary, Orlando, FL

EMERSON B. POWERY (The Episcopal Church), Professor of Biblical Studies, Messiah College, Mechanicsburg, PA

WYNDY CORBIN REUSCHLING (The United Methodist Church), Professor of Ethics and Theology, Ashland Theological Seminary, Ashland, OH

DAVID J. SCHLAFER (The Episcopal Church), Independent Consultant in Preaching and Assisting Priest, Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, Bethesda, MD

ANGELA SIMS (National Baptist Convention), President, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, Rochester, NY

DAVID F. WHITE (The United Methodist Church), C. Ellis and Nancy Gribble Nelson Professor of Christian Education, Professor in Methodist Studies, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Austin, TX

Psalms Editor

KIMBERLY BRACKEN LONG (Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)), Editor, Call to Worship: Liturgy, Music, Preaching, and the Arts, Louisville, KY

Sidebar Editor

RICHARD MANLY ADAMS JR. (Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)), Director of Pitts Theology Library and Margaret A. Pitts Assistant Professor in the Practice of Theological Bibliography, Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Project Manager

JOAN MURCHISON , Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Austin, TX

Project Compiler

PAMELA J. JARVIS , Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Austin, TX

Year A, Volume 2

Lent through Pentecost

Joel B. Green
Thomas G. Long
Luke A. Powery
Cynthia L. Rigby
Carolyn J. Sharp

General Editors

2019 Westminster John Knox Press

First edition

Published by Westminster John Knox Press

Louisville, Kentucky

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 2810 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Westminster John Knox Press, 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202-1396, or contact us online at www.wjkbooks.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. Scripture quotations marked NJPS are from The TANAKH: The New JPS Translation according to the Traditional Hebrew Text. Copyright 1985 by the Jewish Publication Society. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked NIV are from The Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Excerpts from You, Lord, Are Both Lamb and Shepherd by Sylvia G. Dunstan, 1991 GIA Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Excerpts from Crucifixion in New Poems, translation 2015 Len Krisak. Reprinted by permission of Cambden House. All rights reserved. Excerpt from The Third Day, by Amos N. Wilder, from Grace Confounding, copyright 1972 Amos Wilder. Used by permission. Excerpt from Stay, by Jan Richardson, from Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons, copyright 2015 Jan Richardson. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Book and cover design by Allison Taylor

The Library of Congress has cataloged an earlier volume as follows:

Names: Long, Thomas G., 1946- editor.

Title: Connections : a lectionary commentary for preaching and worship / Joel B. Green, Thomas G. Long, Luke A. Powery, Cynthia L. Rigby, Carolyn J. Sharp, general editors.

Description: Louisville, Kentucky : Westminster John Knox Press, 2018- | Includes index. |

Identifiers: LCCN 2018006372 (print) | LCCN 2018012579 (ebook) | ISBN 9781611648874 (ebk.) | ISBN 9780664262433 (volume 1 : hbk. : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Lectionary preaching. | BibleMeditations. | Common lectionary (1992) | Lectionaries.

Classification: LCC BV4235.L43 (ebook) | LCC BV4235.L43 C66 2018 (print) | DDC 251/.6dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018006372

Connections: Year A, Volume 2

ISBN: 9780664262389 (hardback)

ISBN: 9780664264802 (paperback)

ISBN: 9781611649727 (ebook)

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.

Most Westminster John Knox Press books are available at special quantity discounts when purchased in bulk by corporations, organizations, and special-interest groups. For more information, please e-mail .

Contents

The preaching of the Word of God is the Word of God, says the Second Helvetic Confession. While that might sound like an exalted estimation of the homiletical task, it comes with an implicit warning: A lot is riding on this business of preaching. Get it right!

Believing that much does indeed depend on the churchs proclamation, we offer Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship. Connections embodies two complementary convictions about the study of Scripture in preparation for preaching and worship. First, to best understand an individual passage of Scripture, we should put it in conversation with the rest of the Bible. Second, since all truth is Gods truth, we should bring as many lenses as possible to the study of Scripture, drawn from as many sources as we can find. Our prayer is that this unique combination of approaches will illumine your study and preparation, facilitating the weekly task of bringing the Word of God to the people of God.