Drew Downs

Make a New Normal

lectionary

  • Before we find Jesus at the well with a woman, we should check out what the lectionary skipped over, which includes dueling baptists.

  • Preparing for this week’s gospel, we should remember the context is in the midst of Holy Week, amid the effort to silence Jesus.

  • There’s always something. A question. Curiosity. Frustration. Exploring that stuff is where the real action is.

  • A look at the gaps in the lectionary. This week: the gap between Proper 13C and Proper 14C. Last week, the lectionary jumped from the beginning of chapter 11 into the middle of chapter 12. What we skipped over were teachings in which Jesus expands the sense of what it means to love one’s neighbor.…

  • As a preacher, I love the lectionary for its seasons, but hate all of the jumping around! This week’s story comes in between the Baptism (1/13) and the visit to the synagogue (1/20 & 27). Now we jump back to the middle. But that might be able to help us understand what is going on.…

  • Continuing our Advent and Apocalypse theme, we have more from John the Baptizer. Repent, change, because the big guy’s coming up behind me! Notice, too, the season, the demand for fairness. Just the kind of gospel for the “fiscal cliff” negotiations. Eating Scripture is a short video series in which we explore the juicy and…