Irreverently Reverend

  Ordinary Time These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham was the father of Isaac,  20  and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean.  21  Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife because she was barren, and the Lord granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.  22  The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is to be this way, why do I live?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.  23  And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb,     and two peoples born of you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other;     the elder shall serve the younger.” 24  When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb.  25  The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle, so they name...

  Ordinary Time Then Job answered the Lord and said: 2  “I know that you can do all things,     and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 3  ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,     things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4  ‘Hear, and I will speak;     I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ 5  I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,     but now my eye sees you; 6  therefore I despise myself,     and repent in dust and ashes.”   And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.  11  Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him i...

  Pentecost When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.  2  And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.  3  Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.  4  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5  Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem.  6  And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.  7  Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?  8  And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?  9  Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,  10 ...

  Seventh Sunday of Easter 9  If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.  10  Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.  11  And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  12  Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13  I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.   (ESV)               I’ll admit, this has not been my favorite passage to work on unpacking.   It’s short, it’s repetitive, and it shades a bit too closely to...