I’d argue that many of us are more like Nicodemus in our faith journeys that some of the other characters that we will hear about this Lenten season. Many of us have ups and downs in our faith and Nicodemus is a character that tells us that that’s okay. We can ask hard questions that bother us, and Jesus does not shy from those questions. We can ask for more time to listen to the Word so that we can be in a better place to hear the message. We can participate in the rituals, not knowing all the ins and outs of the theology, and it can still be holy and faithful. If we only preach on Nicodemus as a foil for the Woman at the well, then we miss a huge opportunity to preach to those who are struggling with their faith. We miss a huge opportunity to preach to family members that are concerned about their children or grandchildren not experiencing Jesus. We miss a huge opportunity connect with a character that learns and grows and isn’t just immediately “perfect.” This Sunday is an opportunity to preach on doubt, questions, and the growth of faith.
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 (Ash Wednesday) – February 22, 2023
“Beware practicing your piety before others….” (Warning… A nuanced interpretation is coming and it’s not the most revelatory interpretation in the world.) I’ve seen a lot of posts recently lifting up this text as an awkward contradiction to the earlier portion of the Sermon on the Mount (i.e. “Be the light of the world). Is Jesus not immediately asking us to hide our light under a bushel here? To be fair to my colleagues, I believe that each of them are intentionally setting up a straw man argument that says that Jesus is telling us to not practice ritual with absent hearts and minds, but that we should lean into the meaning of the rituals and practice our piety, our alms giving, our acts of service with intentionality and with God in mind. It is a walk the walk that you talk kind of argument. And honestly, it’s a good way to go on Ash Wednesday as people uncomfortably walk around with ashes on their forehead all day and have no alternative but to identify as Christian. But my fear of approaching the text this way, is that it ultimately leads to a form of quietism. On a day when we must show that we’re Christian (Christmas Eve, Easter, Ash Wednesday, Baptisms), how do you live like a Christian? On days when you don’t feel like living up to those standards, just don’t do things that will make you look like a Christian. But here’s my nuanced take: Matthew wants us to be loud.
Matthew 4:1-11 (1st Sunday in Lent) – February 26th, 2023
I always hope to preach on the themes of the Gospel that we are in and I still hope to do that this week. However, Year A will jump into the Gospel of John for the last 4 Sundays in Lent and make thematic preaching a little harder. So, using this Matthean text to set up the season of Lent could be very helpful. Also, it is a good chance to dispel some of the modern myths and bad theology of Lent and return to some of the spiritual practices that are intended to bring us closer to God.
Matthew 17:1-9 (Transfiguration Sunday) – February 19, 2023
If you preached one transfiguration text, you’ve preached them all… right? This is one of the stories that is incredibly similar across all three synoptic gospels. When comparing Mark, Luke, and Matthew’s versions of the transfiguration, there are only slight differences. So, I will turn to my standard answer that I’ve given probably six weeks in a row: The Matthean themes are always a road into more nuance and sermon fodder.
The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:27)
Written as an exegetical paper, this is a simple overview of the Sermon on the Mount that may help to inspire connections with the season after Epiphany preaching texts in Year A.
Matthew 5:21-37 (6th Sunday after Epiphany) – February 12, 2023
Sometimes referred to as the "Divorce Passage" of the Sermon on the Mount, this week we hear about Jesus' concern for how that community lives together in a way that will uplift everyone.
Matthew 5:13-20 (5th Sunday after Epiphany) – February 5, 2023
To describe why it’s difficult to know the true meaning, each of these metaphors on their own are awkward for different reasons. Salt doesn’t really lose its saltiness. A city on a mountain as a light is not very practical other than to be seen from far away. You don’t usually keep a lamp/light burning forever and it will need to be extinguished at some point. These few verses don’t fully function as parables. They are more proverbial. Ultimately, holding onto Matthean themes and Matthew’s narrative may be the best help for our understanding.
Matthew 5:1-12 (4th Sunday after Epiphany) – January 29th, 2023
Both Matthew and Luke use the Beatitudes with a purpose and in aligning our preaching with their purpose, we can open a world of preaching opportunity. But if we preach on our preference and overly compare these two different Gospels, then we give permission to accept one and throw the other out, when in reality they are used for two entirely different purposes.
Matthew 4:12-23 (3rd Sunday after Epiphany) – January 22, 2023
This is a transitional section in Matthew to get us to the Sermon on the Mount. And because of that, it can feel like there are a thousand things going on and none at all. But, I think if we pick one lane, there are some possibilities for really meaningful topics.
John 1:29-42 (2nd Sunday after Epiphany) – January 15th, 2023
Here in John’s account, there is beautiful room to tell a story of “being known.” After we get the long prologue of John, we the reader should have little doubt as to who Jesus is: the Word, the light, the Messiah. But even though we have this beautiful poetic prologue, this opening scene with John the Baptist immediately has a profound intimacy.
Micah Krey 