Gospel commentary index Lectionary Year A
On this page, you can find an index to all the commentary articles on the gospel lectionary readings for the whole of Year A, together with links to the video discussions between Ian and James. The articles will be reposted with updates during the year—but they are listed here for convenience and planning ahead.
What is prophecy?
I write a quarterly column for Preach Magazine, and for this next edition I have written an article on the nature of prophecy in Old and New Testaments. This is my draft—any comments welcome. Prophecy forms a substantial part of the Bible—but there is much debate about the question of prophecy today, and how contemporary prophecy is related to what we find in Scripture. Scripture as prophecy The Hebrew Bible (that is, the Bible for Jews that we call the Old Testament) is traditionally divided into three sections: the Torah (sometimes called ‘the law’); the Prophets (Neviim: which for Jews…
Is the Church of England pastoral and not missional?
Angela Tilby, in her weekly column in the Church Times, has claimed that the Church of England is pastoral and not missional. But she can only do this by being…
The Trinity, Matthew 28, and the Great Commission
The Sunday gospel lectionary reading for Trinity Sunday in this Year A is Matt 28.16–20. As with the readings in Years B and C, it is short and compact. (See…
The Trinity, Matthew 28, and 2 Corinthians 13 video discussion
Should we preach on the Trinity on Trinity Sunday? The answer is less obvious than you might think! And what do we make of the triadic formula in Matt 28.19?…
When and from where is Jesus ‘coming on the clouds’?
The phrase ‘coming on the clouds’ is commonly misread as referring to Jesus’ return at the end of the age—when reading it in context and noticing its source in Daniel…
Who should read the Bible in church?
Who should read the Bible aloud in church as part of our services? Should the preacher do it, or someone else? Is it more important that it is done well,…
The end-times Spirit comes at Pentecost in Acts 2
This Sunday is the feast of Pentecost, fifty days from Passover (hence the name), in the Jewish calendar the festival of Shavuot (‘weeks’), one of the three great pilgrim festivals…
The spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12
The lectionary New Testament readings for the Pentecost, this coming Sunday, are 1 Corinthians 12.3b-13, Acts 2.1-21, and John 20.19-23—but the first or second reading must be from Acts. So…
Is the Church of England growing at last?
This week, the Church of England released headline figures for church attendance in 2025. This is collated from the parish returns done in October each year, and Ken Eames and…
Ascension Day: the key moment of the New Testament?
What would you identify as the climax and completion of Jesus’ life and ministry? Surprisingly, this is not a trivial question. One of the key differences between John and the…
How can we minister in deprived areas?
John Root offers this review of Jonathan Macy Sowing Seeds with Songs of Joy: Growing God’s Garden in Forgotten Places. Jonathan Macy’s book began as a 13,000 word position paper…
