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Lectionary Guide

July 18, 2021

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost Ephesians 2:11-22

2 Samuel 7:1-14a
Psalm 89:20-37
Ephesians 2:11-22
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

lectionary:
Season of ordinary time, Year b

Preaching Commentary


Paul’s Prize Fight

Paul pulls no punches in this letter to the church of Ephesus. It is an onslaught of theological intensity from the first ring of the bell. Like a prize fighter looking to keep his belt, he gives it his all, round after round. From his “marathon” sentence in chapter one to the themes of death and life in the preceding section, the reader hears of the breadth, length, height, and depth of God’s work of redemption and reconciliation through Christ.

Our text for this week is another combination of spiritually rich punches meant to drive home the significance of what God has done in Christ. It openly speaks of the barrier between Jew and Gentile, namely expressed in the…

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