Starting with Scripture

This week, I'm basing doodles of devotion on the parable of the sower found in Matthew 13:1-9 and 18-23. I remember learning about this parable in Sunday School, and I thought I understood it then. God is a sower. He's throwing seeds around. Some seeds grow. Some seeds don't. Some become fruitful, and some do not. But now, as an adult, I find myself asking a question that I didn't have to when I w...

This week’s starting with scripture is going to be a little different. I have been invited to preach at Trinity Lutheran Church in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, this Sunday. So I wanted to use Starting with Scripture as a place to not only explore the gospel and brainstorm Doodles of Devotion, but also to draft my sermon for Sunday. I would love to get your feedback. Please leave me a comment on Patreon....

The Gospel Reading John 4:5-42 (NIV) 5  So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.  6  Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. 7  When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”  8  (His disciples had gone into the town to bu...

The Gospel Reading John 3:1-17 (NIV) 3  Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.  2  He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3  Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they...

Gospel Reading: Matthew 4:1-11 (NIV) 4  Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  2  After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.  3  The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4  Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth...

Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:13-20 (NIV) 13  “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14  “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, an...

Gospel 5  Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2  and he began to teach them. He said: 3  “Blessed are the poor in spirit,     for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4  Blessed are those who mourn,     for they will be comforted. 5  Blessed are the meek,     for they will inherit the earth. 6  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for...

Gospel Reading Matthew 4:12-23 (NIV) 12  When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13  Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14  to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: 15  “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,     the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,     Galilee of the Gentiles—...

Gospel Reading Matthew 3:13–17 (NIV) Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was o...

The Gospel according to John 1:1-18 Glory to you or Lord. 1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2  He was with God in the beginning. 3  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome i...

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 1:18-25. Glory to you, O Lord. 18  This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19  Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorc...

The holy Gospel according to Matthew 11:2-11. Glory to you, O Lord. 2  When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3  to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” 4  Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5  The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the dea...

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 3:1-12. Glory to you, Oh Lord. 3  In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea  2  and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."  3  This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" 4  John's clothes were...

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 24:36-44. Glory to you, O Lord. 36 "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 3...

The Holy Gospel according to Luke 23:33–43. Glory to you, O Lord. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at hi...

The Holy Gospel according to Luke 21:5-19. Glory to you, oh Lord. 5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 6 “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.” 7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? An...

The Holy Gospel according to Luke 20:27-38. Glory to you, oh Lord. 27  Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him 28  and asked him a question: “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. 29  Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman and died ch...

Luke 19:1-10 Jesus and Zacchaeus 19  He entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2  A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3  He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4  So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5  When Jesus came to the...