On the Back Porch
Reading, pondering and studying God’s Word is sometimes best done “on the back porch.” Each week we will try to offer something for you and your “back porch time.”
8th Sunday, Year C | Character and Commitment
What We Celebrate
Over the previous two Sundays you have read the “Sermon on the Plain” – Luke’s version of the Sermon on the Mount. The gospel for this Sunday is a capstone to the Sermon. It asks that one incorporates the lessons into a practical way of life – how one is to go about the world. He cautions about who you follow. If the guide is blind, expect the path to be other than towards the Kingdom. Even if you follow the good guide, have you embraced the teachings fully into your thoughts, words, and actions? Jesus pointedly asks: “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?
There is a lot to unpack in these verses, so grab your favorite beverage and take some time on the back porch.
Full Text of the Sunday Readings
Detailed Commentary on the Gospel
A detail of The Parable of the Mote and the Beam | Domenico Fetti, 1619 | Metropolitan Museum of Art NYC | PD-US