Designed to empower preachers as they lead their congregations to connect their lives to Scripture, Connections features a broad set of interpretive tools that provide commentary and worship aids on the Revised Common Lectionary.

For each worship day within the three-year lectionary cycle, the commentaries in Connections link the individual lection reading with Scripture as a whole as well as to the larger world. In addition, Connections places each Psalm reading in conversation with the other lections for the day to highlight the themes of the liturgical season. Finally, sidebars offer additional connections to Scripture for each Sunday or worship day.

Series Overview: Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship provides new resources to help preachers achieve the goal of connecting congregations to Scripture. This nine-volume series offers creative commentary on each reading in the three-year cycle of the Revised Common Lectionary. It does so first by viewing that reading through the lens of its connections to the rest of Scripture; and then seeing the reading through the lenses of culture, film, fiction, ethics, science, and other aspects of contemporary life.

Included as well are commentaries on the Psalm readings that connect them both to the other readings for the day and to the congregation's experience of worship. As the newest lectionary commentary, Connections is perfect for those who use and love Feasting on the Word. Connections is published in partnership with Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

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Reviews

"...a must-use resource for Lectionary Preachers" — Scot McKnight, Julius R. Mantey Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary

"Here is a resource that puts hundreds and hundreds of focused scholars in the preacher's study, ready to help shovel the diamonds of Scripture for the Sunday sermon. Every congregation in the country should buy their pastor a complete set, both for their own good and the good of the world." — Barbara Brown Taylor

"Given the deep crisis we face in church and in society, the recovery of the biblical text in all its glorious truth-telling is an urgent task for us preachers. For much too long the text has been neglected through complacency, timidity, and embarrassment. Now is the time of recovery of the test. There are few resources as useful for such a recovery as Connections. It is interpretive work done by our best interpreters, skilled in our best methods, grounded in deep faith, and linked to lived reality. This resource is an immense treasure that invites boldness and imagination in our shared work of proclamation." — Walter Brueggemann

"Connections takes the urgency of the contemporary moment as seriously as it takes Scripture. These essays clear the path from meaning to implication and help preachers unearth new dimensions of truth. As a preacher and teacher, I'm grateful for the way this commentary approaches Scripture as a symphony and gives us ears to hear how each verse contributes to the whole. I see Connections as a launching pad for those who want to understand the Word and live on it." — Donyelle McCray, Yale University Divinity School

"In a culture of do-it-yourself religion, we all need Connections! More than a commentary, Connections is a stimulating conversation among a diverse company of preachers, theologians, and biblical scholars. We are invited to listen in, as it were, to be enriched by the discussion, and then to continue the conversation in our own ministries of the Word. Once again, Westminster John Knox takes the lead by taking the Bible seriously. Word of God for the people of God: thanks be to God!" — Richard Lischer, Duke Divinity School

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General Editors

Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery is Dean of Duke University Chapel and Associate Professor of Homiletics at Duke Divinity School. He is the author of Spirit Speech: Lament and Celebration in Preaching, Dem Dry Bones: Preaching, Death, and Hope, and many other books. He is ordained clergy in the Progressive National Baptist Convention.

Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Rigby is the W. C. Brown Professor of Theology at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, Texas. Rigby is the author of more than thirty articles and book chapters. She is ordained clergy in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Rev. Dr. Joel B. Green is Provost, Dean of the School of Theology, and Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Fuller Theological Seminary. He has written and edited numerous books, including The Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, The Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics. He is ordained clergy in The United Methodist Church.

Rev. Dr. Thomas G. Long is the Bandy Professor of Preaching Emeritus at Candler Theological School, Emory University. He is a world-renowned preacher and was named by Time magazine as one of the most effective preachers in the English language. He has authored more than twenty books. He is ordained clergy in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Rev. Dr. Carolyn J. Sharp is Professor of Homiletics at Yale Divinity School. She has written and edited numerous books, including Irony and Meaning in the Hebrew Bible. She is an Episcopal priest.