Reader Recommendation: A Lover’s Quarrel
Recommended by: The Proclamation Project
Why it might be helpful: Eric C. Smith is Associate Professor of Early Christian Texts and Traditions at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado and is ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). His weekly posts on Substack (which can be read or listened to) provide a brief and insightful look at the Revised Common Lectionary texts for the upcoming Sunday.

A Lover’s Quarrel offers Disciples preachers a reliable weekly companion for lectionary preparation. Each post engages the upcoming Revised Common Lectionary texts with the perspective of a New Testament scholar who is also a Disciple — someone who understands both the critical questions the texts raise and what it means to preach them to a congregation shaped by Disciples theology and practice. The posts are concise enough to read in a sitting and substantive enough to open up genuine interpretive possibilities.

The title captures the spirit of the work: these are not merely academic treatments but expressions of genuine, sometimes wrestling, engagement with scripture. Smith brings intellectual rigor and pastoral instinct together in a format designed for the working preacher — published weekly, available for free, and accessible in audio form for those who prefer to listen.

Check it out

You might also find helpful:

• Textweek — A comprehensive weekly lectionary resource for preachers and worship planners, curated by and for Disciples of Christ preachers.
• Zeteo Search — A search engine for preachers and worship planners with access to over 100 online preaching and biblical study resources.
• Evangelio (from Working Preacher) — Weekly lectionary commentary in Spanish from the Revised Common Lectionary.
• enfleshed — Weekly lectionary material centering BIPOC, Queer, and Trans perspectives for preachers and worship planners.

Reader Recommendations are submitted by Disciples preachers and are not created or fully reviewed by the Proclamation Project.