I was raised in small town America, where Memorial Day meant parades, flag waving, flowers at the cemetery, and honoring of those who died in service to our nation. It was the Eisenhower era and we were patriotic, but not jingoistic. We loved our nation, but we recognized that others loved their nations as well. We waved the flag and affirmed that America was at its best when we worked together for a common cause that transcended our race and... Read more
Second Sunday after Pentecost – June 2, 2024 I Samuel 13:1-10; Psalm 139:1-6, 16-20; 2 Corinthians 4:5-12; Mark 2:23-3:6 Today’s scriptures focus on the interplay of theology, mysticism, and healing. Lived theology pushes us beyond rigid structures to alignment with the ever-living, ever moving God. Good theology involves listening for the voice of God and God’s varied movements within our lives. God is constantly speaking in our lives through insights, encounters, synchronous events, hunches, dreams, bursts of energy, and inspirational... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – Trinity Sunday – May 26, 2024 Isaiah 6:1-8 Psalm 29 Romans 8:12-17 John 3:1-17 This Sunday joins the unusual cocktail of Trinity Sunday and Memorial Day, and many pastors don’t know what to do with either. First, as it will be obvious in church attendance, May 26 is the eve of Memorial Day in the United States, and in many ways the unofficial beginning of summer. While pastors are not obligated to remember civil holidays or... Read more
Pentecost Sunday – May 19, 2024 Acts 2:1-21 Ezekiel 37:1-14 Psalm 104:24-34, 35b Romans 8:22-27 John 15:25-26, 16:4b-15 Get ready for a holy adventure! Get ready to enter the spiritual twilight zone, to join the mystics and go one step beyond into the paranormal. Not the supernatural, because the natural world is more amazing than we think! But into the restless and wondrous naturalistic spirit, inspiring all creation. Strap on your seat belt, put on your helmet, and get ready... Read more
The Seventh Sunday after Easter – May 12, 2024 Acts 1:15-17, 21-26; Psalm 1; I John 5:9-13; John 17:6-19 I grew up seeing the motto, “prayer changes things,” every time I opened the refrigerator door. I suppose my prayers were answered, because now over six decades later I am a healthy and robust member of the Medicare generation. Prayer makes a difference, so say some medical researchers, although the mechanics of prayer are beyond the scope of science. Still, in... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Sixth Sunday of Easter – May 5, 2024 Acts 10:44-48 Psalm 98 I John 5:1-6 John 15:9-17 I have to confess that when I read today’s readings, the first thing that came into my mind was the Led Zeppelin song, “Whole Lotta Love.” Love is the anthem and heart of today’s readings. God is love and God’s love invites us to love in action. Those who love go beyond the ego and its needs and... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary -The Fifth Sunday of Easter – April 28, 2024 Acts 8:26-40 Psalm 22:35-41 I John 4:7-21 John 15:1-8 Today’s passages join mysticism and theological reflection. They are a primer in theology and also inclusion. Creation abounds with revelation for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. All is miracle, as Walt Whitman claims, and miracles are built into the nature of things without having to resort supernatural intervention. Today’s scriptures are mystical, energetic, and... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Fourth Sunday of Easter – April 21, 2024 Acts 5:4-12 Psalm 23 I John 3:16-24 John 10:11-19 Often described as Good Shepherd Sunday, today’s readings cover the full gamut of theology, spirituality and ethics and serve as an appropriate prelude to the upcoming holy days of Earth Day (April 22) Arbor Day (April 26) and May Day, Beltane (May 1). We need theologies, spiritualities, and ethics that honor both heaven and earth, eternity and change,... Read more
The Third Sunday of Easter – April 14, 2024 Acts 3:12-19 Psalm 4 I John 3:1-7 Luke 24:36b-48 You can’t manage or control a resurrection. You can’t even fully understand it. You can’t put it into your normal understanding of reality. Like all mystical experiences, resurrection is always life-shattering and initially beyond belief. We can neither expect nor plan a resurrection. But, when it comes, we are amazed and transformed. Can we who have heard the resurrection stories countless times,... Read more
The Second Sunday of Easter Acts 4:32-35 Psalm 133 I John 1:1-2:2 John 20:19-31 Some Sundays the preacher receives too possibilities for preaching. There are so many entry points we don’t know where to start. Today’s scriptures have too much going on to cover in just one sermon. They could easily be part of a sermon series on practices of Easter. Or, if you want to deviate from the lectionary, as I have occasionally done with this scripture, you can... Read more
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