March 28, 2024

Good Friday Script The Seven Last Words of Christ? Only a Suffering God can Save As far as memory reaches, I remember the songs of the cross, “The Old Rugged Cross,” “How Great Thou Art,” “Are You Washed in the Blood,” and “It is Well with My Soul.” But, one stands out, the African American spiritual, “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord.”  As the song goes, “sometimes I causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble,” when I ponder the... Read more

March 27, 2024

What do you do with Good Friday and the Cross when you’ve abandoned the centrality of the doctrines of substitutionary atonement and the divine necessity of Jesus’ death? Like many progressive Christians, I grew up hearing the mantras “Jesus died for our sins,” “Jesus died so that we might have eternal life and escape God’s wrath,” “Jesus paid the price for our salvation,” and “sin deserves death and Jesus stood in our place.” Recently, I saw a billboard with the... Read more

March 25, 2024

The Adventurous Lectionary – Easter Sunday – March 31, 2024 Acts 10:34-43 Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 I Corinthians 15:19-26 John 20:1-18 and Mark 16:1-8 Every day, I wake up with the affirmation, “This is the day that God has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!” I rejoice and give thanks that I am alive, grateful, and open to unheard of possibilities. What new and glorious thing will God do in this unrepeatable day. I am “woke” to wonder... Read more

March 21, 2024

Holy Week is a lifetime in miniature.  All the seasons of life – indeed, the hopes and fears of all the years – are found in the adventures of Holy Week. It goes from celebration to conflict, betrayal, suspense, and then back to a celebration that lasts a lifetime.  As the commercial says, “life comes at you fast,” and so does Holy Week. Like Christian, a lifetime experience is compressed into a brief capsule.  We almost need a month to... Read more

March 17, 2024

The Adventurous Lectionary – Palm and Passion Sunday – March 24, 2024 Mark 11:1-11 Philippians 2:5-11 Mark 14:1-15:47 (or 15:1-47) This year, it feels like we have been in Jerusalem during Holy Week.  We hear the bombs falling in Gaza and feel the grief of Palestinians and Israelis for the atrocities sanctioned by both sides’ leadership, we struggle with the continuing Russian attacks on Ukraine sovereignty, we overhear presidential candidates speaking positively about Hitler and Putin and mesmerizing the majority... Read more

March 10, 2024

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Fifth Sunday in Lent – March 17, 2024 Jeremiah 31:31-34 Psalm 51:1-12 Hebrews 5:5-10 John 12:20-33 As we lean toward Holy Week, we are confronted by questions of law, grace, and mercy. What is it like to have God’s law written on our hearts? What would it be like to have God’s presence as near as our heartbeat? For most of us, there is a gap between God’s vision and our behaviors and attitudes. The... Read more

March 3, 2024

Adventurous Lectionary – The Fourth Sunday in Lent – March 10, 2024 Numbers 21:4-9 Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 Ephesians 2:1-10 John 3:14-21 What is God like? What is God’s character? Is God for us or against us? Is God primarily punitive or graceful in nature? Can we trust God’s love or is there a “hidden” violent side to God, inspiring fear and not companionship? The readings for March 10 describe an ambiguity in divinity. Though they speak of divine rescue and... Read more

February 25, 2024

The Adventurous Lectionary -The Third Sunday in Lent – March 3, 2024 Exodus 20:1-17 Psalm 19 I Corinthians 1:18-25 John 2:13-22 Today’s readings focus on interdependent and potentially supportive relationships, with God, humankind, and the non-human world. Faith and ethics are built into the nature of things. The heavens declare God’s glory and God’s law is implanted in our hearts and communities. The readings embody a holistic faith that takes us beyond personal and individual piety in joining theology, ethics,... Read more

February 18, 2024

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Second Sunday in Lent – February 25, 2024 Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 Psalm 22:23-31 Romans 4:13-25 Mark 8:31-38 Lent is a time of spiritual reflection and growth.  We face our temptations, recognize our weaknesses, and discover God in the wilderness of our lives. One of my favorite theological statements comes from First/Old Testament scholar and theologian Terry Fretheim who stated that it is more important to ask, “What kind of God do you believe in than... Read more

February 12, 2024

Ash Wednesday is on the horizon.  The Season of Lent is upon us. In just a few days, we will gather to place ashes on congregants’ foreheads and embark on the Lenten journey. Lent, Holy Week, Advent, and Christmas are the most challenging seasons of the Christian year for spiritual leaders. During Lent, pastors usually have at least one more service or program each week and often spend extra time visiting shut-ins and giving home communions. We plan extra activities... Read more


Browse Our Archives