Adventurous Lectionary – Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany – January 30, 2022

January 21, 2022 By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany – January 30, 2022 Jeremiah 1:4-10 Psalm 71:1-6 I Corinthians 13:1-13 Luke 4:21-30 Today’s readings present numerous and almost overwhelming possibilities for the adventurous preacher. These readings are a goldmine for theological reflection and practical application, not to mention the possibilities to reflect on mysticism and spiritual practice. We have the great love chapter from Corinthians, with its integration of sacrificial love with an undercurrent of creative agnosticism as essential… Read more

Adventurous Lectionary – Third Sunday after the Epiphany – January 23, 2022

January 15, 2022 By Bruce Epperly

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The Third Sunday after the Epiphany – January 23, 2022 Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 Psalm 19 I Corinthians 12:12b-31 Mark 4:14-21 Epiphany is the season of divine inspiration – in scripture, in the heavens and the non-human world, in our personal gifts, and in the life of the church. Epiphany stretches revelation beyond the church building and Christianity to embrace the Whole Earth. Revelation is relational and not just private. Though we may experience God’s presence in the depths of… Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Second Sunday of Epiphany – January 16, 2022

January 7, 2022 By Bruce Epperly

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The Adventurous Lectionary -The Second Sunday of Epiphany – January 16, 2022 Isaiah 62:1-5 Psalm 36:5-10 I Corinthians 12:1-11 John 2:1-11 Epiphany is the season of illumination and vocation. Revelation leads to gift-giving and the discovery of our gifts as God’s companions in healing the earth. The season of Epiphany begins with celebrating the gifts of the magi, continues with God’s gift of grace, affirmed through Jesus’ baptism, and focuses this Second Sunday of Epiphany on God’s vocational gifts bestowed… Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Baptism of Jesus – January 9, 2022

January 2, 2022 By Bruce Epperly

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The Adventurous Lectionary – The Baptism of Jesus – January 9, 2022 Isaiah 43:1-7 Psalm 29 Acts 8:14-27 Luke 3:15-17, 21-26 This first Sunday of Epiphany, the Baptism of Jesus, reminds us to remember our baptisms. The scriptures delight in water images and see water as a manifestation of divine presence. Water gives life both physically and spiritually and while baptism is a visible sign of God’s grace, it also points beyond itself to the universality of divine love. God’s… Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Feast of Epiphany/Epiphany Sunday – January 6 or 9, 2022

January 1, 2022 By Bruce Epperly

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The Adventurous Lectionary – The Feast of Epiphany/Epiphany Sunday – January 6, 2022 or January 9, 2022 Matthew 2:1-15 Pilgrimages take many forms. They can take you to Via Santiago, Mecca, Iona, or you can take a pilgrimage without leaving town. We need to move spiritually and sometimes physically in order to align ourselves with God’s moral arc. As Augustine says, it will be solved in the walking, and when we walk in faith our world expands and we see… Read more

Adventurous Lectionary: The First Sunday after Christmas – December 26, 2021

December 17, 2021 By Bruce Epperly

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The Adventurous Lectionary – The First Sunday after Christmas Day – December 26, 2021 I Samuel 2:18-20, 26 Psalm 148 Colossians 3:12-17 Luke 2:41-52 The day after Christmas – low Sunday – is often a time for pastors to slip away from their pulpits or push the easy button and have a carol sing. All these are good ideas, and pastors need a little Miller Time after the Covid Christmas slam! But today’s scriptures raise important issues Christologically, cosmically, and… Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Fourth Sunday of Advent – December 19, 2021

December 10, 2021 By Bruce Epperly

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The Adventurous Lectionary – Fourth Sunday of Advent – December 19, 2021 Micah 5:2-5a, Psalm 80:1-7, Hebrews 10:5-10, Luke 1:39-55 Christmas is on the horizon, less than a week away, and today’s scriptures may be lost amid the merriment as well as the Christmas pageants, often scheduled the week before Christmas. There is hope on the horizon and this hope is especially powerful among those who are oppressed, grieving, or living in uncertainty as they look toward the future. We… Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Third Sunday of Advent – December 12, 2021

December 3, 2021 By Bruce Epperly

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The Adventurous Lectionary – The Third Sunday of Advent – December 12, 2021 Zephaniah 3:14-20 Isaiah 12:2-6 Philippians 4:4-7 Luke 3:7-18 This Sunday we celebrate joy and transformation. We light the third Advent Candle and celebrate the joy of relationship with God, each other, and the wonder of creation. Yet, this joy must come in the waiting. A precursor to joy is creative transformation, changing our paths, and opening to God’s wider vision, taking us out of ourselves to care… Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Second Sunday of Advent – December 5, 2021

November 28, 2021 By Bruce Epperly

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The Adventurous Lectionary – The Second Sunday of Advent – December 5, 2021 Malachi 3:1-4 Luke 1:68-79 Philippians 1:3-11 Luke 3:1-6 Advent is a time of prophetic restlessness. For seeing the contrast between the world as it is and the world that could be if we join in God’s vision of Shalom. In Advent, we are not only restless in anticipation of the Christmas holiday. We are also restless as we look at the world and national stage, and our… Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The First Sunday in Advent – November 28, 2021

November 20, 2021 By Bruce Epperly

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The Adventurous Lectionary – The First Sunday in Advent – November 29, 2011 Jeremiah 33:14-16 Psalm 25:1-10 I Thessalonians 3:9-13 Luke 21:25-36 How do we feel as we look toward the future? Do we see continuity or discontinuity? Do we expect gradual evolution or cataclysmic change? Is the future filled with hope and fear, or a mixture? Will our galaxy – and planet – collapse when Andromeda galaxy and the Milky Way collide? Is there truth in the constant re-dating… Read more

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