The Adventurous Lectionary -The Second Sunday of Epiphany – January 20, 2019 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 Sunday on God’s vocational gifts bestowed on each person… Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – January 13, 2019– The Baptism of Jesus Isaiah 43:1-7 Psalm 29 Acts 8:14-27 Luke 3:15-17, 21-26 In the liturgical calendar, the Baptism of Jesus reminds us to remember our baptisms. 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 word to God’s beloved Jesus is addressed to every child. There is no “double predestination,” no one… Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Epiphany Sunday – January 3, 2016 Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:17, 10-14; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-15 Epiphany is the season of revealing, of God reaching out to humankind and humankind awakening to God’s initiative. Epiphany pushes us beyond the boundaries of religion, race, and revelation. Non-Christians as well as Christians encounter God. Even non-believers – agnostics and atheists – may awaken to divine revelation. In Christ, there is neither male or female, Jew or Greek, Christian or… Read more

Just a few days after the celebration of Christmas, the light of Bethlehem is eclipsed and the dark shadows of life return to the stories of young Jesus. Tucked between Christmas Day and the Feast of Epiphany (January 6), the Massacre of Infants/Innocents or Slaughter of Innocents is remembered. In the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopalian and other Protestant traditions, this tragic moment in the biblical story is recalled on December 28; the Orthodox tradition sets aside December 29 as a… Read more

Writing a book often elicits unexpected comments. One of my recent books is entitled THE MYSTIC IN YOU: DISCOVERING A GOD-FILLED WORLD. I realize that’s a big claim, that everyone has a mystic sense. Folks I know protest, “Me, a mystic? I don’t spend a lot of time praying and haven’t had any dramatic encounters with God. Religion isn’t even that important to me.” I always agree with such confessions, but then add, based on my own theological perspective, that… Read more

It was just a few days before Christmas, when they came to the church door. Joseph and Diane. A couple down on their luck. To prove he was worthy of our church’s support, Joseph told me their story. He had been a carpenter but was between jobs. They had just been told to leave the boarding house where they were staying, and because Joseph and Diane’s father were odds with one another, they couldn’t return home to Falmouth. They’d struggled… Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The First Sunday after Christmas Day – December 30, 2018 I Samuel 2:18-20, 26 Psalm 148 Colossians 3:12-17 Luke 2:41-52 This Sunday the key words are found in the descriptions of Jesus’ “growing in wisdom and stature.” As Christ’s followers, these words are also addressed to us. We too need to grow larger more inclusive selves to more fully follow Jesus. We need to remember, as Iranaeus asserted, “the glory of God is a fully alive… Read more

For many years, I have taught courses in seminary and church on the healings of Jesus. At some point in the courses, the question of suffering and God’s limits to respond to pain and death arises. Often my students, including sophisticated pastors and seminarians, stumble over the issue of divine power. For some, the idea that God cannot cure cancer or heart disease is an anathema. I am bounding on heresy when I speak about multi-factorial causes that appear to… Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Fourth Sunday of Advent – December 23, 2018 Matthew 5:2-52, Psalm 80:1-7, Hebrews 10:5-10, Luke 1:39-55 Christmas is on the horizon, 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 experience hope that injustice will… Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Third Sunday of Advent – December 16, 2018 Zephaniah 3:14-20 Isaiah 12:2-6 Philippians 4:4-7 Luke 3:7-18 This Sunday we celebrate joy. We light the third, pink 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. The joy we seek is not born of immediate gratification, but the ongoing encounter with an intimate God who has plans for us –… Read more