Adventurous Lectionary – Tenth Sunday of Pentecost – July 28

July 22, 2024 By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost – July 28, 2024 2 Samuel 11:1-15 Psalm 14 Ephesians 3:14-21 John 6:1-21 This week’s passages encompass the polarities and ambiguities of life. They contrast the duplicity of the powerful with the generosity of the marginalized. They join themes involving the individual and communal, scarcity and abundance, and fallibility and grace. They are spiritual and also intensely political as they call us to go beyond self-interest to world loyalty and scarcity... Read more

Adventurous Lectionary – Ninth Sunday of Pentecost – July 21

July 13, 2024 By Bruce Epperly

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The Adventurous Lectionary – The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost – July 21, 2024 2 Samuel 7:1-14a Psalm 89:20-37 Ephesians 2:11-22 Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 God’s covenant embraces all of us, promising more than we can ask or imagine. How do we best align ourselves with God’s vision of abundant life for us and those we love? How do we open to the sacredness of the present moment and also for the long haul? How do we find peace and healing, calm... Read more

The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost – July 14, 2024

July 7, 2024 By Bruce Epperly

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The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost – July 14, 2024 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 Psalm 24 Ephesians 1;3-14 Mark 6:14-29 Growing up in the early 60’s, I remember tapping my feet to “Do You Want to Dance?” and “Twist and Shout.” Yesterday, as I was on holiday at Chautauqua, a ballet recital ended with “Dancing in the Streets.” Today’s readings query, do you want to dance with God? Does your congregation’s worship inspire passion and ecstasy? Do you come to worship expecting... Read more

Celebrating July Fourth and the Better Angels of Our Nature

July 4, 2024 By Bruce Epperly

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THE FOURTH OF JULY AND TURNING TO THE BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE “I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will... Read more

Adventurous Lectionary – Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

July 2, 2024 By Bruce Epperly

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The Adventurous Lectionary – The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost – July 7, 2024 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 Psalm 48 2 Corinthians 2:2-10 Mark 6:1-13 This week, I am focusing on the New Testament passages and their emphasis on the role of faith to transform our lives and enable us to face creatively even those realities that cannot be changed and, as activist Angela Davis asserts, change the realities we cannot accept. Limitation is the womb of possibility and divine healing... Read more

Adventurous Lectionary – Sixth Sunday after Pentecost – 6/30

June 23, 2024 By Bruce Epperly

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Sixth Sunday after Pentecost – June 30, 2024 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 Psalm 130 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 Mark 5:21-43 Today’s texts invite us to consider the universal need for healing. Healing takes many forms because our needs take many forms. We need healing of our experiences of loss and grief, of our sense of moral failure, greed, and brokenness of body, mind, spirit, and the healing relationships. We need social transformation and planetary healing and the healing of economic inequality.... Read more

Adventurous Lectionary – Fifth Sunday after Pentecost – 6/23

June 17, 2024 By Bruce Epperly

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The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost – June 23, 2024 I Samuel 17: 1a, 4-11, 19-23, 32-49 Psalm 9:9-20 II Corinthians 6:1-13 Mark 4:35-41 Today’s scriptures describe challenging life situations in which our abilities may not seem equal to the difficulties we face. They promise that divine resources will enable us to face what is beyond our abilities to confront alone. They don’t promise ease, but they do promise persistence and power, and a way made where we see no way... Read more

Adventurous Lectionary – Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

June 12, 2024 By Bruce Epperly

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The Fourth Sunday After Pentecost – June 16, 2024 I Samuel 15:34-16:13 Psalm 20 II Corinthians 5:6-10, 16-17 Mark 4:26-34 We walk by faith and not by sight. While this world is “real” and fraught with danger as well as filled with wonder, there is a movement beneath the surface and in each moment of experience that reveals a deeper dimension, the presence of God and the moral and spiritual arcs of history. Faith is a matter of perception and... Read more

Adventurous Lectionary Third Sunday after Pentecost – June 9

June 2, 2024 By Bruce Epperly

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The Adventurous Lectionary – The Third Sunday after Pentecost – June 9, 2024 I Samuel 8:4-20 Psalm 138 II Corinthians 4:13-5:1 Mark 3:20-35 Are there two realms, political and spirituality, communal and congregational, secular or Christian, or just one world embracing all creation in its many aspects. A study of church history and the relationship between Christianity and politics reveals a long-standing debate on this issue: theologians have argued about whether there are “two kingdoms,” operating by different values, the... Read more

Memorial Day and the Spirit of Sacrifice and Generosity

May 26, 2024 By Bruce Epperly

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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