Adventurous Lectionary – Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost – November 13, 2022

November 6, 2022 By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – November 13, 2022 – Pentecost 23 Isaiah 65:17-25, Malachi 4:1-2a, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13, Luke 21:5-19 Today’s readings join joy and novelty with admonition and concern. We dream of a new creation, and yet still must deal with sin on the individual and social basis. Isaiah presents a utopian vision, a new world brought about through divine providence; the Psalmist is taking a victory lap, praising God for God’s providential care; Thessalonians counsels faith accompanied by works... Read more

Adventurous Lectionary – The Twenty Second Sunday After Pentecost – November 6, 2022

October 30, 2022 By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost – November 6, 2022 Haggai 1:15b-2:9 Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17 Luke 20:27-38 How do you respond to an irrelevant, gotcha, question? How do you respond to someone who simply wants to make a point, sound and fury signifying nothing except ill will – like many Facebook memes? The sort of questions we hear in news conferences or political debates? Do you avoid the question altogether or transform an irrelevant... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost – October 30, 2022

October 23, 2022 By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost – October 30, 2022 Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4; Psalm 119:137-144, II Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12; Luke 19:1-10 This week is full of possibilities: we have Halloween and Reformation Sunday on October 31, All Saints on November 1, and All Souls on November 2. And then there is the election on November 8, where race and nationalism, the idolatry of ethnicity and nation, are on the ballot. We are challenged to ponder issues of life... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost – October 23, 2022

October 18, 2022 By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost – October 30, 2022 Joel 2:22-32; Psalm 65; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14 God have mercy! This is the beginning and end of the spiritual journey. It especially seems so as the are on important days in the life of the nation and the religious year: Election Day, Halloween and All Saints, and Reformation Day are all within two weeks. As privileged Americans, Jesus’ parable awakens us to our need... Read more

Adventurous Lectionary – The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost – October 16, 2022

October 14, 2022 By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – October 16, 2022 – The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost Jeremiah 31:27-34; Psalm 119:97-14; 2 Timothy 3:15-4:5; Luke 18:1-8. Our relationship with God is filled with contrasts. While God is present in every situation, the unfolding of life, our own and our institutional and national life, involves interplay of order and chaos, providence and agency, and alignment with divinity and turning toward self-interest. While ultimately God’s moral arc will prevail in the historical adventure, in the meantime... Read more

Adventurous Lectionary – Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost – October 9, 2022

October 2, 2022 By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – October 9, 2002– The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c, Psalm 111, 2 Timothy 2:8-15, Luke 17:11-19 Healing was at the heart of Jesus’ ministry and is the calling of Jesus’ followers. Jesus healed persons, body, mind, spirit, and relationships. His healings transformed cells, souls, and social location. Illness separates and changes our social and religious position: we are seen as outsiders and, in the case of Jesus’ time, ostracized and suspected of having... Read more

Adventurous Lectionary – Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost – October 2, 2022

September 25, 2022 By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost – October 2, 2022 Lamentations 1:1-6, Lamentations 3:19-26, Psalm 137, 2 Timothy 1:1-14, Luke 17:5-10 At the heart of this Sunday’s readings is the affirmation from Lamentations 3: “God’s mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is God’s faithfulness.” According to the unknown author of Lamentations, God is faithful despite life’s challenges. While today, many people want experiential religion and instant mysticism through micro doses of psychedelics... Read more

Adventurous Lectionary – Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 25, 2022

September 19, 2022 By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 25, 2022 Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15, Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16, 1 Timothy 6:6-19 , Luke 16:19-31 Today’s readings could be described by the South African phrase, “ubuntu” or “I am because of you” or “we are because of one another.” In the context of rising social, economic, and racial divisions, and the normalization of hate speech by political leaders and heartlessness in governmental decision-making, ubuntu proclaims the essential unity of life and... Read more

Adventurous Lectionary – Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 18, 2022

September 11, 2022 By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 18, 2022 Jeremiah 8:18-9:1, Psalm 79:1-9, 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Luke 16:1-13 If you’re looking for a good time from the pulpit, you may want to stay home and go for a hike or watch football this Sunday or opt out of preaching. At first glance, there may be a lot of adventure but there is not a lot of joy in this Sunday’s lectionary readings. The scriptures seem appropriate... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary -The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 11, 2022

September 4, 2022 By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary -The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 11, 2022 Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28 Psalm 14 I Timothy 1:12-17 Luke 15:1-10 Today’s readings speak of sin and salvation, and being lost and finding your way home. They join institutional injustice and idolatry, the healing of persons and nations. Nations as well as persons can be lost and ours is a time of directionless and chaotic political leadership and polarization in the body politic, of rising fascism and white nationalism,... Read more