Lectionary Reflections for May 4, 2014 Luke 24:13-35 Easter is about embodied movement. Resurrection moved the cells as well as the soul of Jesus, and the cells and souls of his followers. Resurrection still gets us out of our comfort zones and calls us to the open road, spiritually, ethically, and sometimes physically. I love to walk. Each morning, and virtually every day of the year, I walk from the church I pastor, South Congregational Church, in Centerville, MA, to... Read more
Lectionary Reflections for the Second Sunday of Easter April 27 2014 John 20:19-31 And Jesus breathed on them, and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This is something we want to hear personally and in our churches. The Spirit blows where it wills and wherever it blows, it brings new life and vitality. We need that spirit-filled experience just as those women and men gathered in an upper room needed not only to hear that Jesus was risen, but rise themselves... Read more
There is no getting around Easter if you belong to the Jesus movement. Jesus’ first followers were transformed by their encounters with the Risen Christ. Once fearful, they became courageous; once uncertain, they became confident in that Jesus was unique, the savior of humankind, victorious over sickness, sin, and death. The power of the resurrection to transform lives can’t be denied by any honest observer. For two thousand years, the amazing power of Jesus’ resurrection has brought healing and wholeness... Read more
During Holy Week, most of us focus on the palms, the passion, and the resurrection. The movement from celebrate to desolation and surprising celebration again characterizes not only Holy Week but the realities of a meaningful life. We can’t escape suffering but our suffering is often transformed into joy by surprising events or unexpected insights and experiences. In the shadow of loss, the light of new birth often emerges. For many Protestants – but also for Roman Catholic and Orthodox... Read more
Holy Week is a lifetime in miniature. 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. We almost need a month to let the events of Holy Week sink in spiritually and emotionally. When everything seems to be going well in your life, out of the blue, you or a loved one receives the diagnosis of a... Read more
Lectionary Reflections for Palm Sunday April 13, 2014 Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 Philippians 2:5-11 Matthew 21:1-11 This year, we’re celebrating Palm Sunday at my church, South Congregational (UCC) in Centerville, MA, on Cape Cod. No passion readings; just celebration with a hint of what is to come later in the week with the final hymn, “Were You There?” The power of celebration during Holy Week has been underestimated. We need the waving palms, the “hosanna” shouts, and the joyful crowd to... Read more
I read Alister McGrath’s If I Had Lunch with C.S. Lewis (now featured in the Patheos Book Club) in light of the current religious and cultural polarization of our time. The United Methodist Church is conducting trials to discipline pastors who perform same sex marriages. Religious leaders protest the showing of the film Noah because they believe entertainment should never veer from literalistic interpretations of scripture, even if the scriptures describe God as violent and vindictive. World Vision sets off a... Read more
A number of years ago, in the course of teaching a class in Wesley Theological Seminary’s Lay School, I discovered that virtually all my students had experience in various forms of complementary and global medicine and none of them had shared this with her or his pastor. These were not back row Christians but moderators, parish caregivers, and church school teachers. This experience inspired me to write Reiki Healing Touch and the Way of Jesus as a way of introducing... Read more
Lectionary Reflections for the Fourth Sunday in Lent – March 30, 2014 I Samuel 16:1-13 Psalm 23 Ephesians 5:8-14 John 9:1-41 Today’s scriptures speak of light and darkness, and sight and blindness. They are metaphorical in nature, and must be understood in terms of the full humanity of persons of color and sight-impaired people. Darkness is not synonymous with evil: it is also the place of growth and gestation. Too often we have universalized spiritual states to the detriment of... Read more
Steve Berger, pastor and author of the new book Between Heaven and Earth, is heaven-obsessed. In light of his own family’s tragedies and the imperfections of human life, he sees heaven as his true home and the hope of heaven shapes his every decision. For Berger, the hope of heaven gives him a larger perspective. The challenges and ambitions of this lifetime are penultimate, and pale in comparison to our heavenly destiny, yet are part of our heavenly destiny inspiring us... Read more
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