The Nineteenth Sunday After Pentecost  — October 7, 2012 Job 1:1; 2:1-10; Psalm 26; Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12; Mark 10:2-16 Preaching at its best involves sharing provocative possibilities for congregational and personal transformation.  Good sermons always involve considering “impossible things,” and these provocative propositions – somewhat askew and counter with reality as we know it  – are what drives humankind forward on its holy adventure.  Facts won’t save us; but imagination holds the key to healing the earth and our personal woundedness.  Our healing comes... Read more

Lectionary Reflections for Sunday, September 30, 2012 Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22; Psalm 124; James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-50 Today’s readings focus on healing and protection.  Neither of these entirely comes from God, but involve our agency as well as divine creativity and care. Left to its own devices and apart from context, the reading from Esther is confusing.  It needs history and context, a narrative to make sense of this “profile in courage.”  Put briefly, known for her beauty, Esther catches the eye of... Read more

Lectionary Reflections for Sunday, September 30, 2012 Proverbs 31:10-31; Psalm 1; James 3:13-4:3, 7-a; Mark 9:30-37 One of my approaches to the lectionary is to counsel preachers that “if you read a passage, and it’s challenging, you need to include the passage in your sermon.”  Too often, troubling passages – or simply unusual passages – are read in church without any commentary, critique, or tie in with the other lectionary readings.  Proverbs 31 is one such passage that may sound strange to congregants... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 16, 2012 Proverbs 1:20-33 Psalm 19 James 3:1-12 Mark 8:27-38 Wisdom speaks, but is anyone listening?  Wisdom cries out hoping for a response, but does anyone care?  The whole universe is speaking forth the glory of God and the wisdom of divine creativity, but we are too busy to notice.  Day after day, wisdom speaks through sunrises, bird songs, human voices, and synchronous encounters, but we seldom listen.  The... Read more

Lectionary  Reflections for September 9, 2012 Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23; Psalm 125; James 2:1-10, 14-17; Mark 7:24-27 Today’s lectionary readings break down the barriers of rich and poor, insider and outsider, and body and spirit.  The quest for healing and wholeness embraces all of life, and healing in one place contributes to healing in other places.  We cannot separate injustice from physical distress or racism from infant mortality rates and accessibility to health care and healthy diet.  The church’s healing ministry must take on... Read more

Lectionary Reflections for September 2, 1012 Song of Solomon 2:8-13; Psalm 45:1-2, 6-7; James 1:17-27; Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Faith is a matter of head, heart, and hands.  Faith without works is useless, so says the author of the Epistle of James.  Theology that can’t be practiced is irrelevant – a noisy gong or a clanging symbol.  Action without reflection or divorced from values and vision is ultimately aimless and destruction, and certainly self-serving.  Holistic theology embraces the wisdom of embodiment and integrates... Read more

Lectionary Reflections for Sunday, August 26, 2012 1 Kings 8:22-30, 41-43; Psalm 84; Ephesians 6:10-20; John 6:56-69 Spirituality involves holy space and holy time.  As the grandparent of a two year old, I constantly observe my toddler grandchild alternating between order and novelty.  On the one hand, he is constantly growing, and nothing is safe as he explores everything within reach.  Each day is filled with surprise and adventure.  His learning curve is immense and constantly growing.  On the other hand, he also... Read more

Lectionary Reflections for August 19, 2012 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14; Psalm 111; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58 In Jesus’ encounter with sight-impaired Bartimaeus, the Healer asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51)  To a man who had been paralyzed nearly four decades, Jesus inquires “Do you want to be made well?” (John 5:6)  These encounters suggest that God is not coercive or unilateral in God’s relationship with us.  Rather, God always seeks our abundant life and honors our creativity... Read more

Lectionary Reflections for August 12, 2012 1 Kings 19:4-8; Psalm 34:1-8; Ephesians 4:25-5:2; John 6:35, 41-51 Today’s readings constellate around the themes of nurture and community.  We need spiritual soul food not superficial fast food.  We need the bread of heaven, embodied in earthly relationships; not spiritual quick fixes and easy answers.  We feast on the Spirit when we see God in all things and all things in God. 1 Kings describes Elijah fleeing for his life.  After hearing of his triumph and... Read more

Let everything that breathes praise God. (Psalm 150:6)   Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps…. Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds. (Psalm 148:7, 10)    And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And God saw that it was good.  (Genesis 1:24, 25b)   When students are taught they are no... Read more