The Adventurous Lectionary – Seventh Sunday after Pentecost – July 24, 2022

Last updated on: July 17, 2022 at 9:04 am By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – Seventh Sunday after Pentecost – July 24, 2022 Hosea 1:2-10 Psalm 85 Colossians 2:6-19 Luke 11:1-19 Today’s readings are challenging. Though their ultimate message describes divine generosity and recovery, they are wrapped in difficult language, especially the words from Hosea and Psalm 85, both of which describe God’s behavior in problematic imagery for those who believe God’s nature to be defined by love not vengeance. There is an ethical calculus in the universe: though injustice often... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Sixth Sunday after Pentecost – July 17, 2020

Last updated on: July 11, 2022 at 6:57 pm By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost – July 17, 2022 Amos 8:1-12, Psalm 52, Colossians 1:15-28, Luke 10:38-42 I believe that God joins the Infinite and Intimate, the Everlasting and the Everchanging. God’s eye is on the sparrow, and also the formation of galaxies. Each moment is holy, and each moment is also part of the vast expanse of universal history. Holistic spirituality embraces both the grandeur and the finitude of life. As Psalm 8 says, we... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Fifth Sunday After Pentecost – July 10, 2022

Last updated on: July 4, 2022 at 12:53 pm By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Fifth Sunday After Pentecost – July 10, 2022 Amos 7:7-17 Psalm 82 Colossians 1:1-14 Luke 10:25-37 Today’s readings are timely. The last month has turned our nation upside down. The Supreme Court has privileged gun rights over safety, power company rights over planetary survival, conservative Christian exceptionalism over religious pluralism, and devalued women to uplift the status of fetuses. The would-be dictator has been shown to be naked and yet he and his minions continue... Read more

Celebrating the Fourth of July in a Time of National Soul Sickness

Last updated on: July 3, 2022 at 6:17 pm By Bruce Epperly

I must confess that the Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. From my childhood, I have loved parades, outdoor grills, and fireworks. I never miss watching the Fourth of July Concert on the Capitol Mall on PBS. I love the marching bands and music of the day – “The Star Spangled Banner,” “God Bless America,” “America the Beautiful,” and anything by John Philip Souza. I’m a small town boy at heart, and remember bicycle parades and homemade... Read more

Adventurous Lectionary – Fourth Sunday after Pentecost – July 3, 2022

Last updated on: June 26, 2022 at 6:10 pm By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary -The Fourth Sunday in Pentecost – July 3, 2022 2 Kings 5:1-14 Psalm 30 Galatians 6:7-16 Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 As I write these words, I have just heard the news that the Supreme Court has struck down Roe v. Wade. This is a tragic day for the United States, following another sad day in which the Supreme Court struck down New York gun laws. I am angry, but as Harry Emerson Fosdick says, “save us from weak... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Third Sunday after Pentecost – June 26, 2022

Last updated on: June 21, 2022 at 7:02 am By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Third Sunday of Pentecost – June 26, 2022 During the Pentecost season, mysticism inspires mission. God is real, speaks to us, shapes our experiences, and invites us to join in unity with all creation. Even when God appears absent, we call out to God, knowing beneath the shadows, there is light. Pentecost invites progressives and mainstream Christians to join analysis and rationality with mysticism and poetry. To look beyond the appearances of persons and things... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Second Sunday of Pentecost – June 19, 2022

Last updated on: June 12, 2022 at 7:56 pm By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Second Sunday after Pentecost – June 19, 2022 I Kings 19:1-15a Psalm 22:19-28 Galatians 3:23-29 Luke 8:26-39 The great religious traditions begin with mystical experiences, and are sustained through an ongoing commitment to spiritual practices. Persons encounter God and then are given a mission. Encounters with God challenge us to action. Mysticism inspire mission, and the confrontation with injustice. The Old Testament/Hebraic and Gospel readings introduce us to the paranormal. Fleeing the wrath of Queen... Read more

Adventurous Lectionary – Trinity Sunday – June 12, 2022

Last updated on: June 3, 2022 at 7:00 pm By Bruce Epperly

Trinity Sunday – June 12, 2022 Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15 Following the radical amazement inspired by Pentecost, we move from the Spirit to the celebration of God in all God’s wondrous diversity and presence. God is the transformative one and many, that gives life, inspires, and saves all creation. God is one: Christianity is a monotheistic religion. In fact, most progressive Christians and process theologians focus on the wholeness of God, and minimize the Spirit... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost Sunday

Last updated on: May 29, 2022 at 4:42 pm By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost Sunday – June 9, 2019 Acts 2:1-21 Psalm 104:24-34, 35b Romans 8:14-17 John 14:8-17 (25-27) Pentecost is a day of celebration. A day that transcends division and binary thinking. A day that affirms E Pluribus Unum, from many one, and challenges us to embrace the Spirit’s unity in a world of diversity, honoring both unity and plurality, and oneness without uniformity. A mighty wind has blown, fires descend, voices cry out, and ears hear the... Read more

In the Shadow of Mass Shootings: Memorial Day and the Spirit of Sacrifice

Last updated on: May 28, 2022 at 11:14 am By Bruce Epperly

This year, I feel grief and anger as we celebrate USA Memorial Day. I feel grief over two mass shootings, fully preventable, in the past two weeks; our nation’s gun lust that puts gun ownership ahead of the common good and the safety of children; and the idolatrous connection of God and guns in some religious communities. I will miss General Colin Powell at the PBS Memorial Day Concert. Lest you challenge my patriotism and love of nation, I was... Read more