The Adventurous Lectionary – The Fourth Sunday in Lent – March 31, 2019 Joshua 5:9-12 Psalm 32 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 Lent is about simplification, confession, and transformation. It is personal but also communal and global. That we can embark on simplicity and confession – and turn around toward new paths – is grounded in the unconditional love of God and the challenges of accepting the “unworthy” – those whom we find unworthy (the Putins, Trumps, and white... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Third Sunday in Lent – March 20, 2022 Isaiah 55:1-9 Psalm 63:1-8 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Luke 13:1-9 Today’s readings join grace, challenge, and hope. Three readings mention thirst or water. God is graceful providing us with physical and spiritual nurture. Living waters and the bread of life are available from God without our efforts. What we need is already around and within us in this Holy Here and Now. Yet, we often – like the... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Second Sunday in Lent – March 13, 2022 Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 Psalm 27 Philippians 3:17-4:1 Luke 13:31-35 Today’s readings join hope, fear, and faith. Most of us have been unsettled by the “breaking news” of the Ukraine invasion and Russian aggression, not to mention political incivility, the news from the January 6 commission, and the assaults on democracy and human rights in the USA. We also are anxious about our modest response – and in... Read more
Lent is the season of sacrifice. The season in which we let go of what stands in the way of the fullness of life and a vital and transformative experience of the Holy. Lent reminds us that we can choose sacrifice for the greater good and that in the choosing, we will experience abundant life and solidarity with creation and our human companions. Our choice to sacrifice ironically expands our hearts, minds, and spirits, enabling us to grow in wisdom,... Read more
Ash Wednesday is a day of contrasts – mortality and grace, confession and transformation, death and eternal life, sacrifice and beauty. Not an abstract religious holy day, Ash Wednesday reflects the concrete realities of our personal, political, and relational lives. Ash Wednesday awakens us to our common humanity as dusty and fallible creatures, in need of grace, repentance, and transformation. Life is beautiful, but often too short. This should be apparent to any member of the Medicare generation as well... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The First Sunday in Lent – March 6, 2022 Deuteronomy 26:1-11 Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16 Romans 10:8b-13 Luke 4:1-13 Today’s readings speak of divine deliverance amid the personal and political challenges of life. As I write this morning, the news that Russia is bombing Ukraine in preparation for an invasion is headline news. I wonder how these passages, describing God’s deliverance of Israel would be read. Would they provoke disbelief or inspire solace and strength? The chapters... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – Transfiguration of Jesus – February 27, 2022 Exodus 34:29-34 Psalm 99 2 Corinthians 3:14-4:2 Luke 9:28-43a If only the doors of perception were cleansed, we would see the infinity of all things, so wrote William Blake. Transfiguration Sunday describes the presence of the Infinite in the finite. The mood is mystical, but far from other worldly. Encountering God may be ecstatic, but it also drives us back into the world. Moments of wonder eventuate in moments... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany – February 6, 2022 Isaiah 6:1-8, Psalm 138, I Corinthians 15:1-11, Luke 5:1-11 Get ready for a wild ride! Strap on your seat belts and put on your helmet! We’re entering the amazing realm of the Twilight Zone, Narnia, the Lord of the Rings, and Hogwarts, an enchanted world, wild and wonderful, where mysticism and miracle, signs and wonders, where God shows up and turns our world upside down. Where... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Sixth Sunday after Epiphany – February 17, 2019 Jeremiah 17:5-10; Psalm 1; I Corinthians 15:12-20; Luke 6:17-26 Today’s readings are about relationships, finite and infinite. The Infinite gives birth, guidance, and hope to the finite. The whole earth is full of God’s glory and all creatures are words of God. There is a Gentle Providence, quietly arcing through our lives, reminding us that we are all in this together. We are the beneficiaries of gifts... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In
Adventurous Lectionary – Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany – February 20, 2022
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany – February 20, 2022 Genesis 45:3-11, 15; Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40; I Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50; Luke 6:27-38 Good theology involves the interplay of vision, promise, and practice, and you can see this interplay in today’s readings. Our vision of reality, our theological perspective – our vision of God’s presence in the world and our lives – shapes our hopes and inspires our practical behavior. Living by that vision inspires us to... Read more