2021-01-22T08:44:56-05:00

Last updated on: January 22, 2021 at 8:44 am   By

The Adventurous Lectionary – Fourth Sunday After the Epiphany – January 31, 2021 Deuteronomy 18:15-20 Psalm 111 I Corinthians 8:1-13 Mark 1:21-28 In this time of protest, pandemic, and insurrection, today’s readings may seem irrelevant to many congregants. In mainstream and progressive churches, we typically don’t talk about unclean spirits, the authority of prophets, or food sacrificed to idols. We are loathe to establish theological or doctrinal litmus tests; in fact, many of us, even in creedal churches are open... Read more

2021-01-14T08:39:32-05:00

Last updated on: January 14, 2021 at 8:39 am   By

Third Sunday after the Epiphany (January 24, 2021) Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Psalm 62:5-12; I Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20 Today’s readings need to be understood, as all preaching should be understood, in the interplay of God’s eternal wisdom and the challenges of history. While our lives reach beyond the present moment, including the inauguration and the first days of a new administration in the United States, we cannot preach God’s good news apart from historical consciousness. God is more than the... Read more

2021-01-07T15:58:57-05:00

Last updated on: January 7, 2021 at 3:58 pm   By

The Adventurous Lectionary – Second Sunday after the Epiphany – January 17, 2021 Samuel 3:1-10; Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18; I Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:43-51 In this season of Epiphany, we seek to be attentive divine revelation in its many manifestations. God is present in every quest for truth and healing. God is working for wholeness in every yearning for wholeness and a better life. There is a good deal of wisdom in congregational humor. There is a bittersweet joke circulated among... Read more

2021-01-03T08:04:35-05:00

Last updated on: January 3, 2021 at 8:04 am   By

The Baptism of Jesus – January 10, 2021 Genesis 1:1-5 Psalm 29 Acts 19:1-7 Mark 1:4-11 Today, the focus is water. Water as physical but more importantly spiritual. All life is permeated by water. Water cleanses and refreshes. Water is at the heart of spiritual nourishment and transformation. Water reflects divine wisdom in body, mind, and spirit, and is a medium of salvation. We need hydration and our thirsty spirits need refreshment. We are creatures of water: from 60-70% of... Read more

2020-12-26T22:40:29-05:00

Last updated on: December 26, 2020 at 10:40 pm   By

The Second Sunday of Christmas – From the Cosmic to the Prophetic John 1:1-18 On the Second Sunday of Christmas, our focus will be the reading from Gospel of John. Jesus is not introduced by nation in this passage. Instead, we see the relationship of the Word and Wisdom of God in terms of the embodiment of God’s vision in the ministry John the Baptist and the expectation of the coming Christ, the Messiah, who becomes flesh dwelling within the... Read more

2020-12-22T06:56:33-05:00

Last updated on: December 22, 2020 at 6:56 am   By

“Joy to the World” – A Christmas Eve Meditation Christmas isn’t always easy for the children in our midst. This year, for the first time, many won’t be traveling to see grandparents. Others will be receiving food baskets and feel their parents’ anxiety about where they will be living next year. Some, with plenty of resources, will feel worried about whether the pandemic will strike their family, and when they can be kids again, playing sports, going to Disneyworld, having... Read more

2020-12-17T16:21:31-05:00

Last updated on: December 17, 2020 at 4:21 pm   By

The Adventurous Lectionary – December 27, 2020 – The First Sunday of Christmas Isaiah 61:10-62:3 Psalm 148 Galatians 4:4-7 Luke 2:22-40 The season of Christmas is in mid-swing on this First Sunday of Christmas. It’s been the strangest Christmas ever for some of us. We hunkered down at home, didn’t travel to be with family, had small family dinners, and went to Christmas Eve services on Zoom, singing carols in our siloes rather than with friends. Still we are in... Read more

2020-12-10T07:27:10-05:00

Last updated on: December 10, 2020 at 7:27 am   By

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Fourth Sunday of Advent – December 20, 2020 Luke 1:26-55 On the Fourth Sunday of Advent, our eyes turn to the call of Mary of Nazareth and her calling to us and for us. Mary of Nazareth, ordinary to others, is an extraordinary person with an extraordinary vocation, according to Scot McKnight. Her response to God and her hymn of praise ring out through the ages and serve as an example for our own spiritual... Read more

2020-12-04T11:00:51-05:00

Last updated on: December 4, 2020 at 11:00 am   By

CCXL. Pray Always (12/4) All the followers of Jesus were constantly devoting themselves to prayer. (Acts 2:14) We need guidance. We need a sense of connection. Following the Ascension, Jesus was no longer physically present to his followers. Without him immediately present as their earthly companion, they needed to know that he was still with them. They needed to experience prayerful connection. Our prayers connect us with God and one another. God is not distant but often we are distant... Read more

2020-12-03T18:21:15-05:00

Last updated on: December 3, 2020 at 6:21 pm   By

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Third Sunday of Advent – December 13, 2020 Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; Psalm 126; Luke 1:46b-55; I Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28 On this Third Sunday of Advent Joy is the mood. We proclaim that despite appearances to the contrary, good news is coming! In fact, the voices of coming good news already are changing our lives. In the midst of the trauma of pandemic, we live in hope for a vaccine. But, we need greater... Read more

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