The Adventurous Lectionary – Palm and Passion Sunday – March 28, 2021 Bruce G. Epperly Mark 11:1-11 Philippians 2:5-11 Mark 14:1-15:47 (or 15:1-47) A living faith is an all-season faith. It embraces the highs and the lows, moments of elation and desolation, celebration and lament. This year will mark our second Palm Sunday on Zoom. We hope for an outdoor service at the beach at sunrise, but won’t be going back to in-person worship for another month at the earliest,... Read more
The Celts were adventurers. They sailed off into unknown lands, sometimes sailing without a rudder, trusting that God would bring them to their place of resurrection, their place of wholeness and vocation. Each day was greeted as an adventure, filled with danger and possibility. Aware of the challenges of life, and beauty and tragedy around every corner, Celtic travelers often drew a circle around themselves as they began each journey. The circle (or “caim”) reminded them that they were always... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Fifth Sunday in Lent – March 21, 2021 Jeremiah 31:31-34 Psalm 51:1-12 Hebrews 5:5-10 John 12:20—33 Holy Week is on the horizon, and many pastors are struggling to maintain zest from preaching as the pandemic moves into its second year. Some churches will attempt in person worship – outdoors if the weather permits; and carefully indoors, wondering whether to sing the familiar hymns of Easter triumph. There will still be a lot of Holy Saturday,... Read more
Adventurous Lectionary – The Fourth Sunday in Lent – March 14, 2021 Numbers 21:4-9 Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 Ephesians 2:1-10 John 3:14-21 Nearly a year after many congregations suspended public in-person worship, today’s passages raise a variety of questions about suffering and pain, and the divine quest for healing. Many of these questions have arisen over the past year, and given rise to both creative and compassionate and destructive and punitive theological reflection. Theological reflection has inspired social responsibility, compassion for... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary -The Third Sunday in Lent – March 7, 2021 Exodus 20:1-17 Psalm 19 I Corinthians 1:18-25 John 2:13-22 Today’s readings focus on interdependent and potentially supportive relationships, with God, humankind, and the non-human world. The readings embody a holistic faith that takes us beyond personal piety in joining theology, ethics, spirituality, economics, and public policy. They suggest that religion and politics really do mix, indeed they must mix, since in biblical religion the personal is the political... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Second Sunday in Lent – February 28, 2021 Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 Psalm 22:23-31 Romans 4:13-25 Mark 8:31-38 Old Testament scholar and theologian Terry Fretheim stated that it is more important to ask, “What kind of God do you believe in than “Do you believe in God?” Our images of God can cure or kill, divide or unify, terrorize or comfort, promote passivity or inspire agency. Our images of God inspire questions such as: What is... Read more
Ash Wednesday is on the horizon. In just a few days, we will gather on Zoom or, in some places, in person and place ashes literally or symbolically on congregants’ foreheads and embark on the Lenten journey. Lent, Holy Week, Advent, and Christmas are the most challenging seasons of the Christian year for spiritual leaders. During Lent, pastors usually have at least one more service or program each week and often spend extra time visiting shut-ins and giving home communions.... Read more
Ash Wednesday: Meditations on Beauty and Mortality For Aging Children in a Time of Pandemic Bruce G. Epperly For two years, I have been interviewed retired pastors for my book on adventures in clergy retirement, “The Jubilee Years: Embracing Clergy Retirement.” Although I am now in the Medicare Generation, I often describe myself as being in midlife, provided I live to be 136! (now closer to 137!) Last fall, prior to the emergence of the pandemic, I planned to attend... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The First Sunday in Lent – February 21, 2021 Bruce Epperly Genesis 9:8-17 Psalm 25:1-10 I Peter 3:18-23 Mark 1:9-15 Lent is a time of spiritual decluttering and creative transformation. We prune the branches so that the light can shine through. We smash the idols that stand in the way of authentic worship and service. We let go what keeps us from experiencing God’s presence in our lives and awaken to God’s new possibilities for us... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Transfiguration of Jesus – February 14, 2021 2 Kings 2:1-12 Psalm 50:1-6 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 Mark 9:2-9 Our scriptures invite us to affirm the mystical aspects of faith. The great religions of the world emerged out of and were sustained by encounters with God. These moments of transcendence radically changed the lives of those who encountered the Holy. They were transfigured, and their experiences gave birth to the faith traditions we celebrate today. Transfiguration comes... Read more
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