CXXIII I am Your Shield (7/26) God came to Abram [Abraham] in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward will be very great.” (Genesis 15:1; read 15:16) Abram and Sarai [Abraham and Sarah] have received the promises of God. They will be the parents of a great nation. Yet, they remain childless. How can this promise come true given their current situation? Yet, in their uncertainty and concern that their name will die with... Read more
Go Forth from the Familiar (7/25) God said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land I will show you…I will bless you, make your name great, so you will be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:1-2) A typographical error can make a difference in meaning or provide new insights into a text. Instead of “go from your country,” I initially typed “grow from your country.” To go and to grow. To go from... Read more
CXXI Where are You? (7/24) And God called to the man, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9) We are beginning a series of reflection on divine-human encounters, revealings of God to mortals like ourselves. In this passage, God encounters the “first” human. The story isn’t about the emergence of homo sapiens, but more likely the emergence of humans complex enough to have conscience and be able to distinguish between better and worse and right and wrong. In the Adam-Eve story, the... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – August 2, 2020 – The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost Genesis 32:22-31; Psalm 17:1-7, 15; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 13:14-21 In this time of pandemic, we all need a blessing. Many of us are depleted, worn out from zoom and livestream services. Eyes are tired from too many virtual meetings and stressed by constantly having to learn new things and, in this curious time of ministry, tempted to prove ourselves worthy of our salaries in a time when... Read more
CXVII Perpetual Praise (7/22) Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise God as long as I live; I will sing praises to God my whole life long. (Psalm 146:1-2) Most of us don’t come from “praise the Lord” churches. We are more restrained, and yet sometimes we break out in an “Amen” or “Hallelujah” at the goodness of life, at making it through a tough time, at experiencing grace on a dark night, or simply... Read more
CXVI I Call Upon God (7/21) I call upon you, O God, come quickly to me. (Psalm 141:1) Anne Lamott says that three movements of prayer are “wow,” “thanks,” and “help.” Very few of us want to be dependent. We consider independence one of the most important virtues, something to aspire to. Yet, none of us are self-made nor has any one of us made it thus far on our own. There is another virtue, just as important as independence,... Read more
CXV Search My Heart (7/20) Do I not hate those who hate you?… Search me, O God, and know my heart…see if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:21, 23-24) Those words are jarring, arent’t they? We wonder why they were included in this most expansive of Psalms. Psalm 139 goes from the heights to the depths, to great nobility of thought to petty vindictiveness. That, however, is the nature of... Read more
CXIV I Am Wonderfully Made (7/19) praise you, for I am awesomely and wonderfully. (Psalm 139:14) We live in a God-filled world. God’s loving energy moves through our cells as well as our souls. Our body-mind-spirit, our whole being, is awesome – our immune system, our beating hearts, our senses, and creativity, our generosity and compassion. We truly are a wonder. When I studied with the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formative in Washington DC, I learned a chant that goes:... Read more
CXIII Where Can I Go From Your Spirit? (7/18) Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? (Psalm 139:7) God’s presence is everywhere. God’s love encompasses every moment of our lives. Wherever we are, God with us. The Psalmist adds, Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If... Read more
CXII You Have Searched Me and Known Me (7/17) O God, you have searched me and known me. (Psalm 139:1) Psalm 139 is among the most majestic pieces of spiritual literature. It encompasses, the totality of life, recognizes the wonder of human life, affirms the life-transforming power of a relationship with God, and God’s love despite our imperfections. “You have searched me and known me,” rejoices the Psalmist. Moreover, “You know when I sit down and when I rise up;... Read more
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