The Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost Sunday – May 31, 2020

Last updated on: May 20, 2020 at 4:03 pm By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost Sunday – May 31, 2020 Bruce G. Epperly Acts 2:1-2Psalm 104:24-34, 35b I Corinthians 12:3b-13 John 7:37-39 and John 20:19-23 Pentecost invites us to imagine the unimaginable and to awaken to the transrational and transcendent. Though we may have “unimaginable fatigue” given the reality of the pandemic, we may also find guidance by looking to the mystical and transformational. The back to back celebrations of Ascension and Pentecost surely give mainline and progressive Christians something... Read more

Faith in a Time of Pandemic – Wrestling with God

Last updated on: May 20, 2020 at 6:04 am By Bruce Epperly

LXV. WRESTLING WITH GOD (5/20) Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” (Genesis 32:24-26) These days we are doing a... Read more

Faith in a Time of Pandemic – God is in This Place

Last updated on: May 19, 2020 at 7:12 am By Bruce Epperly

LXIV. JACOB’S DREAM (5/19) God was in this place – and I did not know it. (Genesis 28:16) In the midst of a personal crisis, Jacob the patriarch goes to a quiet place to reflect on his life. Jacob has been a shady dealer, cheating his brother Esau out of his paternal blessing. Recognizing that his brother is seeking vengeance, Jacob wisely leaves town to search for a wife among his father’s relatives. He’s afraid of what may happen to... Read more

Faith in a Time of Pandemic – Centering Your Spirit

Last updated on: May 18, 2020 at 5:38 am By Bruce Epperly

LXIII. CENTERING YOUR SPIRIT (5/18) Be Still and Know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10) Although many of us are a bit monastic these days, sheltering in place, the world is still very much with us. Just a few minutes of the news and the uncertainty of reopening the nation and churches disturbs our spirits. We are definitely in a storm and though the waves appear to be calming, there is no certainty that the storm has fully passed over.... Read more

Faith in a Time of Pandemic – When You Can’t See the Steeple

Last updated on: May 17, 2020 at 6:05 am By Bruce Epperly

LXII. WHEN YOU CAN’T SEE THE CHURCH STEEPLE (5/17) Faith is the confidence in what we hope for and the assurance of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1) The other morning, fog shrouded the beach. It is my practice that when I am walking the return path from Covell’s toward Craigville Beach to look for the steeple of our church. I use that steeple as a call to prayer for the people of the church and the congregation’s mission.... Read more

Faith in a Time of Pandemic – The Stars that Don’t Move

Last updated on: May 16, 2020 at 7:19 am By Bruce Epperly

LXI. THE STARS THAT DON’T MOVE (5/16) Great is God’s faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:23) The story is told of the night of the falling stars. Unfamiliar with today’s science, the villagers thought the sky was falling. They ran to and fro in panic, calling out alarm, until they came to the home of the village’s wise woman and man. In frenzy, they shouted, “We are doomed, the sky is falling.” The wise couple pauses, gazed thoughtfully at the heavens, and then... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Seventh Sunday of Easter – May 24, 2020

Last updated on: May 15, 2020 at 8:33 am By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – Ascension Sunday – May 24, 2020 Bruce G. Epperly Acts 1:6-14; Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35; I Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11; John 17:1-11 These days, many of us would like an Ascension. The world is too much with us. We are inundated with news of death tolls, the possible spread of COVID 19 to children, uncertainty about church openings, and concerns about going out freely in public again. We would like to flee the daily reports of incompetence and... Read more

FAITH IN A TIME OF PANDEMIC – IN GOD’S HOUSE FOREVER

Last updated on: May 15, 2020 at 5:44 am By Bruce Epperly

LX. IN GOD’S HOUSE FOREVER (5/15) I shall dwell in the house of God all my whole life long…(Psalm 23:6) Translators wrestle with getting the right word, and this passage is no exception. The traditional King James proclaims “forever” while the New Revised affirms “my whole life long.” Both translations are important. “Forever” reminds me of “infinity and beyond,” the exclamation of Buzz Lightyear from “Toy Story.” There is no end to God’s love: the One who loved us into... Read more

FAITH IN A TIME OF PANDEMIC – ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE

Last updated on: May 14, 2020 at 6:16 am By Bruce Epperly

LIX. ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE (5/14) Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…(Psalm 23:6) I joke that I’m in midlife provided I live to be 135! The brevity of life is more apparent as I push toward seventy. I am healthy and have never been more creative, or happier and fulfilled, but the pandemic has reminded me daily of my mortality, especially since I have a few of the risk factors identified... Read more

Why I Wear A Mask

Last updated on: May 13, 2020 at 7:43 am By Bruce Epperly

Why I wear a mask? I don’t like masks. They are sweaty and uncomfortable and impede communication. You can’t show your emotions when you wear a mask. As a child I had asthma, and when I wore a Halloween mask, I felt like I was suffocating. I didn’t like masks then, and I don’t like them now! But regardless of my feelings, I choose to wear a mask these days. I choose to wear a mask even when I’m the... Read more