“Joy to the World” – A Christmas Eve Meditation Christmas isn’t always easy for the children in our midst. This year some will celebrate Christmas separated from their parents and incarcerated on the USA borderlands. Others, such as the descendants of one of the first Christian communities, have fled Syria and are now in refugee camps. Still others grief the loss of a parent or miss a parent stationed overseas. It had been a difficult year for the little boy.... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The First Sunday of Christmas – December 29, 2019 Isaiah 63:7-9; Psalm 148; Hebrews 2:10-18; Matthew 2:13-23. Today’s readings are both painful and hopeful. They describe the contrast between the fidelity of God and the evil intentions of those in political power. Yet, the evils human plan are penultimate and will not last; God’s vision is present in threat and tragedy, giving us hope for deliverance. Today’s scriptures note that the Infinite is also intimate. God’s... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Fourth Sunday in Advent – December 22, 2019 Isaiah 7:10-16 Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 Romans 1:1-7 Matthew 1:18-25 Today’s reading is about a world changing birth prefigured by Joseph’s Christ-saving dream. While we need not neglect Isaiah’s imaginative vision of a child whose birth will change everything, the Psalmist’s hymn to divine restoration, or Paul’s account of Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises, Christmas is on the horizon and with it the surprising accounts of... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary –Third Sunday in Advent – December 15, 2019 Isaiah 35:1-10 Luke 1:46b-55 James 5:7-10 Matthew 2:1-11 Advent is a time for hopeful transformation. There is a restlessness in the air as we imagine God’s realm coming to earth and possibilities that push us to the limits of our personal and political imaginations. Creation and humankind lean toward wholeness; the moral arc runs through all things; creation groans and so do we. We imagine a new age –... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Second Sunday in Advent – December 8, 2019 Isaiah 10:1-11 Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 Romans 15:4-13 Matthew 3:1-12 There is a deep restlessness in Advent. Those who seek a spirituality of withdrawal, of peace and quiet, will not find it during Advent. On the one hand, we are bombarded by consumerism and our church and social schedules are filling to the brim. In North America, the hedonistic binge begins with Thanksgiving and Black Friday and escalates... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The First Sunday of Advent – December 1, 2019 Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 22, Romans 3:11-14, Matthew 24:36-44 In my junior year of high school, the group Chicago released the single, “Does Anybody Really Know What Time it Is?” In many ways, time is the theme of today’s scriptures. Paul asserts “you know what time it is” and Matthew’s Gospel speaks of the day and time of the Messiah’s coming, expressing the importance of agnosticism and mystery... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – November 24, 2019 – The Reign of Christ Jeremiah 23:1-6, Luke 1:68-79, Colossians 1;11-20, Luke 23:33-43 In many congregations, Christ the King or the Reign of Christ Sunday will be celebrated this Sunday. The Season of Pentecost, beginning with the coming of God’s Spirit in its fullness and for all people on the Feast of Pentecost, will conclude this Sunday with an affirmation of the universality of Christ’s sovereignty and grace. God’s power and presence is... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – November 17, 2019 – Pentecost 23 Isaiah 65:17-25 and Isaiah 13 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 Luke 21:5-19 Today’s readings join joy and novelty with admonition and concern. Isaiah presents a utopian vision, a new world brought about through divine providence; the Psalmist is taking a victory lap, praising God for God’s providential care; Thessalonians counsels faith accompanied by works and a commitment to moral and useful living; and the Gospel tells us to prepare for trouble and... Read more
Honoring Our Veterans with Lives of Sacrifice My mother was born on November 11, 1918, the day of the Armistice that ended World War I, the most devastating war in history up to that time. Her parents named her “Loretta Victoria” in honor of the allied victory. Twenty-five years later, my father fought in World War II, and served in Saipan, Tinian, and Okinawa. He wore his uniform proudly, though, like most veterans of World War II, he was quiet... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost – November 10, 2019 Haggai 1:15b-2:9 Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17 Luke 20:27-38 How do you respond to an irrelevant, gotcha, question? How do you respond to someone who simply wants to make a point, sound and fury signifying nothing except ill will – like many Facebook memes? Do you avoid the question altogether or transform an irrelevant question into an important truth? A campus chaplain I know noted that... Read more
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