Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 24 – November 3, 2024

Last updated on: October 27, 2024 at 8:54 am By Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary – Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost – November 3, 2024 Ruth 1:1-18 (3:1-5; 4:13-17) Psalm 146 Hebrews 9:11-14 Mark 12:28-34 Preaching is always contextual. You preach to a certain congregation, with a certain demographic and community, and at a certain time. Time is of the essence this Sunday: in two days, we will begin to receive the results of the Presidential election, leadership in the House and Senate, and state and local contests. This is a momentous time,... Read more

Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 23 – October 27, 2024

Last updated on: October 20, 2024 at 9:37 am By Bruce Epperly

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The Adventurous Lectionary – The Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost – October 27, 2024 Job 42:1-6, 10-17 Psalm 34:1-8 Hebrews 7:23-28 Mark 10:36-42 This week we conclude our journey with Job. Job is a challenging work, and one of the greatest texts in theological reflection. Job doesn’t answer our questions regarding the problem of evil, but it raises questions and reminds us of some of the wrong answers and the preacher’s task to “do no harm” as they reflect on life’s... Read more

Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 22 – October 20, 2024

Last updated on: October 14, 2024 at 8:26 am By Bruce Epperly

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The Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 22 – October 20, 2024 Job 38:1-7, 34-41 Psalm 104: 1-9, 24, 35c Hebrews 5:1-10 Mark 10:35-45 The readings for Pentecost 22 join the grandeur of God with the suffering of God and challenge us to recognize the wonder and fragility of each creature. They challenge us to reevaluate our values: to recognize that greatness involves our place in the universe as God’s creatures and our willingness to suffer for the well-being of others, to... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 21 – October 13, 2024

Last updated on: October 6, 2024 at 8:20 am By Bruce Epperly

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The Adventurous Lectionary – The Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost – October 13, 2024 Job 23:1-9, 16-17 Psalm 22:1-15 Hebrews 4:12-16 Mark 10:17-31 This Sunday’s scriptures focus on the absence and presence of God. Good theology joins both the apophatic and the kataphatic approaches to knowing God. God is beyond our imagining and cannot be limited by our scriptures, ecclesiology, rituals, or doctrines. God is more than we can imagine. Yet, God is within all things, constantly providing us with insights... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 20 – October 6, 2024

Last updated on: September 29, 2024 at 4:57 pm By Bruce Epperly

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The Adventurous Lectionary – The Twentieth Sunday of Pentecost – October 6, 2024 Job 1:1; 2:1-10 Psalm 26 Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-10 Mark 10:2-16 This week’s readings begin with a reflection on the prelude to the Book of Job, one of the greatest and most challenging descriptions of both God and the human condition. Job is every man, every woman, and every person who faces unexpected and unanticipated life-changing suffering. Accordingly, it is appropriate to focus on the reality of suffering,... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 19 – September 29

Last updated on: September 22, 2024 at 5:27 pm By Bruce Epperly

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The Adventurous Lectionary – The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 29, 2024 Esther 7:1-6, 9-10: 9:20-22 Psalm 124 James 5:13-20 Mark 9:38-50 This week’s lectionary readings are ambiguous. While the New Testament readings focus on healing, the Hebraic scriptures speak of God’s protection of the Jewish people at home and abroad. This latter issue is challenging in light of the expanding conflict between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. On the one hand, we cannot preach about Israeli exceptionalism, nor... Read more

Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 18 – September 22, 2024

Last updated on: September 15, 2024 at 8:36 pm By Bruce Epperly

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The Adventurous Lectionary – The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 22, 2024 Proverbs 31:1-10 Psalm 1 James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a Mark 9:30-37 Today’s scriptures are relational in nature and invite us to ponder the dual threads of relatedness, that is, relationship with others and relationship with God. Biblical ethics and spirituality are holistic in nature and we cannot separate self, other, and God. Loving God, our neighbor, our family, and the Earth are interconnected. Our own alignment with each... Read more

Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 17 – September 15

Last updated on: September 13, 2024 at 3:18 pm By Bruce Epperly

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The Adventurous Lectionary – The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 15, 2024 Proverbs 1:20-33 Psalm 19 James 3:1-12 Mark 8:27-38 Wisdom is at the heart of today’s readings. Often used interchangeably with Logos/Word, Chokmah, Sophia, Wisdom is the great teacher of humankind whose witness is present not only in the words of a teacher but in the orderly and creative patterns of the universe and our planet. Wisdom is the feminine dimension of divinity, ever-present and ever urging us... Read more

Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 16 – September 8

Last updated on: September 2, 2024 at 5:18 am By Bruce Epperly

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The Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 16 – September 8. 2024 Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 Psalm 125 James 2:1-17 Mark 7:24-37 Today’s readings reflect the concern for hospitality, healing, and affirmation as essential to faithful living. God’s realm breaks down the barriers of friend and stranger and rich and poor and invites us to do likewise. All of God’s children deserve our reverence and respect, and this is revealed in our political advocacy and personal relationships. Following God’s way challenges us... Read more

Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 15 – September 1, 2024

Last updated on: August 27, 2024 at 8:48 am By Bruce Epperly

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The Adventurous Lectionary – Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 1, 2024 Song of Solomon 2:8-13 Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9 James 1:17-27 Mark 7:1-18, 14-15, 21-23 Today’s readings celebrate the “beauty of holiness” and the “holiness of beauty” as they join concern for the inner life with care for external behaviors. They invite us to have loving and beautiful spirits, reflected in loving and beauty-promoting actions. They join appreciation with action and romance with reformation. Love has many dimensions, all interdependent... Read more