The Adventurous Lectionary – The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost – August 12, 2018 2 Samuel 8:5-9, 15, 31-33 Psalm 130 Ephesians 4:25-5:2 John 6:35, 41-51 Today’s passages join challenge, hope, and grief. They join deep emotion with deep faith. We often live in the depths, feeling God-forsaken. Other times our own behaviors lead to alienation and brokenness in our personal and national lives. We may have to repent of the evils we’ve caused and the impact of our actions on... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost – August 5, 2018 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a Psalm 51:1-12 Ephesians 4:1-16 John 6:24-35 This Sunday’s readings focus on the realities of sin and grace. Sin is one of the most pressing realities of scripture and our daily lives, both at the personal and communal spheres. We can’t evade recognizing our own brokenness or escape the impact of our actions. Our recognition of our fallibility opens us to grace beyond our efforts; the... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost – July 29, 2018 2 Samuel 11:1-15 Psalm 14 Ephesians 3:14-21 John 6:1-21 This week’s passages encompass the polarities and ambiguities of life. They contrast the duplicity of the powerful with the generosity of the week. They join themes involving the individual and communal, scarcity and abundance, and fallibility and grace. Close to God’s heart, David is an ambiguous hero. His duplicity and immorality may give confidence to some who support... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost – July 22, 2018 2 Samuel 7:1-14a Psalm 89:20-37 Ephesians 2:11-22 Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 God’s covenant embraces all of us, promising more than we can ask or imagine. How do we best align ourselves with God’s vision of abundant life for us and those we love? How do we open to the sacredness of the present moment and also for the long haul? Certain spots become sacred to us; they are... Read more

The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost – July 15, 2018 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 Psalm 24 Ephesians 1;3-14 Mark 6:14-29 Do you dance with God? Does your congregation’s worship inspire passion and ecstasy? Do you come to worship expecting great things from God and yourself? What happens when you dance to a different drum than God’s? Do our lives become destructive rather than creative? The reading from Samuel describes David and his companions dancing with all their might in God’s presence.... Read more

I must confess that the Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. From my childhood, I have loved parades, outdoor grills, and fireworks. I never miss the Fourth of July Concert on the Capitol Mall on PBS and these days fireworks on Craigville Beach. But, more than that, I love the marching bands and music of the day – “The Star Spangled Banner,” “God Bless America,” and anything by John Philip Souza. I’m a small town boy at... Read more

I must confess that the Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. From my childhood, I have loved parades, outdoor grills, and fireworks. I never miss the Fourth of July Concert on the Capitol Mall on PBS and these days fireworks on Craigville Beach. But, more than that, I love the marching bands and music of the day – “The Star Spangled Banner,” “God Bless America,” and anything by John Philip Souza. I’m a small town boy at... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost – July 8, 2018 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 Psalm 48 2 Corinthians 2:2-10 Mark 6:1-13 In this Sunday’s readings, I am focusing on the New Testament passages and their emphasis on the role of faith to transform our lives and enable us to face creatively even those realities that cannot be changed. Limitation is the womb of possibility and divine healing can occur even in challenging situations. The words of 2... Read more

“Nobody seemed to know where they came from,” these strangers to the 100 Aker Wood. Rabbit was worried, “We find a Strange Animal among us. An animal of whom we have never even heard before! An animal who carries her family about with her in her in her pocket!” If they stay, no doubt, Rabbit thinks, hordes will flow into the 100 Aker Wood. In his mind, they will overrun the Wood, they’ll change our lives, they may even harm... Read more

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost – July 1, 2018 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 Psalm 130 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 Mark 5:21-43 Today’s texts invite us to consider the universal need for healing. We need healing of our experiences of loss, of our sense of moral failure, greed, and brokenness of body, mind, spirit, and relationships. We need social transformation and planetary healing. Given the darkness of our national and planetary time, we need to pray for personal, congregational, community, national, and planetary... Read more