The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost – June 24, 2018 I Samuel 17: 1a, 4-11, 19-23, 32-49 Psalm 9:9-20 II Corinthians 6:1-13 Mark 4:35-41 In the storms of life, God is with us. Facing impossible odds, we receive divine guidance and energy. Trusting God, we can do greater things than we can imagine. The impossible becomes possible as we tap the deeper energies of the universe and human agency. Miracles don’t violate the nature’s law; nature’s power and the powers residing... Read more

The Fourth Sunday After Pentecost – June 17, 2018 I Samuel 15:34-16:13 Psalm 20 II Corinthians 5:6-10, 16-17 Mark 4:26-34 Faith is a matter of perception and trust. Faith is a matter of vision. The eyes of faith see more than meets than eye. When we faithful, we begin to see the world from God’s perspective and not just our own. We see the long haul, the moral arc of the universe, as well as the present moment’s challenge. We... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Second Sunday after Pentecost – June 10, 2018 I Samuel 8:4-20 Psalm 138 II Corinthians 4:13-5:1 Mark 3:20-35 Today’s readings center around power and authority. Who or what is our ultimate concern – the One True God or the gods of our own creation? These days, the adulation of political leaders, even among Christians, is widespread. False has become true, and truth has become false, as partisans affirm their own alternative facts. Christian leaders disregard... Read more

I was raised in small town America, where Memorial Day meant parades, flag waving, flowers at the cemetery, and honoring of those who died in service to our nation. It was the Eisenhower era and we were patriotic, but not jingoistic. We loved our nation, but we recognized that others loved their nations as well. We waved the flag, and affirmed that America was at its best when we worked together for a common cause that transcended our race and... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Second Sunday after Pentecost – June 3, 2018 I Samuel 3:1-1 Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 2 Corinthians 4:5-12 Mark 2:23-3:6 Today’s readings are about divine revelation in space and time. The world is God-filled, yet some times and places, and some persons, more fully reveal God than others. Some persons seem more permeable to divine inspiration, or perhaps are more attentive to it. The church can be a laboratory of revelation, where people anticipate God showing... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Trinity Sunday/The First Sunday after Pentecost– May 27, 2018 Isaiah 6:1-8 Psalm 29 Romans 8:12-17 John 3:1-17 Today’s readings invite us to experience the mystical presence of God, revealed in creation, our inner lives, and the call to mission. Progressive Christians typically don’t lift up the paranormal or mystical. We see such experiences as other-worldly, detracting from our need to respond to the messy social and political challenges of our time. Rooted in the earth, we... Read more

Pentecost Sunday – May 20, 2018 Acts 2:1-21 Ezekiel 37:1-14 Psalm 104:24-34, 35b Romans 8:22-27 John 15:25-26, 16:4b-15 Get ready for an adventure! Strap on your seat belt, put on your helmet, and get ready for a mighty wind or a persistent calling! Today, we celebrate the lively Spirit of God, blowing freely and wherever God wills, God’s gentle and occasionally wild presence, that transforms our lives and communities, breaks down barriers, and gives life to weary and uncertain persons... Read more

The Seventh Sunday after Easter – May 13, 2018 Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 Psalm 1 I John 5:9-13 John 17:6-19 Today’s readings are about prayer and alignment with God’s vision. Belief and action are essential to Christian life, and prayer may be the most definitive faith practice. Today’s readings assert that prayer changes things and leads to world-transforming actions. How does God respond to our prayers? Do our prayers make a difference in our lives and the world beyond? Does prayer... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Sixth Sunday of Easter – May 6, 2018 Bruce Epperly Acts 10:44-48 or Acts 10:1-24, 34-36, 44-48 ; Psalm 98; I John 5:1-6; John 15:9-1 The marquee sign of an historic congregation in Washington DC proclaims, “where all are pilgrims and none are strangers.” I have adopted this same affirmation for my congregation on Cape Cod. Yes, we are different, sometimes we don’t understand each other, and yet we are all united in Christ. All-embracing... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary -The Fifth Sunday of Easter – April 29, 2018 Acts 8:26-40 Psalm 22:35-41 I John 4:7-21 John 15:1-8 Today’s scriptures are mystical, energetic, and empowering. Angels inspire and divine energy flows, giving life to all creation and fruitfulness to persons of faith. Moreover, each of the reading provides enough material for a stand-alone sermon. The adventurous preacher may integrate all four passages as part of a scriptural tapestry or simply focus on one of them Revelation is... Read more