In the Footsteps of St. Francis and St. Clare: Taking the First Steps On my way to Logan Airport to meet a group of pilgrims headed for Assisi in mid-September, I noted a sign that announced, “After you die, you will meet God.” While I understand the billboard’s eternal warning, it reflects a partial and perhaps harmful theological perspective. Mystics often look toward eternity, but they also find God’s presence in the maelstrom of daily life. Time is a moving... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Twentieth Sunday of Pentecost – October 7, 2018 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. Accordingly, it is appropriate to focus on the reality of suffering, not only in terms of the theological problem of evil but the pain we experience, either... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 30, 2018 Esther 7:1-6, 9-10: 9:20-22 Psalm 124 James 5:13-20 Mark 9:38-50 This week’s lectionary readings focus on healing. God heals in many ways and through diverse people. There is no one healing path or modality, nor does any particular religious or medical tradition have a monopoly on divine healing. God heals through prayer, but also Prozac, as my friend Dale Matthews says; through medication and meditation; and through... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 20, 2015 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. Our own alignment with each of these areas – including the non-human world, economics, and justice –... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 16, 2018 Proverbs 1:20-33 Psalm 19 James 3:1-12 Mark 8:27-38 Wisdom is at the heart of today’s readings. 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. We are challenged to align ourselves with God’s wisdom in our daily lives and let divine wisdom motivate our... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 16 – September 9, 2018 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 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 to... Read more
One of the greatest moments in recent presidential campaigning occurred at a McCain campaign rally in 2008. Responding to a woman who denounced Barack Obama as an Arab, McCain took the microphone and instead of agreeing with her, and stoking the passions of the crowd, he responded, “No, ma’am. No, ma’am. He’s a decent family man, a citizen who I just happen to have serious differences with on fundamental questions.” Rather than perpetuating falsehoods, such as those of the “birther”... Read more
We are all mystics. There is a mystic in everyone and there is a mystic in you. We are all touched by God, whose amazing grace guides our steps even when we are unaware of it. Regardless of our personal history, and even our negative experiences and actions, God’s loving providence brings us home even when we’ve lost our way. One of my favorite Anne Tyler books is Saint Maybe. This same description could describe the judgments we have of... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 15 September 2, 2018. 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 join concern for the inner life with care for external behaviors. They celebrate love in its many forms – romance, justice-seeking, care for the vulnerable, and personal integrity revealed in care for the earth. They articulate a non-legalistic, sensuous spirituality grounded in feelings of wonder and gratitude. Spirituality is not... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 14 – August 26, 2018 I Kings 8:22—30, 40-41; Psalm 84; Ephesians 6:10-20; John 6:56-69 This week, I am focusing primarily on Ephesians 6:10-20. We live in a dark time. Yet in the darkness, the eye begins to see, as poet Theodore Roethke asserted. We need to face the challenges of our time with spiritual integrity and trust in the unwavering grace of God. We need to surround ourselves and the threats that face us... Read more
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