The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost Bruce G. Epperly Genesis 22:1-14 Psalm 13 Jeremiah 28:5-9 Romans 6:12-23 Matthew 10:40-42 This week’s stories are all challenging. We need to take exception to the story of Abraham and Isaac to be faithful to the God of grace. Following Christ is ultimately about a life-giving lifestyle, not violence or fear. To be honest, I am unsure what to do with the passage related to Abraham and Isaac. Though we can see it as metaphorical,... Read more

The Third Sunday after Pentecost Bruce G. Epperly Genesis 21:8-21 Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17 Romans 6:1b-11 Matthew 10:24-39 Today’s scriptures highlight God’s presence in conflict and threat, both internal and external. Fear and violence are not denied, but God’ is faithful. We may need to take a stand, and God is standing with us. Still, to preach these passages rightly, we must remember that not everyone is delivered from danger. Children like Ishmael perish on a daily basis, and parents mourn... Read more

It has been said that the difference between ignorance and apathy is “I don’t know and I don’t care.” Today, many of us struggle with the realities of privilege related to our ethnicity, economics, employment, and gender. We may not want to admit it, but our lives have greatly enhanced by factors that we may not have chosen, just as others have struggles due to the accidents of birth and economics. We may not want to “know,” but we do,... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Second Sunday after Pentecost – June 18, 2017 Genesis 18:1-15, Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19, Romans 5:1-8, Matthew 9:35-10:8 This Sunday’s readings connect hospitality, healing, and mission. They ask us and our congregationts to expect surprises when we align ourselves with God’s vision for our lives. In the encounter of Abraham and Sarah with three divine messengers, and perhaps the divine itself, hospitality leads to unexpected new life. God appears in the guise of three visitors. Are... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Second Sunday after Pentecost – June 11, 2017 Genesis 1:1-2:4a, Psalm 8, 2 Corinthians 13:11-13, Matthew 28:16-20 The First Sunday after Pentecost is identified as Trinity Sunday, and this Sunday has the potential of creating as much theological confusion as clarity. Many of us no longer use the traditional Tridentine formula – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – in our quest for an inclusive theological vision. Others find the replacement language, perceived as more inclusive... 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. 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 religion. We were “cold warriors” but... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost Sunday – June 8, 2014 Bruce G. Epperly Acts 2:1-21 Psalm 104:24-34, 35b I Corinthians 12:3b-13 John 7:37-39 The back to back celebrations of Ascension and Pentecost surely give mainline and progressive Christians something to think about. They stretch out imaginations beyond the breaking point, and then center us in God’s revelations right where we are. They emerge from an “enchanted” world view in which miracles occur and divinity acts decisively in human life. Incomprehensible... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Ascension Sunday – May 28, 2017 Bruce G. Epperly Acts 1:6-14 Psalm I Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 John 17:1-11 Can we be both heavenly minded and earthly good? Can we have an eternal perspective, embracing the afterlife and also be committed to bringing beauty and justice to our earthly lives? Today’s readings are about height and depth. Jesus is no longer on the earth. He has ascended. But, this is no cause to abandon our planet. We... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Sixth Sunday of Easter – May 21, 2017 Bruce G. Epperly Acts 17:22-31 Psalm 66:18-20 I Peter 3:13-22 John 14:15-21 My teacher John Cobb referred to Christ as the way that excludes no authentic spiritual way. In our pluralistic age, as Cobb describes it, we need more rather than less theology. Although our theological perspectives need to be fluid, contextual, and open to change, the variety of theological and spiritual perspectives available to seekers and church... Read more

One afternoon, Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh reflected about what happens when a child begins school and starts to grow up. Christopher Robin lamented that he will no longer be able to respond to the question, “What are you doing?” with the words, “Nothing.” Growing up means schedules and commitments and fewer hours for joyful meandering without purpose in the 100 Aker Wood. There is, of course, much to be gained in growing up in terms of knowledge and... Read more