Rabbit is always a little concerned about newcomers. He loves order and is a good organizer. His heart is the right place, most of the time. But, if you stand out, like Kanga, Roo, and Tigger, he thinks you might be a threat and considers ways to get you out of the 100 Aker Wood. Eventually he comes around, and learns the error of his ways, but his first response is to chasten and banish anything that falls out of... Read more

A.A. Milne concludes his Pooh stories with a blessing, “So they went off together. But wherever they go and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest, a little boy and his Bear will always be playing.” Christopher Robin is growing up. He’s learning about adding and subtracting and the world beyond the Wood. Soon stuffed animals will give way to soccer balls, cricket matches, and sleepovers with playmates from school.... Read more

In the Christian year, we are leaning toward Lent. Lent is the season of simplicity that enables us to widen our hearts so that we can more fully experience the pain and joy of the world and God’s vision for our lives. The Quakers use the term “cumber” to describe the comforts that come to control us. Many of us have too much. We seek comfort and find security in shopping, consuming, owning, and pleasuring; none of which is bad... Read more

Sheila Walsh boldly announces that that “the Bible is my best friend” and can be the best friend of every child. As a pastor and professor, who has written several books on various biblical texts, I have a strong respect for scripture. It has been a lamp unto my feet and a light on my path. Walsh’s “Bible Storybook” arrived by US Mail in the midst of a Nor’easter sweeping across Cape Cod. My grandchildren, age four and six, were... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Seventh Sunday of Epiphany – February 19, 2017 Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18, Psalm 119:33-40, I Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23, Matthew 5:38-48 What does it mean to be “holy?” What does it mean to be “perfect?” And, should we ever apply these terms to ourselves? On occasion, my wife refers to me as a “saint” in public, and though I am a “good guy,” I usually blush and say something self-deprecating. I know my weaknesses. I know my... Read more

One morning the residents of the 100 Aker Wood notice two newcomers, Kanga and Roo. At first, they are objects of curiosity. They look different and have different habits. Then, Rabbit, who loves order and struggles with novelty gets in the mix: “Suddenly we wake up one morning and, what do we find? We find a Strange Animal among us. An animal of whom we have never heard before! An animal who carries her family about with her in her... Read more

Pooh and Piglet walked home thoughtfully together in the golden evening and for a long time they were silent. “When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last,” what’s the first thing you say to yourself?” “What’s for breakfast,” said Pooh. “What you do you say, Piglet?” “I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet. Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It’s the same thing,” he said. – From A.A. Milne, The World of Winnie the... Read more

Winnie the Pooh and the Need for Alternative Visions A little over four years ago, I conceived the possibility of a “Gospel According to Winnie the Pooh.” At the time, my wife and I had left bucolic Lancaster, Pennsylvania to return to Washington DC to help my son and daughter in law in the wake of the birth of their second grandchild. We relocated to a grand 20 story high rise just off the major thoroughfares into Washington DC. It... Read more

The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany – February 12, 2017 Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalm 119:1-8, I Corinthians 3:1-9, Matthew 5:21-37 Today’s scriptures speak of life and death, spiritually, emotionally, physically, and institutionally. Each moment is an opportunity for decision-making. Many paths are available, some leading to abundance and beauty, others to scarcity and ugliness. Our choices are not just for ourselves. They shape our relationship to God and the world beyond us, including our own future. They can contribute to greater... Read more

The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany – February 5, 2017 Isaiah 58:1-12, Psalm 122:1-10, 2 Corinthians 1-13, Matthew 5:13-20 The Season of Epiphany is no ordinary time. It is the time of God’s revealing – the revealing of God’s vision, the unveiling of hidden truths in unexpected places, and the illuminating of how far we have strayed from God’s vision of Shalom, of the peaceable realm joining humankind and the non-human world. God’s revealing challenges progressives as well as conservatives,... Read more