The Adventurous Lectionary – Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost – October 23, 2016 Joel 2:22-32; Psalm 65; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14 God have mercy! This is the beginning and end of the spiritual journey. The tax collector’s prayer alerts us to the dynamic interdependence of life. There are no self-made persons. No one can make on her or his own. Our righteousness is not fully the result of our own efforts, but is part of the graceful interdependence of... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – October 16, 2016 – The Twenty Second Sunday after Pentecost Jeremiah 31:27-34; Psalm 119:97-14; 2 Timothy 3:15-4:5; Luke 18:1-8. How shall we understand the divine order of the universe? Is there a divine law that undergirds the universe and human life? Is this law inflexible or relational? Are the laws of nature and the laws of human life oppressive – as most legalistic interpretations of natural law suggest – or liberating, encouraging creativity and care for... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – October 9, 2016 – The Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c, Psalm 111, 2 Timothy 2:8-15, Luke 17:1-19 With its focus on two healing stories, today’s readings could be described by the phrase “the healing you need is right in front of you.” God’s healing presence abounds. In a world that focuses on complex solutions in which often the side-effects outweigh the benefits, God’s pathway is simple. What we need to be healthy and... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – October 2, 2016 – Pentecost 20 Lamentations 3:19-26, Psalm 137, 2 Timothy 1:1-14, Luke 17:5-10 The scriptures this week, in varying degrees, affirm God’s fidelity despite life’s challenges. While today, many people want experiential religion – and this is important – experiential religion needs to be balanced by a vision of divine faithfulness to get us through rough times. Still, these scriptures present challenges that the adventurous preacher must expose and interpret. In a challenging time,... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 25, 2016 Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15, Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16, 1 Timothy 6:6-19 , Luke 16:19-31 This week’s Gospel reading along with some good words from my pastoral colleague inspired me to title my sermon, “Ubuntu at Cape Cod.” The parable speaks of the apparently unbridgeable gulf between the rich and the poor, and invites us to close the gap between wealth and poverty, in and out, saved and unsaved, faith and... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 18, 2016 Jeremiah 8:18-9:1, Psalm 79:1-9, 1 Timothy 2:1-7 • Luke 16:1-13 There is not a lot of joy in this Sunday’s lectionary readings. They seem appropriate for our current election season in which the two major candidates have more negatives than positives and many people confess to planning to vote for the lesser of both evils. Life can be difficult. Our leaders can make foolish and short sighted... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary -The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 11, 2016 Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28 Psalm 14 I Timothy 1:12-17 Luke 15:1-10 Today’s readings speak of being lost and finding your way home. Nations as well as persons can be lost. Our behaviors and lifestyle can destroy the planet and future generations. Yet, God seeks our healing, even when we have gone astray. Jeremiah speaks of a day of destruction as a result of the nation’s foolishness. We are skilled... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – September 4, 2016 – Pentecost 16 Jeremiah 18:1-11 Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 Philemon 1:1-21 Luke 14:25-33 Today’s readings are challenging to our theology as well as our economics and socially-accepted values. No preacher can feel entirely comfortable reading, writing, or preaching these texts. Jeremiah’s vision of the divine potter has done a good deal of theological harm throughout the ages. It portrays a God of destruction, who can do evil against God’s chosen people disproportionate with their... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 15 – August 28, 2016 Jeremiah 2:4-13; Psalm 81:1,10-16; Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16.; Luke14:1, 7-14 As summer ends, the political season is heating up. Church life takes on a renewed urgency and after a summer’s lull, decisions need to be made. We are tempted to separate the world in terms of winners and losers, right and wrong, and good and evil. While today’s scriptures are strong in their critique, they also challenge self-righteous and polarizing behaviors... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 14 – August 21, 2016 Jeremiah 1:4-10 Psalm 71:1-6 Hebrews 12:18-29 Luke 13:10-17 This week, we ponder God’s providential love that breaks through every barrier. God is willing to give us more than we can ask or imagine. We need to open our hands to receive the fullness of divine blessing for ourselves and others. God’s word to Jeremiah is addressed to all of us. The young prophet is frightened. The task ahead is too... Read more