The Adventurous Lectionary – The First Sunday in Lent – March 5, 2017 Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Psalm 32; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11 Lent is the season of simplicity. The season of getting back to basics, to going from the worship of many things to the worship of the One True God. Lent is a season of mindfulness, in which we are invited to practice our own form of the Ignatian Examen or examination of conscience. Lent invites us to ask... Read more

I regularly commune with Abraham Lincoln and the residents of the 100 Aker Wood. Now, don’t get me wrong – I don’t hold séances here on Cape Cod, nor do I hear voices from stuffed animals and deceased presidents. But, I do regularly ponder the spirit of Lincoln and my friends from the 100 Aker Wood. Yesterday in my “Words for All God’s Children” aka “Children’s Sermon” at South Congregational Church, UCC, Centerville, Massachusetts, I invoked President Lincoln’s first inaugural... Read more

In the course of writing “The Gospel According to Winnie the Pooh,” I came upon this quote from Star Trek actor George Takei. It captures the spirit of the peaceable realm of the 100 Aker Wood: “One awesome thing about Eeyore is that even though he is basically clinically depressed, he still gets invited to participate in adventures and shenanigans with all of his friends. And they never expect him to pretend to feel happy, they just love him anyway,... Read more

The Transfiguration of Jesus – February 26, 2017 Exodus 24:12-18, Psalm 2, 2 Peter 1:16-21, Matthew 17:1-9 Epiphany blossoms into theophany, the quest for the revealing God leads to a dramatic manifestation of the divine. The doors of our perception are cleansed, as Aldous Huxley asserts, and we see everything as it is – infinite! Moses and Jesus are transfigured and those who witness are filled with awe and, dare we say, terror. Such mystical experiences and divine encounters partake... Read more

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