There is a story about an expedition across an African jungle. The African porters and their European employers had gone several days without any rest. The Europeans had a goal and a time line. But, they were astounded when one morning, the porters decided to rest. They simply wouldn’t pick up their luggage and supplies and no amount of cajoling could get them to go forward. Perplexed, one of the Europeans asked the lead porter about the delay, to which... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost – November 6, 2016 Haggai 1:15b-2:9 Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17 Luke 20:27-38 “Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive,” so ends a cryptic exchange between Jesus and the Sadducees. Resurrection, rebirth, and renewal are at the heart of this week’s lectionary readings. There is a future and a hope ahead of us, regardless of how low... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost – October 30, 2016 Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4; Psalm 119:137-144, II Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12; Luke 19:1-10 Today’s scriptures invite us to consider the issue of spiritual stature or size. In one of his essays, “S-I-Z-E is the Measure,” process theologian Bernard Loomer describes spiritual stature as follows: “By size I mean the stature of a person’s soul, the range and depth of his love, his capacity for relationships. I mean the volume of... Read more

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