The Adventurous Lectionary – The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 20, 2015 Proverbs 31:1-10 Psalm 1 James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a Mark 9:30-37 Today’s scriptures invite us to explore what it means to be attuned to God’s vision for your life. Divine wisdom involves reflection on our relationships in the family and in the larger community. Living by God’s vision involves openness to life in all its variety, and involves affirming many norms for human fidelity and spirituality. It is unlikely... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 13, 2015 Proverbs 1:20-33 Psalm 19 James 3:1-12 Mark 8:27-38 Wisdom is at the heart of today’s readings. We are challenged to align ourselves with God’s wisdom in our daily lives and let divine wisdom motivate our words and actions. There are times, however, when divine wisdom contrasts with worldly values, especially as it relates to suffering and sacrifice, both divine and human. The words of Proverbs proclaim the... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 15 – September 6, 2015 Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 Psalm 125 James 2:1-17 Mark 7:24-37 God’s realm breaks down the barriers of friend and stranger and rich and poor and invites us to do likewise. God’s children deserve our reverence and respect, and this is revealed in our political advocacy and personal relationships. Wisdom literature, as exemplified in the passage from Proverbs, is grounded in the discovery of God in the ordinary affairs of daily... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 14 – August 30, 2015. Song of Solomon 2:8-13 Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9 James 1:17-27 Mark 7:1-18, 14-15, 21-23 Today’s readings celebrate the “beauty of holiness” and join concern for the inner life with care for external behaviors. They celebrate love in its many forms – romance, justice-seeking, care for the vulnerable, and personal integrity revealed in care for the earth. “The voice of my beloved,” so sings the lover of Song of Songs. Song of... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost – August 16, 2015 I Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 Psalm 111 Ephesians 5:15-20 John 6:51-58 If a genie came to you and granted three wishes, what would they be? In this passage, God is not as generous as the genie, God gives only one wish, but God tells Solomon that he can ask for anything he wants and presumably he will receive it. Solomon begins with a sense of confession and humility:... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – Tenth Sunday after Pentecost – August 2, 2015 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a Psalm 51:1-12 Ephesians 4:1-16 John 6:24-35 This Sunday’s readings focus on the realities of sin and grace. Our recognition of our fallibility opens us to grace beyond our efforts; the transformative energy emerging from a grace and power greater than our own. We may not feel we deserve grace, but God’s grace can give us a new life and new-orientation in the midst of our... Read more

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost – July 26, 2015 2 Samuel 11:1-15 Psalm 14 Ephesians 3:14-21 John 6:1-21 This week’s passages encompass the polarities and ambiguities of life. They join individual and communal, scarcity and abundance, and fallibility and grace. Close to God’s heart, David is an ambiguous hero. Tempted and seduced by beauty, taking advantage of his political power to sleep with Bathsheba, desperately attempting to cover it up, and then going as far as... Read more