The Adventurous Lectionary – January 1, 2023 – The First Sunday of Christmas Isaiah 63:7-9 Psalm 148 Hebrews 2:10-18 Matthew 2:13-23 A new year is upon us. After the revels of the holidays, with extra services and visits, and imaging for the year ahead, many pastors are taking the Sunday. Indeed, I am preaching on New Year’s Day to give a respite to a local colleague. Hopefully, it will not be a “low” Sunday, after the “high” of Christmas Eve.... Read more
I never knew what became of them. Every year scores of people come to our church seeking help in responding to needs of body, mind, and spirit. And we always tried to respond with grace and generosity. But this couple was unique. It was two days before Christmas, and they showed up in a battered car that they had been sleeping in since being evicted from their apartment the week before. They had a history, involving drugs and alcohol, like... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – Christmas Eve and Day , December 24/25, 2022 Isaiah 9:2-7 Luke 2:1-20 John 1:1-14 Christmas Eve is a challenge for preachers. And, this year, so is Christmas Day, since it falls on a Sunday this year and many congregations’ worship will be modestly attended in person or will be online this year. Moreover, this year, with the lessening of COVID fears, most congregations expect good attendance on Christmas Eve. Even with the diminishing importance of Christian... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Fourth Sunday in Advent – December 18, 2022 Isaiah 7:10-16 Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 Romans 1:1-7 Matthew 1:18-25 The Christmas stories join metaphysics and mysticism in the messy incarnation of Jesus. Today’s reading is about a world changing birth inspired by Joseph’s Christ-saving dream. While we need not neglect Isaiah’s imaginative vision of a child whose birth will change everything, the Psalmist’s hymn to divine restoration, or Paul’s account of Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – Third Sunday of Advent – December 11. 2202 Isaiah 35:1-10 Luke 1:46b-55 James 5:7-10 Matthew 2:1-11 Advent is a time for hopeful transformation. It is a time of birth and possibility, of horizons of hope that liberate our imaginations and energize our actions. Advent is global and not parochial, inclusive and not anthropocentric. Creation and humankind lean toward wholeness; creation groans and so do we. We imagine a new age – an age of Shalom –... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary –The Second Sunday in Advent – December 4, 2022 Isaiah 10:1-11 Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 Romans 15:4-13 Matthew 3:1-12 Advent is the season of great, and sometimes, and often it seems, unrealistic hope. A new earth is upon us, and we can see the signs of a new world order, and companion God in bringing this new world about. On the Second Sunday of Advent, we explore radical transformation, guided by God, but brought also about by ourselves.... Read more
United Nations Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold once said: “For all that has been – thanks! For all that shall be – yes!” This has become my personal mantra and the lens through which I look at my own life, the passing of the years, and the impact of persons of stature on my life. With the passing of David Ray Griffin, I must say, “For all that has been – thanks!” Now almost fifty years ago, I remember sitting in... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – November 20, 2022 – The Reign of Christ Jeremiah 23:1-6, Luke 1:68-79, Colossians 1;11-20, Luke 23:33-43 In many congregations, Christ the King or the Reign of Christ Sunday will be celebrated this Sunday. The Season of Pentecost, beginning with the coming of God’s Spirit in its fullness and for all people on the Feast of Pentecost, will conclude this Sunday with an affirmation of the universality of Christ’s sovereignty and grace. God’s power and presence is... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – November 13, 2022 – Pentecost 23 Isaiah 65:17-25, Malachi 4:1-2a, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13, Luke 21:5-19 Today’s readings join joy and novelty with admonition and concern. We dream of a new creation, and yet still must deal with sin on the individual and social basis. Isaiah presents a utopian vision, a new world brought about through divine providence; the Psalmist is taking a victory lap, praising God for God’s providential care; Thessalonians counsels faith accompanied by works... Read more
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The Adventurous Lectionary – The First Sunday of Advent – November 27, 2022
The Adventurous Lectionary – The First Sunday of Advent – November 27, 2022 Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 22, Romans 3:11-14, Matthew 24:36-44 Plato once described time as the “moving image of eternity.” Hebraic spirituality sees time as the revelation of the divine-human adventure, in which God calls and we respond. God is faithful and God’s mercies are new every morning. In immersing ourselves in time and history, we experience the confluence of our story, the universe story, and God’s story. In... Read more