The Adventurous Lectionary – The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany – February 9. 2025 Isaiah 6:1-8, Psalm 138, I Corinthians 15:1-11, Luke 5:1-11 Mysticism Inspires Mission Get ready for a wild ride! Strap on your seat belts and put on your helmet! We’re entering the amazing realm described by the Twilight Zone, Narnia, the Lord of the Rings Hogwarts, Marvel, and the Matrix, an enchanted world, wild and wonderful, where mysticism and miracle, signs and wonders, where God shows up... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany – February 2, 2025 Jeremiah 1:4-10 Psalm 71:1-6 I Corinthians 13:1-13 Luke 4:21-30 A Gold Mine for Preachers Today’s readings present numerous and almost overwhelming possibilities for the adventurous preacher. These readings are a goldmine for theological reflection and practical application, not to mention the possibilities to reflect on mysticism, spiritual practice, and politics. They would be fitting even for an Inauguration Prayer Service, speaking truth to power. We have... Read more
The Third Sunday after the Epiphany – January 26, 2025 Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 Psalm 19 I Corinthians 12:12b-31 Luke 4:14-21 Epiphany is the season of divine inspiration – in scripture, in the praises of the heavens and the non-human world, in our unique and diverse personal gifts, in the laws of the universe and the inner law of our hearts, and in the life of the church as Christ’s body, and in the prophetic call to healing. Epiphany stretches... Read more
An Inauguration Day Prayer Like many people, I am not looking forward to January 20. I am having difficulty celebrating the peaceful transfer of power to a person who denied a valid election and sought to overthrow the government and undermine democracy, and whose behavior since election day has that of a bully and thug. Yet, like the Psalmist, I believe that we must pray in our orientation and disorientation even as we hope for new orientation. Thomas of Celano,... Read more
One evening after a particularly stressful and conflict-ridden day, Martin Luther King retired for the night. On the verge of falling asleep, he received an angry phone call, threatening his life and the lives of his wife and children. Unable to sleep, King went downstairs to fix a pot of coffee. King describes an unexpected encounter with God, during his spiritual crisis: I was ready to give up. I tried to think of a way to move out of the... Read more
Adventurous Lectionary – Second Sunday of Epiphany – Isaiah 62:1-5 Psalm 36:5-10 I Corinthians 12:1-11 John 2:1-11 Epiphany is the season of illumination and vocation. Revelation leads to gift-giving and the discovery of our gifts as God’s companions in healing the earth. The season of Epiphany begins with celebrating the gifts of the magi, continues with God’s gift of grace, affirmed through Jesus’ baptism, on this this Second Sunday of Epiphany focuses on God’s vocational gifts bestowed on each person... Read more
Words of Gratitude and Challenge: In Remembrance of John B. Cobb For all that has been – thanks! For all that shall be – yes! These words from United Nations Secretary Dag Hammarskjold (1905-1961), who was both a mystic and global politician, express the spirit of my reflections on the life and impact of John Cobb. I had intended to share them on February 15, but they are as authentic today as they would have been in the celebration of... Read more
From the Cosmic to the Prophetic – Christmas 2 Lectionary Commentary John 1:1-18 On the Second Sunday of Christmas, our focus will be the reading from Gospel of John. The adventurous preacher needs to include the whole prologue and not just John 1:10-18, the focus of the Revised Common Lectionary. Jesus is not introduced by nation in this passage. Nor is the baby Jesus mentioned. Instead, we see the relationship of the Word and Wisdom of God in terms of... Read more
An Unexpected Visit I never knew what became of them. Every year scores of people come to churches 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... Read more
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Remembering Your Baptism – Lectionary Commentary for Jan.12
Remembering Your Baptism – January 12, 2025 Isaiah 43:1-7 Psalm 29 Acts 8:14-27 Luke 3:15-17, 21-26 Remembering Your Baptism This first Sunday of Epiphany, the Baptism of Jesus, reminds us to remember our baptisms. We can remember God’s spirit of grace, even if we have not been baptized. The scriptures delight in water images and see water as a manifestation of divine presence. Water gives life both physically and spiritually and while baptism is a visible sign of God’s grace,... Read more