The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost – July 14, 2024 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 Psalm 24 Ephesians 1;3-14 Mark 6:14-29 Growing up in the early 60’s, I remember tapping my feet to “Do You Want to Dance?” and “Twist and Shout.” Yesterday, as I was on holiday at Chautauqua, a ballet recital ended with “Dancing in the Streets.” Today’s readings query, do you want to dance with God? Does your congregation’s worship inspire passion and ecstasy? Do you come to worship expecting... Read more
THE FOURTH OF JULY AND TURNING TO THE BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE “I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost – July 7, 2024 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 Psalm 48 2 Corinthians 2:2-10 Mark 6:1-13 This week, I am focusing on the New Testament passages and their emphasis on the role of faith to transform our lives and enable us to face creatively even those realities that cannot be changed and, as activist Angela Davis asserts, change the realities we cannot accept. Limitation is the womb of possibility and divine healing... Read more
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost – June 30, 2024 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 Psalm 130 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 Mark 5:21-43 Today’s texts invite us to consider the universal need for healing. Healing takes many forms because our needs take many forms. We need healing of our experiences of loss and grief, of our sense of moral failure, greed, and brokenness of body, mind, spirit, and the healing relationships. We need social transformation and planetary healing and the healing of economic inequality.... Read more
The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost – June 23, 2024 I Samuel 17: 1a, 4-11, 19-23, 32-49 Psalm 9:9-20 II Corinthians 6:1-13 Mark 4:35-41 Today’s scriptures describe challenging life situations in which our abilities may not seem equal to the difficulties we face. They promise that divine resources will enable us to face what is beyond our abilities to confront alone. They don’t promise ease, but they do promise persistence and power, and a way made where we see no way... Read more
The Fourth Sunday After Pentecost – June 16, 2024 I Samuel 15:34-16:13 Psalm 20 II Corinthians 5:6-10, 16-17 Mark 4:26-34 We walk by faith and not by sight. While this world is “real” and fraught with danger as well as filled with wonder, there is a movement beneath the surface and in each moment of experience that reveals a deeper dimension, the presence of God and the moral and spiritual arcs of history. Faith is a matter of perception and... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Third Sunday after Pentecost – June 9, 2024 I Samuel 8:4-20 Psalm 138 II Corinthians 4:13-5:1 Mark 3:20-35 Are there two realms, political and spirituality, communal and congregational, secular or Christian, or just one world embracing all creation in its many aspects. A study of church history and the relationship between Christianity and politics reveals a long-standing debate on this issue: theologians have argued about whether there are “two kingdoms,” operating by different values, the... Read more
I was raised in small town America, where Memorial Day meant parades, flag waving, flowers at the cemetery, and honoring of those who died in service to our nation. It was the Eisenhower era and we were patriotic, but not jingoistic. We loved our nation, but we recognized that others loved their nations as well. We waved the flag and affirmed that America was at its best when we worked together for a common cause that transcended our race and... Read more
Second Sunday after Pentecost – June 2, 2024 I Samuel 13:1-10; Psalm 139:1-6, 16-20; 2 Corinthians 4:5-12; Mark 2:23-3:6 Today’s scriptures focus on the interplay of theology, mysticism, and healing. Lived theology pushes us beyond rigid structures to alignment with the ever-living, ever moving God. Good theology involves listening for the voice of God and God’s varied movements within our lives. God is constantly speaking in our lives through insights, encounters, synchronous events, hunches, dreams, bursts of energy, and inspirational... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – Trinity Sunday – May 26, 2024 Isaiah 6:1-8 Psalm 29 Romans 8:12-17 John 3:1-17 This Sunday joins the unusual cocktail of Trinity Sunday and Memorial Day, and many pastors don’t know what to do with either. First, as it will be obvious in church attendance, May 26 is the eve of Memorial Day in the United States, and in many ways the unofficial beginning of summer. While pastors are not obligated to remember civil holidays or... Read more
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