It’s not often that as the lectionary cycles around, I end up writing on the same passages I wrote on three years ago. Or maybe it is more often than I realize and these texts just stand out more than some others. Either way, I’ve written on these passages before and you can see what… Read More
RCL: Choose Your Own Adventure Holy Spirit Style
In many ways this Eastertide seemed endless with physical distancing and all church activities online in one way or another. Yet, here we are at Pentecost. As we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit, the birth of the Church, we need to be a bit creative this year. Flash paper, red balloons, and other… Read More
RCL: Green Pasture, Quiet waters, and Abundant Love
When I was a psychiatric chaplain one of my favorite groups to lead with patients was on assessing the shape we are in. I would put multiple colors of Model Magic on the table and ask people to choose a color based on their current feelings. Then I would ask them to create a shape… Read More
RCL: Grace in the Wilderness, A Poem for Easter 2020
This was first posted at Write Out of Left Field. Easter is a challenge for preaching this year, even with these very familiar texts. I wrote the following poem as I struggle to pull sermon thoughts together. You are welcome to use it in your worship with attribution. Please share any thoughts you have on… Read More
RCL: The Resurrection and the Life
A few days ago, I saw a post in one of the clergy groups that has formed online in response to COVID-19. The post posed the question of preaching on something other than the RCL texts for this week. Since I am in the midst of a series on the Sermon on the Mount, I… Read More
RCL: Tempted… Again
Lent is upon us whether we are ready or not. Some of us are scrambling to put together an Ash Wednesday service and other’s are already working on Holy Week. Those of us in between are looking at Sunday and wondering what to say about some familiar texts. I don’t know about you, but Lent… Read More
RCL: Simple (and nearly impossible) Requirements
I have been thinking a lot about discipleship these days. It’s not a word that progressive, predominantly white churches are all that comfortable with. Yet, with the lectionary moving from the Magi showing up to pay homage to Jesus to Jesus’ baptism, and to the calling of the first disciples… Discipleship seems a reasonable thing… Read More
RCL: Praise and … Something Ugly
It must be Christmas 1, Year C because the dreaded “slaughter of the innocents” passage is the Gospel text this week. Of course, there are other options and most of us will choose one of them. Just in case you are feeling called away from God’s reclaiming of God’s people in Isaiah, or the joyful… Read More
RCL: Swords into Ploughsares
When it comes to Advent, I’m a bit of a traditionalist. By this I mean that I prefer the old themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. I don’t think we can go wrong with these. On the other hand, I’m not fond of the references to the Second Coming that are included in the… Read More
RCL: Humility
So many texts to choose from this week! Even more if you observe Reformation Sunday. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what holds all the texts together. This week I see a very clear thread of humility. In one way or another each of these texts reminds us that God is God and we are not.… Read More
