Here we are at the second Sunday of Advent, traditionally the Sunday of Peace. You may be using different themes for you Advent Sundays and still choosing the lectionary. These texts speak to the chaos and challenge of today as much as they ever did, particularly the Isaiah and Gospel texts. Isaiah begins with a… Read More
RCL: Negotiating the Path
How have we arrived at the end of August so quickly? Even with pandemic this summer has sped by at an alarming rate. Many of us might be on vacation this week; I am. For those of us who are preaching this week, the texts contain countless sermon possibilities. Admittedly, I am seeing them all… Read More
RCL: More than Enough for Everyone
Whether you are following the continuous texts and have Jacob wrestling with God or the thematic texts and have the invitation to the table in Isaiah, you can’t go wrong. The sense of abundance that comes through these texts is undeniable, an abundance that is transformative and inclusive of all of humanity. What better message… Read More
RCL: Sharing a Cup
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
