A colleague from another denomination told me a while ago that he had stopped using the lectionary (optional in his setting), in part because he found it tied him down, and he liked having the freedom to develop his own themes. I recall hearing of a survey some years ago, which found that the average number of preaching texts used by clergy in North America was 25—people have their hobby horses, and they ride them over and over again...

One virtue of the lectionary for me is that it forces me at times to engage texts that I might otherwise ignore. Not that the lectionary is perfect—no scheme of Bible reading can ever claim to be exhaustive—but it can lead you to places you might not choose on your own. And sometimes it throws up a surprise, like on this coming Sunday, May 25, 2008. Because Easter was so early, we have a set of readings for the Second Sunday after Pentecost that I have no record of ever having preached on—not in 21 years. The vagaries of the calendar are such that two or three "Propers" disappear from each year, and some only surface very occasionally.

So this week is a lovely surprise: some rich and beautiful lessons, challenging me to take some care in the selection of a preaching text. The Psalm and the Gospel converge to some extent around the theme of trust— always an issue for me. The Psalm and the Hebrew Bible lesson contain feminine imagery for God that could be developed. The Epistle calls us to stand back from our divisions, and let God be the judge. A multiplicity of themes—just as the congregation enters its summertime rest.

(Last weekend was the Victoria Day weekend, known in this part of the world as "May long." The third Monday in May is the customary time for cabin opening, garden planting, and the ending of weekend commitments. Some churches around here suspend a lot of programming after "May long," on the assumption that no-one will come.)