Moving Forward - Weekly Lectionary Podcast

Luke 18:9-14 - When someone creates Jesus as a mascot for their evil, what are we supposed to do about it? What happens when someone collaborates with evil, and oppresses their neighbors? The Gospel this week ruffles some feathers!!!

Genesis 32 & Luke 18 - Like a mountain climber nearing the summit, like a wrestler at the end of a long match, or like a marginalized person struggling for justice in a corrupt system - we are called to stay in the quest for blessing for us and for the whole world!

2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c; Luke 17:11-19 "But what if we don't believe the same things? How can we worship together? What if that person is hurting our community?" This is what I've been struggling with this week. What can those who worship death and cruelty have in common with those who want to love neighbors? Surely nothing! But then along comes Naaman, perpetrator of attacks on civilians, enslaver o...

Hab 1:1-4, 2:1-4; Psa 37:1-9; Luke 17:5-10 In confusing, disorienting and sometimes scary times, what does God want from us? Probably the same thing that God wants from us in every other time - ordinary faithfulness to be the people who love neighbors and the God who created us all.

Amos 6:1, 4-7; Psa 146; 1 Tim 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31 "Get Rich or Die Trying"...? More likely, "get rich, and die [period]" The lectionary passages this week warn of the dangers of accumulating or even having wealth in a world where basic needs go unmet.

Amos 8:4-7 & Luke 16:1-13 It's not like this is EVER topical when it comes up, is it? There is a battle on, for the soul of humans, and God and mammon are fighting it. Both sides are trying to recruit you!

Exodus 32:7-14; Psalm 51:1-10; 1 Tim 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10 - This week, the lectionary readings all focus on the joy of repentance and making it right.

Deut 30:15-20; Philemon; Luke 14:25-33 - Going out for a sport? Or, trying to meet a new special someone? Thinking about a change in work? or Thinking about a change in living situations? There are ALWAYS pros and cons with every decision we make. This week, the lectionary texts all address the necessity to count the cost before we take the plunge.

Proverbs 25:6-7; Psa 112; Hebr 13:1-8, 15-16; Luke 14:1, 7-14 One of the axiomatic passages in Scripture for me is James 1:9-10: We rejoice in the humbling of the exalted, and the exalting of the humbling. We see this throughout Scripture, and especially in the songs of Hannah and Mary. This week, the texts all point to God's delight in social leveling, especially through shared meals.

Isaiah 58:9b-14 & Luke 13:10-17 The sabbath is a command and a gift. It is an intervention into an undoing world that says that even God pauses, and that human empires should not crush human lives.

Jer 23:23-29; Hebrews 11:29-12:2; Luke 12:49-56 - Okay, plenty of us feel this growing dis-ease and sense of dread. But why? [gestures wildly at, you know, everything]. But, how do we >make sense< of the times. rather than just feel gross and sad? This week, the appointed Bible readings help us analyze the times.

Gen 15:1-6; Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16; Luke 12:32-40 Migrants and Migration are in the news. And they are also all over the Bible! This week, we take a peak at the stories of two such folks, Abraham and Jesus.

Ecc 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-23; Psa 49:1-12; Col 3:1-11; Luke 12:13-21 Who doesn't want to give their kids good things? At the same time, who doesn't want to store up for themselves good things? In all four lectionary readings this week, we learn something about inheritance and greed. How are we being purposeful in passing down good things to the generations to come?

Gen 18:20-32; Col 2:6-15; Luke 11:1-13 - We all deal with shame, right? Sometimes it prevents us to doing what we should. And sometimes a little more shame could have prevented us from doing what we shouldn't do. The lectionary passages this week are all about when to feel shame, and when no to feel it.

Gen 18:1-10; Psa 15; Luke 10:38-42 - You can tell a lot about someone by who her friends are, right? What is she like, what is she interested in, all that. Well, who does God choose as friends? The lectionary readings this week all point to the people who God likes to hang around with. They all have in common a desire to be welcoming and learn from God. Side note - sorry for the terrible audio thi...

Deut 30:9-14; Col 1:1-14; Luke 10:25-37 Did you grow up, like I did, hearing that trying to do the right thing, or act righteously or justly was somehow rejecting grace? Yuck, right? Even a casual read of almost every full page of the Bible contains instructions to respond to God's love and grace with love and grace of our own - manifested in acts of faithfulness and neighbor love. You really have...

Isaiah 66:10-14, & Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 Jesus presents a pretty stark version of how humans are defined in this week's readings. "Children of Peace" welcome strangers/foreigners without resources - such as folks sent from out of town without purses. Children of Violence are known for not welcoming foreigners. Jesus says for those who don't welcome poor strangers, it would have been better for t...

1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21 & Luke 9:51-62: Do you ever wonder, "Why are THESE the folks who were chosen for that task?" Would it make more sense to maybe choose someone else for a specific job or role? This week, we have a few stories of God choosing some strange recruits.

Isaiah 65:1-9 & Luke 8:26-39: The lectionary passages this week offer stories of God showing up before people even know how or what to ask.

Prov 8:1-4, 22-31 & John 16:12-15 - For the Sunday in which the Church most closely examines God's relationship with Godself, let's take some time to refresh our pneumatology

Gen 11:1-9; Acts 2:1-21 and John 14:8-17: Humans can unify around all sorts of things: fear, hate, love, model railroading... for Pentecost Sunday, we explore some of the motivations for unity in the Biblical texts, and why God calls us to speak unified words.

Acts 16:16-34 & John 17:20-26 - How are Paul's actions with an enslaved, possessed woman and the jailer who tortured him an answer to Jesus' prayer? Jesus prays for unity that will testify to Jesus' salvific mission. It so weirds out the Romans that they cannot help but notice that something strange is going on. Strange unity!

Acts 16:9-15; Psa 67; Rev 21:10, 22-22:5; John 14:23-29: There are lots of things that we get to fight about with regard to Scripture (if we want to). The Gospel triumphing over old national or citizenship statuses is simply not one of them. Citizenship in the Kingdom of God has to mean more than whatever other loyalties we have. And love of neighbor must triumph over whatever prejudices or biases...

Acts 11:1-18; Rev 21:1-6 & John 13:31-35 Few fights are as intense as those between people who mostly agree, right? Something about religion turns neighbors into, well, bad neighbors all too often. This week, the lectionary texts tell tales of folks... getting along, working together and including folks who are different than them. I don't know about you, but I need those stories right now.

Acts 9:36-43; Psalm 23; Rev 7:9-17 & John 10:22-30 Look, let's not kid ourselves, most of us were not members of Jesus' original flock. We get to be Acts 10 followers, right? So, on this Good Shepherd Sunday, let's pause, and reflect with humility and gratitude on Jesus adding sheep of other pastures - John 20:16. (that's us!).