Moving Forward - Weekly Lectionary Podcast

Isaiah 45:1-7; Matthew 22:15-22 - Recognition makes a huge deal. If our work is recognized, we feel valued. If someone doesn't recognize us at a party or in a social context, we might feel confused, or even hurt. This week, we have two stories of recognizing faces, or not. Cyrus and Jesus are the centers of two episodes where initially not recognizing leads to revealing what God is doing.

Isaiah 25:1-9; Psalm 23; Matthew 22:1-14 - Listen, who hasn't sat down at one point in their lives and tried to do the difficult task of selecting who is in and who is out for a party? At your wedding reception, or even Friday dinner parties, food costs money, there's limited seating, and sometime Uncle George gets a little weird with the conspiracy theories... This week, we have three stories abo...

Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalm 80:7-15; Matthew 21:33-36 - God looked for a harvest of justice and righteousness, but saw only bloodshed and oppression.

Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-31 & Matthew 21:23-32 - How often do any of us think about repentance? And yet, repentance is to be a hallmark of the lives of those who follow God. In the texts appointed for this week, Ezekiel and Jesus undermine assumptions about who needs to repent, and when. The best day to repent is today!

Jonah 3:10-4:11 & Matthew 20 - recently a colleague talked about why and when he prays imprecatory prayers against those who work great evil in the world. And, I totally get it. But, reading Jonah and the Gospel appointed for this week, I just don't think we get to do that. What do you think?

Genesis 50:15-21 & Matthew 18:21-35 Forgiveness is NOT having a moment. Some branches of Christianity are infatuated with violence and would try to draft the Prince of Peace to their side to promote vengeance. Other folks, understandably, are concerned about the ways that toxic abusers have weaponized "forgiveness" to preclude accountability, reform and harm reduction. I see the lectionary pas...

Ezekiel 33:7-11; Romans 13:8-14; Matthew 18:15-20 - Listen, pursuing the sibling comes RIGHT AFTER pursuing the lost sheep.

Romans 12:9-21 & Matthew 16:21-28 - Whatever else, Christians cannot participate in state violence.

Isaiah 51:1-6; Psalm 138; Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20 So many folks are only worried about believing the right thing. And, don't get be wrong, believing wrong stuff is harmful. Also, belief is not nearly enough to build up the Kingdom of Heaven. Belief demands actions, as the lectionary texts for this week show.

Isaiah 56:`, 6-8; Psalm 67; Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32; Matthew 15:10-28 - So much of the national political discourse in the States is talking about foreigners and foreignness. Well, the Bible isn't exactly silent on the topic...

1 Kings 19:9-18 & Matthew 14:22-33 - Elijah on Mt. Horeb and Jesus walking on the water aren't the most closely related passages, until we see some beautiful symmetry comparing worship to kisses.

Isaiah 55:1-5; Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21; Matthew 114:13-21 "An unplowed field produces food for the poor, but injustice sweeps it away!" - Proverbs 13:23 This week, the lectionary texts take aim at how greed and markets lead to material inequity and distraction from God's words.

Psalm 119:129-136 & Matthew 13:31-33. 44-52 - Look, we all have our favorite books of the Bible, and those that we usually steer clear of, right? This week in the readings, Jesus makes a case for reading the whole collection of Scripture!

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 - "It's a parable, people!" In which Jesus tells his followers that their actions really do matter, and that making life more difficult for folks and being anti-law, are really, really bad.

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 - Look, I'm not going to try to play it cool. I love the parables. I think they are some of the best stuff we've got in the New Testament. But why parables? And, why does the context in which we hear the word matter so much?

Zech 9:9-12 & Matthew 1:16-30 - If "good news" is just for brains and future hopes, is it THE good news? Jesus didn't think so. No one is talking prosperity gospel around here. At the same time, becoming a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven should change embodied realities. Who do we eat with, what do we say [or not say], how do we move around or theorize space and inclusion? These were all issu...

Jeremiah 28:5-9 and Matthew 10:40-42 - You know the injunction - welcome a prophet as a prophet and receive a prophet's reward. But how do you know who is really speaking for God, and who is claiming to be a prophet to advance their own agenda? Jesus and Jeremiah have some lessons for us.

Jeremiah 20:7-13 and Matthew 10:24-39. Look, be honest, there have always been disagreements about what God wants. Salad or Steak? Peace or Violence? Inclusion or Exclusion? This week, the lectionary texts wade into the fray with some discussion on what God really wants.

Exodus 19:2-8a and Matthew 9:35-10:8: Listen, the lordship of Jesus has costs. True, his yoke is easy and his burden is light. Also, we don't get to do whatever we want to whomever we want. We are purchased for a price, and Jesus is the boss. At Sinai and in the Galilee, God/Jesus ask the people if they are willing to pay the cost - to be obedient, in order to become a treasured nation and to rece...

Hosea 5:15-6:6 & Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26. Bargaining is a natural human instinct, and one of the stages of grief. But, as it turns out, it's not God's favorite thing. Instead, Jesus models how God desires lovi9ngkindness toward neighbors, not just continual sacrifices.

Genesis 1:1-2:4a and Matthew 28:16-20 - What's God up to? The same, old thing, or something new? Why not both? This week, we talk about God filling up creation with new things, again and again.

Acts 2:1-21 and Numbers 11:24-30 - What do you know about Pentecost? Is it something that comes up for the first time after the Resurrection, or are its origins much older? Come learn about some of the best good news that we've got!

Acts 1:6-14, Psa 68:1-10; John 17:1-11 - What is the role of a Christian? Scattering our enemies or welcoming strangers?

John 14:15-21 and 1 Peter 3:13-22 - First, sign up to watch Jeff Shulman's What it Takes . Then, think about what you would want if your life fell apart. Someone to stick by you, no matter what, right? Someone who has been where you've been, and knows how to make it through. That's who and what we are talking about this week.

Acts 7:55-60; 1 Petere 2:2-10; John 14:1-14. Look, Jesus isn't Caesar and he is not Spartacus. His revolt uses swords only to make sure that there is a pretext to arrest him, NOT to injure humans (ask Malchus!). Too often, Christians try to have it both ways, worship the Prince of Peace, and waging murder and war in his name. The lectionary passages this week address the relationship among Jesus,...