Narrative Lectionary from Working Preacher

“Thus says the king of Assyria.” “Thus says the Lord.” When an empire shouts at the city gates, whose word do you trust? Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Cameron Howard close out the prophets series with Isaiah 36 and 37, where the Rabshakeh, the great Assyrian general, wages psychological warfare outside Jerusalem’s walls in 701 BC. Then they turn to Isaiah 2 and its vision of swords be...

Shall I offer burnt offerings? Thousands of rams? My firstborn? Micah builds his questions to the absurd before landing on what God actually asks: do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God. In this episode of I Love to Tell the Story, Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Cameron Howard explore the prophet Micah for Sunday, November 15, 2026, as the Narrative Lectionary continu...

A powerful general. A captive servant girl. A cranky prophet and a muddy river. In 2 Kings 5, the healing of Naaman turns every expectation upside down. Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Cameron Howard continue the prophets series in the fall Narrative Lectionary with the story of Naaman, the Aramean commander healed by the prophet Elisha. They explore how God works through the overlooked...

God tells a young King Solomon, “Ask what I should give you.” He asks for wisdom, and then he’s handed one of the hardest cases in the Bible. In this episode of I Love to Tell the Story, Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Cameron Howard explore 1 Kings 3 for All Saints Sunday, November 1, 2026: Solomon’s prayer for wisdom and the famous story of two women and the disputed child. Mentioned...

Joshua gathers the people, retells everything God has done, and asks them to choose. They say yes. Then Joshua tells them they can't do it. In this final episode of the covenant and commandments sub-series, Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Cameron Howard explore Joshua 24:1-15 (with optional verses 16-24), the covenant renewal at Shechem, for Sunday, October 18, 2026. They trace how the...

A king who takes what he wants. A prophet brave enough to say, "You are the man." This week on I Love to Tell the Story, Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Cameron Howard dig into the story of David and Bathsheba from 2 Samuel 11 and 12 for October 25, 2026.

Why does Exodus 19 come before Exodus 20? Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Cameron Howard turn to Exodus 19:3-7 and 20:1-17 for the Narrative Lectionary on October 11, 2026. At Mount Sinai, God names Israel a priestly kingdom and a holy nation before a single commandment is given. The covenant comes first, and the law shows how to live it out. Find episodes and links at workingpreacher.o...

Why would God tell Moses to stop praying and start moving? Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Cameron Howard dig into Exodus 14 for the Narrative Lectionary on October 4, 2026. They explore the "Back to Egypt committee" that lives in every congregation, wrestle with the violence against the Egyptians, and trace how the parting of the waters echoes God's work in creation. At the sea, the pl...

Joseph goes from trusted overseer to prisoner in a single chapter, and somehow God is at work in both. In this episode of I Love to Tell the Story, hosts Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Cameron Howard dig into Genesis 39, the account of Joseph in Potiphar's house. Accompanying commentary by Dennis Olson Overview to Narrative Lectionary Year 1 readings featuring Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Sc...

What does it mean to leave everything behind on nothing but a promise? This week Rolf Jacobson, Catherine Schifferdecker, and Cameron Howard turn to Genesis 12:1-9, the call of Abram, one of the most consequential moments in the entire Bible. After last week's flood story closed out the primeval history, the camera "zooms in" on one ordinary, childless couple from Mesopotamia, and the plot of the...

Welcome to a new year of the Narrative Lectionary. This year we're in the Gospel of Matthew, and we're kicking things off with a six week sub series on covenant and commandment, starting with the genesis flood narrative. Rolf Jacobson and Cameron Howard dig into one of the most uncomfortable stories in Scripture, the one we somehow turned into nursery decor. Why do we put a story about God wiping...

What does it mean to follow Jesus not as first-generation believers, but as the second, third, or fourth generation of the church? In this episode of I Love to Tell the Story, host Kathryn Schifferdecker welcomes Dr. Edward Piller, New Testament scholar and minister at Evesham Baptist Church in Worcestershire, England, for a rich conversation on the Narrative Lectionary's five-week summer series i...

What happens when a story of radical loyalty meets a story of dangerous courage? In this special summer series introduction, hosts Rolf Jacobson and Kathryn Schifferdecker open the books of Ruth and Esther, the only two biblical books named for women, and explore why these compact, powerful narratives deserve a place at the center of your preaching and teaching. Mentioned in this episode: May 2026...

It's the final episode of the Narrative Lectionary year, and what a way to close: the arrival of the Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2) paired with Paul's call to rejoice from prison (Philippians 4:4-7). Rolf, Kathryn, and Karoline reflect on what makes this day so significant, and why it's not just a day on the calendar but a way of life. In this episode: * Why Acts 2 isn't the Spirit's first appearanc...

What does it mean to have "the mind of Christ"? In this episode of I Love to Tell the Story, hosts Rolf Jacobson and Kathryn Schifferdecker are joined by scholar Karoline Lewis to explore one of the most beloved and theologically rich passages in all of Paul's letters: the Christ hymn of Philippians 2:1-13. The conversation opens with Paul's appeal to a divided congregation: since there is encoura...

What does it look like when a community takes on the mind of Christ? In this episode of I Love to Tell the Story, hosts Rolf Jacobson and Kathryn Schifferdecker, along with Johannine scholar Karoline Lewis, dig into one of the most beloved and theologically rich passages in all of Paul's letters: the Christ hymn of Philippians 2:1-13. In a culture that rewards self-promotion and personal branding,...

What do you do when you're surrounded by altars to gods you don't worship and one altar to a God nobody knows? In this episode, hosts Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and scholar Karoline Lewis explore Paul's remarkable sermon at the Areopagus in Athens (Acts 17), where he meets a sophisticated, curious culture on its own terms. Mentioned in this episode: May 2026 WP Campaign

What happens when the last person you'd trust becomes the one God chooses? In Acts 9, Saul, the man "breathing threats and murder" against the early church, is stopped in his tracks on the road to Damascus. But the real drama might belong to Ananias, the ordinary believer asked to welcome his worst enemy and call him brother. Mentioned in this episode: May 2026 WP Campaign

When Paul and Silas land in a Philippian jail, beaten, chained, and singing, they model something the early church understood deeply: that faithfulness to God sometimes means refusing to play by the empire's rules. In this episode, Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Karoline Lewis unpack Acts 16:16-34, tracing the clash between the gospel and the powers of Rome, the surprising story of a s...

"Unless I see the wounds… I will not believe." Thomas gets a bad reputation, but this passage is about something far more profound than doubt. In John 20:19–31, the resurrected Jesus appears twice: once to the disciples huddled behind locked doors, and a week later to Thomas. In doing so, he reveals a stunning truth: the risen Christ still bears the marks of the cross. Mentioned in this episode: M...

Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb alone — not to anoint, not to prepare, but simply to grieve. And what she finds there changes everything. In this Easter Sunday episode, hosts Rolf Jacobson and Kathryn Schifferdecker are joined by Johannine scholar Karoline Lewis to explore one of the most intimate resurrection encounters in all of Scripture. Mentioned in this episode: May 2026 WP Campaign

What does it mean that Jesus died at the exact hour the Passover lambs were being slaughtered? And why did John include such specific, seemingly minor details — unbroken bones, blood and water, a burial garden — in his account of the crucifixion? In this Good Friday episode, hosts Rolf Jacobson and Kathryn Schifferdecker are joined by Johannine scholar Karoline Lewis to unpack the rich theological...

It Is Finished. What did Jesus mean when he said "It is finished"? Was it defeat — or completion? In this Maundy Thursday episode of I Love to Tell the Story, hosts Rolf Jacobson and Kathryn Schifferdecker are joined by Johannine scholar Karoline Lewis to unpack three of the seven last words of Jesus as recorded uniquely in John's Gospel. Drawing from John 19:23–30, they explore the profound theol...

In this episode of the 'I Love to Tell the Story' podcast, hosts Rolf Jacobson, Karoline Lewis, and Kathryn Schifferdecker delve into the narrative of John 19, focusing on the trial of Jesus before Pilate. They explore the complexities of Pilate's character, the political dynamics at play, and the profound choices presented to both the characters in the story and the listeners. The discussion high...

In this episode of 'I Love to Tell the Story', hosts Rolf Jacobson, Karoline Lewis, and Kathryn Schifferdecker discuss the readings for Palm Sunday, focusing on the symbolism of the triumphal entry in John 12 and the crucifixion narrative in John 19. They explore themes of honor and shame in the Roman context, Jesus' identity as King, and the significance of his final words. The conversation empha...