By the Well

Sean Winter joins us this week to continue our focus on 1 Peter, specifically 1 Peter 1:17-23 set for Easter 3. We talk about the nature of holiness as Peter conceives it; the way holiness refers not to individual moral perfection, but to a community’s identity as a consequence of what God has done for us.  We discuss exile, and the particular way it is used in 1 Peter, as distinct from Isaiah. In...

How do we proclaim the Good News in the midst of dark times? This episode begins a series focussing on the letter known as 1 Peter, an epistle that appears for several weeks during Easter season this lectionary year. The first epistle of Peter is a letter written to dispersed Christians facing suffering and persecution. We focus here on 1 Peter 1:3-9 and the paradox of rejoicing and finding joy in...

Rev Dr Craig Thompson joins us this week to talk about preaching the Resurrection on Easter Sunday – on what may be the strangest Easter for most of us as the covid epidemic rages.  Robyn talks about the apocalyptic, cosmic account of the resurrection in Matthew. Craig talks about the Resurrection being ‘God’s yes’ to those who have died’.  How might we react to an experience of the presence of Go...

Fran and Robyn discuss the scandalous way kingship is radically subverted in both Matthew 21 and Philippians 2:5-11, unpacking both the historical context and the theological presentation of Christ in these texts. Robyn points out the apocalyptic elements in Matthew’s version of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and his use of Zechariah. Fran wonders what Jesus would not do (WWJND?) in pondering what it...

Rev Dr Frank Rees joins us this week to talk about preaching on Good Friday. We focus on the Hebrews readings (ch. 4 & 10) and John 18-19, discussing the strange, to modern ears, notion of sacrifice, and how Christ’s death might transform our understanding of it. We talk about the importance of preaching on Good Friday, proclaiming the strange good news of a God who suffers and enters death, a...

Dr Liz Boase brings insights from trauma studies to illuminate Ezekiel 37.  Both Ezekiel and John 11 testify to God’s power to bring life from utter hopelessness.

“Who sinned, this man or his parents?” is a question posed to Jesus in John 9. We deconstruct fixed, individual notions of sin and imagine what a deeper theology of sin might mean. Liam Miller from @loverinserepeat podcast joins us in this episode. If you want to know more, you can read his article on the theology of James Cone and systematic sin or listen to Lisa Sharon Harper talk about it in th...

Rev Carolyn Francis, co-pastor at Collins Street Baptist Church joins Robyn and Fran to talk about the woman at the well in John 4 – the story which inspired the name of this podcast. We discuss the vulnerability and transformation in the encounter between Jesus and the woman. We touch on the profundity of the metaphor of water, and the way the story asks us to let go of that which we think is imp...

Abraham’s faith and God’s faithfulness are the focus on this week’s podcast. We discuss how radical the particularity of the covenant with Abraham in its ancient context and the theology it introduces which pervades so much of scripture. We refer to Fleming Rutledge’s And God Spoke to Abraham and Brueggemann’s Genesis commentary .

As Lent begins, we go back to the beginning with a focus on Genesis 2. Fran dispels some mistruths about this mythic tale. We ask what it reveals about human identity, freedom, and our propensity to alienate ourselves from one another and creation. We suggest that Genesis 2 and its reception in Romans 5 is more about human mortality than sin and that Paul presents Jesus’ gift of life is the answer...

Dorothy Lee joins Robyn and Fran to discuss the Transfiguration in Mathew 17:1-9.  What’s at stake in this unusual story?  We talk about the apocalyptic and aesthetic character of the Transfiguration, and about the way the story depicts the transformation of Jesus but also of us, the church, as we taken up into the beauty and majesty of God. For further reading see Dorothy Lee’s book on the Transf...

Bill Loader joins Robyn & Fran to discuss the part of Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” which addresses anger, adultery, lust, divorce, and the possibility of hell. We discuss the tension between righteous anger and anger that leads to harm or hatred. Similarly, we unpack the difference between good desire and sexually objectifying or exploiting others in Jesus’ ethical teaching. Bill gives us insi...

Sally Douglas joins Robyn and Fran to discuss Christian identity, as Matthew portrays it and in our own post-Christendom context.  We talk about the relationship between belief and behaviour, and specifically what Matthew means by righteousness. In this podcast we refer to Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship , David Bentley Hart’s New Testament: A Translation ; Stanley Hauerwas’ Matthew: A Theol...

Sally Douglas joins Robyn and Fran to talk about the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12. We discuss how they are more than ethical aspirations, but instead descriptions of Kingdom life where nonviolence as embodied by Jesus upends the world’s ‘normal’ ordering of things. We talk about what blessedness means, and explore the profound transformation that results from encounter with Jesus and Jesus’ vision...

Alistair Macrae, minister at Wesley Uniting Church,  joins Robyn & Fran to discuss discipleship, call, and repentance in Matthew 4. We discuss being disciples not admirers of Christ. As an experienced minister, Alistair shares his approach to preaching. In this podcast we refer to Being Disciples by Rowan Williams, a terrific sermon by Rev Dr Craig Thompson, 'Caught by Life', and Al reads a st...

Dorothy Lee joins Robyn and Fran to discuss John 1:29-42 and baptism by the Holy Spirit. Desire, identity, invitational evangelism, sin, and purpose are discussed in relation write papers to this passage. We also unpack the theology associated with the title "Lamb of God" for Jesus. Dorothy Lee is author of The Gospels Speak: Addressing Life's Questions.

Why does Jesus come to John for a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”? And, how is Jesus’ baptism similar or different to our own? What does baptism mean for our identity? In this episode Fran and Robyn discuss Jesus’ baptism as presented in Matthew 3. We suggest the  water is not the point, but that we might better think of Jesus’ baptism as an anointing by the Holy Spirit.

Sharon Hollis joins Fran and Robyn in Epiphany – the season of  revelation – to talk about the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles in the letter to the Ephesians 3:1-12. We talk about the radical universality of the gospel and the mystery of grace in both Ephesians and Matthew 2, as well as the way Ephesians continues to be both a word of hope and a charge to the church. In this podcast we refer...

How do you preach a text of terror? In this episode we discuss the possibilities and problems of preaching about the Slaughter of the Innocents, the challenges this text presents to us in a world with more refugees than ever before, and how religion and politics relate when we stand in the pulpit. In this episode we are joined by Adrian Jackson, eLearning Facilitator in the Uniting Church (VicTas)...

Theologian Geoff Thompson joins Robyn and Fran to talk about preaching at Christmas and how we communicate the profound mystery of the incarnation in a way that connects. In this episode we refer to William Willimon’s “Christmas parable” , Les Murray’s poem “The Barranong Angel Case” , an ancient text known as the Physiologus that describes Jesus as a unicorn, and David Ford’s  The Future of Chris...

Rev. Rachel Kronberger joins Fran and Robyn to discuss miraculous births, barren women, and why Mary’s virginity matters (theologically, not gynaecologically!).  Fran references Ben Myer’s book The Apostles’ Creed: A Guide to the Ancient Catechism . You can find out more at bythewell.com.au Follow us on Twitter: @bythewellpod

Kylie Crabbe joins Fran and Robyn to discuss hope, repentance, and anticipation in Isaiah 35:1-10 and Matt 11:2-11. Kylie issues a “health warning” and we discuss how disability studies might inform how we interpret and preach passages about the blind, lame, or deaf being healed.  You can find out more at bythewell.com.au Follow us on Twitter: @bythewellpod By the Well is supported by Pilgrim Theo...

Sean Winter joins Fran and Robyn to discuss the shoot that springs from the “stump of Jesse” passage in Isaiah 11:1-10. Isaiah here offers a vision of a promised, righteous king from the Davidic line; a passage that would be later be applied to Jesus. We discuss the use of Isaiah’s arboreal images as picked up in Matthew 3:1-12. In this podcast we refer to Robert Alter’s 2018 translation of the He...

Fran Barber and Robyn Whitaker discuss the meaning of Advent, Jesus’ second coming, and how we live as Christians who believe in the visions of hope Isaiah offers. Robyn tweets @robynjwhitaker . You can read more about her research here . We refer to this commentary on Isaiah by Patricia Tull. You can find out more at bythewell.com.au Follow us on Twitter: @bythewellpod By the Well is supported by...

Professor William (Bill) Loader joins Robyn and Fran in this bonus extra episode on the theology and themes of Matthew’s Gospel. Bill Loader’s website, with a range of resources on Matthew can be found here. You can find out more at bythewell.com.au Follow us on Twitter: @bythewellpod By the Well is supported by Pilgrim Theological College and the equipping Leadership for Mission unit of the Uniti...