Connecting Scripture and Life

The story of Sarah is a complicated one as is the woman herself. She endured captivity, barrenness, humiliation, and ultimately the greatest gift from God, to be the mother of a people and nation that extends to our day and beyond. She is the arrow of time of the Hebrew people, bringing us from the past into the promise of an unending future. She is a woman who is scarred and faith filled. She liv...

Lekh Lekha opens chapter 12 and the beginning of Abram's journey from his father's house to the land that God will show him. It means go for yourself or to yourself to be a blessing. In the journey to becoming who we are created to be we become a blessing for everyone we encounter. To follow the call of God to the place He will show us is to trust fully in the promise that we will be blessed, and...

In the final act of the creation of the world we tackle the story of the Tower of Babel. It is preceded by the genealogy of the descendents of Noah and for each one it says about the people, "according to their clans and languages, by their lands and nations." The introductory verse to the tower story is, "Everyone on earth had the same language and the same words." We have heard over and over God...

This is a strange and somewhat disturbing vignette that happens after the covenant is secured of our hero Noah becoming drunk, getting naked and passing out. His youngest son, Ham, sees him, then tells his brothers about it. Shem and Japheth hide their eyes and cover their father's nakedness. When Noah awakens he curses Canaan, the son of Ham, to be the slave of his brothers and their progenitors....

In this episode, we talk about the Covenant between God, Noah, and all life on earth. We always understand the sign as a rainbow, but the Hebrew word for bow usually denotes the archer's bow. Mystically, the Arrow of Time pulls back the bow and shoots from the heart. It encompasses the soul of all that has passed and draws it through the present to carry us into the future. God sets his bow, and w...

In this chapter the story of the raven and dove opens the cover of a message that leads to a profound expression of love and gratitude. The ark landed on Ararat but the earth is still covered with water. Noah releases first the raven then after the waters dry up he releases the dove that comes and goes until at last it does not return and it is then that God tells Noah to open the ark, bring out h...

We continue our exploration of the Noah story with Noah, his family, and the creatures of the earth drifting on the flood waters. We talked about it as a new creation but is creation the right word to describe what comes after? In this story there are people, animals, birds, creepy crawly things, and mountains that are covered over. Noah's family and the contents of the ark have the ru'ah, the bre...

In our first conversation about the Flood story and Noah we talk about the sadness and tragedy of lawlessness, sin, and consequence. We also share about God's sadness of heart and his sparing of the family of Noah and the beasts of the earth. There is a profound sense in this story of consequence and suffering not only for those who are left to die in the flood but for Noah who must witness the tr...

In this episode we talk about the story of the men, one from each tribe, who are sent by Moses to scout the promised land. After forty days they return laden with clusters of grapes too bountiful to carry and yet they reject it because the inhabitants were, in their eyes, threatening. Only Caleb of the tribe of Judah and Joshua of the tribe of Ephraim believed the promise of God and said with conf...

In this continuation of our conversation about Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, we explore the interior experience of the Midian priest who hears what God has done for Israel and seeks out Moses in the wilderness. He brings Moses's family and listens to Moses tell the story of how God freed his people from the Egyptians. Jethro makes a pronouncement that of all the gods, the God of Israel is th...

Jethro, Moses father-in-law, seems on the surface to be somewhat incidental but in deeper exploration of the pagan priest he is revealed as a non-Hebrew who brings a new perspective to our understanding of Moses's journey to the burning bush. Through Scripture and Midrashim we build a picture of this man who mirrors God in Moses's earthly life, making him a shepherd of sheep that sends Moses into...

This is the beautiful and tense passage when Jesus washes the feet of his disciples, argues with Peter about it, and releases Judas to his chosen fate. All through it is a message of redemption, humility, and love. We see the dichotomy of the betrayer and the denier, one leaves himself beyond healing while the other needs only to have his feet washed because in his heart he is clean and believes i...

The Passover Seder is a beautiful celebration of freedom. It places the people in the midst of slavery in Egypt and in the place of liberation and hope for the future. This podcast focuses on the Seder plate and each item in its symbolism and significance. We hope you will enjoy this conversation and hope it opens up for Christians a deeper understanding of the Last Supper as well as our own exper...

In this story the archenemy, Amalek, attacks Israel at their weakest point and Joshua and his men go into battle. Moses along with Aaron and Hur climb the mountain and with the rod of God in hand Moses holds up his arms and gives Israel the upper hand. Moses grows tired and as his arms fail so too do Joshua and his men. Aaron and Hur set Moses on a rock and hold his arms up for him leading to vict...

Ecclesiastes 3 talks about the time for God's purpose under heaven. They seem and perhaps are opposites that come to us over the course of our lives, but they also happen simultaneously. They articulate the mundane experience of human life but within us God has placed the timeless, the eternity in our hearts. We cannot know or guess what is or was but we can feel it. Please join us for this conver...

This story from the Gemara tells the story of the reason for the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E. But there is so much more it has to teach us about who we are and how we react to slights and embarrassments. It seems like a negative story on the surface. Underneath it demands we find ourselves in each of the characters and ask the question about how I might react differently. Jesus taug...

In this beautiful Episode, Live from the 70th Religious Education Congress, Rabbi Fruithandler and Barbara Murphy explore the beauty of love and its ability to help us through the times of difficulty and joy. When there is love, not merely an emotion, but a commitment to each other we will hope for all things, believe all things and endure all things. Please join us for this special podcast all ab...

This portion of the exhortation from James about faith and works calls everyone who knows God is one to live out this profession of faith. James says he shows his faith through his works and commands each one of us to look toward our neighbor with compassion and service. He uses Abraham obeying God when tested to sacrifice Isaac. In the hardest of challenges faith is put to the test. When we live...

Episode 96 In our final installment of the Joseph cycle from Genesis, we begin with Joseph revealing his identity to his brothers after Judah offers his life in exchange for Benjamine. In is in this moment that Joseph tells his brothers that although they sold him into slavery Joseph now sees that it was God who sent him into Egypt to save his family from starvation in the famine. He is reunited w...

This special podcast invites you to color your spiritual reflections as you listen to a passage from Isaiah 40. This passage reminds us that our lives are short but what we bring to the world is beauty and color to sustain creation. Rabbi Jason Fruithandler and Barbara Murphy invite you to enter into their reflections and express your spirit through art. You do not have to be an artist, but simply...

In this episode we experience the brokenness of Joseph, his brothers, and Jacob as they come face to face after years of separation. In the face of starvation all the sons of Jacob save Benjamin travel to Egypt to procure food and there they come face to face with the brother they betrayed but they do not recognize him. Joseph recognizes them and throughout these chapters we share the pain and sad...

In this chapter Pharaoh dreams of emaciated cows eating up healthy ones and rotted corn overcoming good corn. These dreams agitate his spirit and none of his magicians can tell him what they mean. Joseph is brought from prison and he tells Pharaoh that "God will see to Pharaoh's welfare." We see in this passage a God who cares for all of humanity. Joseph tells Pharaoh to prepare during times of ab...

We continue the saga of Joseph with him in prison, serving under the chief steward, put in charge of the care of the imprisoned chief cupbearer and baker. We are not told why the Pharaoh put the latter in jail but they play a significant role in our understanding of Joseph. They each have dreams that they cannot understand and Joseph telles them, "God will interpret." One has a fortunate outcome t...

In this chapter our hero Joseph is sold into slavery to Potiphar, the chief steward to Pharaoh, and given charge of the entire household. Potiphar trusts him so completely he pays no attention to anything but the food he eats. Joseph is described as fit and handsome and becomes the target of temptations by Potiphar's wife. We see here a young man who seems to have it all: the love of God and fortu...

The story of Joseph is a familiar one: brother against brother. The favored son incurs the enmity of his siblings. The father honors Joseph with a colorful coat that he wears proudly. Joseph dreams that his brothers will bow down to him. His brothers respond by plotting against him and selling him into slavery,Then they sit down for a meal. The story of the line of Jacob is the story of humanity....