GSMC Bible Study Podcast

Sarah discusses the New Testament lessons for Lectionary 22, the week of August 28, 2016.  Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 concludes the letter, outlining 6 ways for the community to live in relationship with each other and within the society around them.  In Luke 14:1, 7-14 Jesus tells a parable of a banquet which describes both humility and hospitality.<br /><br />Follow the GSMC Bible Study P...

Sarah discusses the Old Testament lessons assigned for Lectionary 22, the week of August 28, 2016.  Proverbs 25:6-7 speaks of not putting yourself in a higher position lest you be reprimanded publicly.  Psalm 112 is an alphabetic acrostic and speaks of living in fear (reverence) of God and the blessings that come from such a lifestyle.<br /><br />Follow the GSMC Bible Study Podcast at...

Sarah discusses the New Testament texts assigned for the week of August 21, 2016, Lectionary 21.  Hebrews 12:18-29 continues to build on the themes of faith and relationship with God in this 3rd of 4 continuous weeks spent in this Epistle.  The Gospel reading from Luke tells the story of Jesus healing a woman who had been bent over for 18 years.  The problem?  Jesus healed her on the Sabbath and a...

Sarah discusses the Old Testament texts for the week of August 21, 2016, Lectionary 21.  Isaiah 58:9b-14 shows the importance of keeping the Sabbath appropriately. Psalm 103 is a Psalm of praise and thanksgiving which also urges us not to forget the amazing things God has done for us throughout history.<br /><br />Follow the GSMC Bible Study Podcast at <a href="http://www.gsmcpodcas...

In this episode Sarah discusses the Lectionary 20 New Testament texts assigned for the week of August 14, 2016.  Hebrews 11:29—12:2 discusses the “great cloud of witnesses” who have gone before us:  The people in our lives who encourage us in our faith.  Luke 12:49-56  presents a picture of a (seemingly) very cranky Jesus who speaks the truth even when we aren’t sure we want to hear it.<br /&gt...

In this episode Sarah discusses the Lectionary 20 Old Testament texts assigned for the week of August 14, 2016.  Jeremiah 23 addresses the difference between false prophets who do not speak God’s truth and Jeremiah, whose words are harder, but come from God.  Psalm 82 depicts a trial in which the one being tried is accused of ignoring those in society who need protection:  the poor, the widow, the...

Sarah discusses the New Testament texts for Lectionary 19, the week of August 7, 2016.  Both texts are about waiting and having faith and patience during times when we are fearful or uncertain of God’s timing.  We are encouraged to wait actively rather than passively and to remain in engaged in our relationship with God.<br /><br />Follow the GSMC Bible Study Podcast at <a href="htt...

Sarah discusses the Old Testament lessons for the week of August 7, 2016, Lectionary 19.  Both Genesis 15:1-6 and Psalm 33:12-22 deal with patience and waiting. Sarah discusses how being in relationship with God is active, and waiting does not have to, nor should be, passive.<br /><br />Follow the GSMC Bible Study Podcast at <a href="http://www.gsmcpodcast.com/bible-study.html" rel=...

Sarah discusses the New Testament texts for Lectionary 18, the week of July 31, 2016. Paul encourages the church in Colossae to put away their old habits and instead clothe themselves in the new clothes of Christ, meaning new ways of being in the world that reflect Christ’s teachings.  The Gospel text from Luke tells the parable of a rich man who hoards his possessions only to discover he can’t ta...

Sarah discusses the Old Testament texts for Lectionary 18, the week of July 31, 2016.  In Ecclesiastes the author declares that all of life is vanity regardless of our efforts.  The Psalm is similar in that the author looks at the efforts of life and ponders their meaning.  Sarah discusses if there is hope in these text and what it might look like.<br /><br />Follow the GSMC Bible Stud...

Sarah discusses the New Testament texts for Lectionary 17, the week of July 24, 2016.  Colossians continues Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae, encouraging them to remain rooted in Christ and to keep the gospel as their foundation.  In the Gospel text from Luke Jesus teaches his disciples to pray with intimacy and persistence.<br /><br />Follow the GSMC Bible Study Podcast at <...

Sarah discusses the Old Testament texts for Lectionary 17, the week of July 24, 2016.  Genesis 18 shows Abraham engaging in conversation with God over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Psalm 138 is a prayer of both petition and thanksgiving.  Both texts provide examples of ways of speaking with God that might seem surprising.<br /><br />Follow the GSMC Bible Study Podcast at <a href=...

Sarah discusses the New Testament texts for the week of July 17, 2016 (Lectionary 16).  Colossians 1 continues from last week with the introduction to Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae and what it means that he addresses the as brothers and sisters in Christ.  Luke 10 tells the story of Mary and Martha who respond differently to Jesus’s presence in their home.<br /><br />Follow t...

Sarah discusses the Old Testament texts for the week of July 17, 2016 (Lectionary 16).  Genesis 18 tells the story of Abraham and Sarah being visited by 3 strangers who bring them the promise of a son.  Sarah looks at how God always keeps promises but that God’s timing is different from our own.  Psalm 15 gives a picture for how to prepare oneself to enter God’s holy temple.  Sarah talks about how...

This episode examines the New Testament readings assigned for the Lectionary week of July 10, 2016.  Sarah discusses the first chapter of Colossians, gives some background on the book and the context in which it was written, and looks forward to see what the introduction can tell us about the rest of the letter.  Luke 10 gives us the story of the Good Samaritan, which Jesus tells in response to th...

Sarah discusses the Old Testament texts assigned for the Lectionary week of July 10, 2016.  Deuteronomy 30 contains a command to keep God’s law always in our hearts and on our lips, and Sarah discusses what this means for our daily lives.  The Psalmist in Psalm 25 seems to have this law in his heart and on his lips as he puts his trust fully in God, seeks God’s forgiveness, and yearns to learn mor...

Sarah discusses the New Testament texts from the Lectionary for the week of July 3, 2016.  In Galatians 6 Paul continues his conversation about the law, sin, and grace.  The Gospel story from Luke sees Jesus sending 70 people out to continue his ministry.  Sarah looks at how Paul’s discussion of law and grace affects our own lives when we are called to go out and do God’s work by continuing Jesus’...

Sarah discusses the Old Testament texts from the Lectionary for the week of July 3, 2016.  Both Isaiah 66 and Psalm 66 discuss joy reactions to God’s work in our lives and in the world, and Sarah looks at how we might experience that joy in our daily lives as well.<br /><br />Follow the GSMC Bible Study Podcast at <a href="http://www.gsmcpodcast.com/bible-study.html" rel="noopener"&...

In this episode Sarah discusses Paul’s letter to the Galatians and what it means that we have been set free in Christ.  She also looks at the 9 chapter of Luke where Jesus has some harsh words for his would-be followers.  What does it mean that we are set free in Christ, and how does this affect how we follow him?<br /><br /><br /><br />Follow the GSMC Bible Study Podcast a...

In this episode Sarah looks at the story in 1 Kings of Elijah calling Elisha to be a prophet, as well as what it means for us to be called by God.  God doesn’t always call us to do what we expect, nor is the timing what we might want or expect.  Next she looks at Psalm 16, which in many ways is a prayer for when God calls us.<br /><br /> Follow the GSMC Bible Study Podcast at <a hre...

In this episode Sarah talks about the New Testament Lectionary texts for the week of June 19, 2016.  She starts with Galatians 3:23-29 and looks at Paul’s discussion on the law, faith, and grace.  She then moves to the Gospel text for the week:  Luke 8:26-39, which is a story of Jesus and a man in Gerasene who is plagued with many demons.  Sarah looks at the story through the lens of identity and...

In this episode Sarah talks about the Old Testament Lectionary texts for the week of June 19, 2016.  She starts with Isaiah 65:1-9 wherein God is seeking to be in relationship with the Israelites but they are unresponsive.  She also talks about Psalm 22:19-28, a Psalm of lament that transitions to one of praise over the things that God has done in the life of the writer of the Psalm.<br />&l...

In this episode Sarah continues the discussion on forgiveness begun during Part 1, this time looking at texts from Galatians and the Gospel of Luke.  She examines how our being forgiven affects our actions and how we go about our life.<br /><br /><br /><br />Follow the GSMC Bible Study Podcast at <a href="http://www.gsmcpodcast.com/bible-study.html" rel="noopener">htt...

In this episode Sarah discusses texts from 2 Samuel and Psalm 32, looking at how each fits into a broader biblical picture as well as how they interact and affect our daily life.  She speaks of confession, repentance, and forgiveness as well as how we deal with difficult stories we encounter in the bible.<br /><br /><br /><br />Follow the GSMC Bible Study Podcast at <a h...