Ponder Anew Podcast

In 2025, we are going to work through the whole Old Testament together, taking one book each week. To get us ready for that, we need to address a few "How to read the Bible" matters.  In the last weeks of 2024 (the weeks of Advent!), we will look at the Christmas stories in Scripture as a way to take up some of these questions about how to approach Bible reading.  This week we take up the question...

If Jesus is the ransom (Mark 10:45), then who got paid off?  Pastor Rob looks at another Greek word this week, λυτρον, one that leads to quite a mystery (mystery is also a Greek word, but not the focus of this week!)

"Have you been saved?"  Christians use the word "save" all the time.  But what do we really mean by this?  Does Jesus' salvation mean entrance into heaven?  Or at least mostly mean that?  To reflect on σωζω - " I save", we focus on a conversation in which Jesus and disciples reflect on the rich man who walked away from Jesus (Mark 10:23-27).  Of course, we end up all over Scripture, but we can sta...

This week is a two for one special -- two words, both translated into English as "divorce." In the middle of Mark's Gospel, Jesus goes on a long road trip with his disciples.  This week (Mark 10:2-9) we hear Jesus offer some striking words on divorce, which is, was and will be a complex topic, both culturally and personally.

Nothing to do with Hell, the demonic and the forces of evil is ever easy.  Including translating words that have to do with "hell"!  We look at γεεννα, a word that can be translated, well, as hell, but also a lot of other things too!  (Mark 9:42-48 is where this word is found, among other places in Scripture)

This might be the easiest word of all to translate this fall.  It means "child".  But what "child" meant than and what "child" means today are very different things. Note:  I intended this to be a mini-podcast.  But then the word got interesting.

For fall 2024, we will do a shorter podcast, focusing on one Greek word per week.  This word will come from the week's Gospel reading (in the Revised Common Lectionary). This week we start off with Χριστός, a word found in Peter's confession of faith (found in Mark, Matthew and Luke!)

Is freedom a good thing? We wrap up the book of Judges with a story that seems a punishing indictment of freedom, especially freedom that has descended into lawlessness (Judges 20-21)/ First, we look at how the book of Judges frames the final stories.  It is clear that the book of Judges is making an argument about human freedom, government and God. Second, we reflect on how the underlying tension...

One of my childhood heroes -- Samson!  (middle chapters of Judges) Alas, the story doesn't read well for me as an adult.  A reflection on the malformed character of Samson and what me might do to avoid this happening to us.

How do you measure the spiritual health of a nation?  Of a person?  As we look at Judges 6, we see how the book's writers subtly argue that spiritual malaise leads to political collapse leads to economic downturn leads to environmental destruction.  Do we still think this way 3,000 years later?  Likely more so than we think.

Deborah (Judges 4-5) was just too cool for one episode; there is more in her leadership to explore and learn from.  But this isn't just Deborah part II, we also include an another strong (?!) woman, Jael.

Finally we get a break from the tough stories of the book of Judges.  We get Deborah!  What an amazing woman.  She is bold and wise.  You can read about her in Judges 4 and 5. After a reflecting on how she might actually have written part of THE book, I ponder about the book she could have written on leadership, specifically on listening.

The story for this week's podcast is not exactly Sunday School material:  deceit, murder and poop!  (Judges 3, Ehud's story) Have fun!  (If I could do the podcast over, I might have mentioned how I think part of this story is simply the story teller having fun around the camp fire!)

We continue with episode 2 of looking at the book of Judges, this week moving ahead to chapter 2.  The core issue in chapter 2 is the challenge the Israelites face in passing on their faith to the next generation, who grow up with different experiences than they had.   3,000 years later we wrestle with the same issues.  What can we learn?  (What have we learned!)

For Summer 2024, we look at...the book of Judges.  That's right, that Old Testament book that is SO, well, Old Testamentish.  One might argue it is the worst book in the Bible. This week we start off with chapter 1, which is highly problematic for most modern (Western) readers.  Can we glean anything from this passage?  Ponder Anew thinks we can!

"It is finished" (John 19:30)  With this word from the cross, we finish our series on the last words of Jesus. To get at the significance of what Jesus says, we consider the words of other famous people, especially religious luminaries.

Jesus in the cross cries out in existential suffering:  "My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?"  Does God suffer?  Can you love someone and not suffer?  Does God suffer with you on the cross? The podcast begins with a reflection on the marriage metaphor in Scripture (and in Luther's thinking); then delves into a history of how Christians have answered the question "Does God suffer?"  Likely pe...

"Into your hands I commend my Spirit."  Jesus was a spiritual person.  A spiritual guru. What does it mean for us as humans to be spiritual?  A reflection on what we've lost in terms of spirituality over time and what we can recover.

"Woman, behold your son; behold your mother." America has many crises; one of them is loneliness.  A reflection on why we are a lonely people and what Christ (and Christ alone!) is doing about it.

"Today you will be with my in paradise"  With these words, we interrupt this Lenten series on the cross to talk about paradise and heaven!  Turns out the Bible describes heaven as paradise, but a "whole" lot more beautiful and mind-blowing than we can imagine.

We continue with our seven words, this week picking up with "I Thirst" With these words, Jesus reveals he is human.  In this podcast, we consider Jesus humanity. A)  What is the difference between gods and humans -- what would the divine lose by become human? B)  What might the divine gain by becoming human?  To get at that, we need to explore more deeply the difference in humans, animals and the...

We begin a new series for Lent 2024.  We will focus on the 7 last words of Christ from the cross.  This week we start with "Father, Forgive Them, they know not what they do." Two foci this podcast season The Words of the Cross as an invitation to prayer The Words of the Cross as reason for why, in spite of so much, we are still Christians.  

We wrap up our pieces for peace series with the most unlikely piece of the nativity, Quirinius the Governor of Syria.   Did he exist?  When did he rule?  When was Jesus born?  Why does Luke include him? But first, what does it mean for Luke to understand himself as doing history? And lastly, what does this have to do with the peace of Christ?

What piece of the manger scene do you imagine is there...but probably isn't in most (store bought) nativity scenes. Who is the missing piece that is a part of your imagined nativity?  An invitation to some holy pondering, including a reflection on the incarnation and inevitability of inculturation of the Gospel.

For this week's podcast, we take up THE holiday question:  Mary, did you know?!