At Home with the Lectionary

In this episode, we consider the readings for All Saints' Day (Year C in the lectionary cycle): Luke 6:20-31; Ephesians 1:11-23; Psalm 149; Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18.

Fr. Aaron & Marissa discuss Jesus' description of His kingdom in the beatitudes and the glorious imagery of inheritance and the heavenly reality of Christ's rule as described by Paul in Ephesians, depicted in the Psalm, and revealed in Daniel's "alarming" prophetic dreams.

Notes:
The Bible Project
--Bible Project's overview of Ephesians
--Bible Project's overiew of Daniel
--Clarissa Moll's book Beyond the Darkness: A Gentle Guide for Living With Grief and Thriving After Loss
--Clarissa's article "Letting Grief Come to Church"

Our outro music is an original song by our friend Dcn. Jeremiah Webster, a poet and professor whose giftedness is rivaled by his humbleness. You can find his published works, including After So Many Fires, with a quick Google.

In this episode, we consider the readings for Proper 26 (Year C in the lectionary cycle): Luke 19:1-10; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12; Psalm 119:137-144; Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4.

In this episode we discuss Zaccheus' penitence, Paul's prayer for the Thessalonians, the Psalmist's confessional prayers, and Habakkuk's dialogue of complaint and trust as well as the Lord's response.

Notes:
The Bible Project
--Bible Project's overview of Habakkuk
--Bible Project's overview of 2 Thessalonians
Dwell Bible App

Our outro music is an original song by our friend Dcn. Jeremiah Webster, a poet and professor whose giftedness is rivaled by his humbleness. You can find his published works, including After So Many Fires, with a quick Google.

In this episode, we consider the readings for Proper 25 (Year C in the lectionary cycle): Luke 18:9-14; 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18; Psalm 65; Joel 2:23-32.

In this episode we discuss Jesus' parable that contrasts the prayer of the Pharisee who looks with contempt on others and the prayer of the tax collector who cries out for God's mercy, the final words of Paul that close 2 Timothy, the rich language of abundance in the Psalm, and the imagery of Joel's prophetic words. 

 
Notes:

--C.S. Lewis on Humility: "Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call “humble” nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody.

Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all." --from Mere Christianity

Our outro music is an original song by our friend Dcn. Jeremiah Webster, a poet and professor whose giftedness is rivaled by his humbleness. You can find his published works, including After So Many Fires, with a quick Google.

This bonus episode offers listeners a 45 minute journey through the chronological narrative of Scripture. 

Our outro music is an original song by our friend Dcn. Jeremiah Webster, a poet and professor whose giftedness is rivaled by his humbleness. You can find his published works, including After So Many Fires, with a quick Google.

In this episode, we consider the readings for Proper 24 (Year C in the lectionary cycle): Luke 18:1-8; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Psalm 119:97-104; Jeremiah 31:27-34.

We begin with Jesus' parable of the persistent widow and discuss how his story upends our preconceptions about God's accessibility and invites hopeful, trusting engagement in prayer. We consider Paul's timely guidance for staying focused and faithful, rooted in the Scriptures. We talk about the transformative impact of memorizing Scripture and the Psalmist's love for God's life-giving words. And we end with a lot of questions about Jeremiah's words. 

 
Notes:

There are a lot of useful resources out there for memorizing Scripture. There are apps where you can record yourself saying passages, "games" where you can fill in the blanks, sites where you can type out verses, all sorts of techniques that you may find useful, but it doesn't have to be complicated. Here's what I've found to be helpful:
--Select a passage you personally want to learn.
--Consider the reality of your daily life. Sometimes memorizing a longer ambitious passage is feasible, but regularly working on various disparate passages (e.g. focus on a smaller single-verse passage every two weeks) may be more doable.
--Write or print out the passage. Laminate it if you love office products (like I do!) or find a way to jot it down and carry a notecard around with you.
--Look for times during your day (or night!) when you can recite the passage to yourself. Repeat it audibly. Try to say it without looking. Go back and check yourself. Keep repeating it. 
--Note "anchors" within the passage that can help stay grounded in the flow of thought - these may become especially meaningful to you as they pair with memories from your daily life at this time.
--Every time you review your memory work, add a phrase or sentences. 
--Soon, the "new" phrases that you had to check every few words will become "old" familiar ones, tucked away in your memory, as you continue to build.
--That's it! Like any muscle, it will grow with use. At first, you may find it takes two weeks to learn a verse, but as you proceed, it will become easier.
--Some passages (like Psalm 119) may be easier to memorize, because they've been designed with rhetorical "anchors." For instance, knowing there is a cohesive thought centered around four verses makes it easier to memorize.

Our outro music is an original song by our friend Dcn. Jeremiah Webster, a poet and professor whose giftedness is rivaled by his humbleness. You can find his published works, including After So Many Fires, with a quick Google.

In this episode, we consider the readings for Proper 23 (Year C in the lectionary cycle): Luke 17:11-19; 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Psalm 66: 1-11; Jeremiah 29: 1,4-7.

This week, we discuss the Gospel in microcosm in the story of Jesus healing the ten lepers and briefly look at more of Paul's instruction to Timothy. We ponder the invitation to imagine and praise God in the Psalm as well as Jeremiah's letter to the exiles in Babylon.

Notes:

--Aggressively Happy: A Realist's Guide to Believing in the Goodness of Life, by: Joy Marie Clarkson
--Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture

Our outro music is an original song by our friend Dcn. Jeremiah Webster, a poet and professor whose giftedness is rivaled by his humbleness. You can find his published works, including After So Many Fires, with a quick Google.

In this episode, we consider the readings for Proper 22 (Year C in the lectionary cycle): Luke 17:5-10; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Lamentations 3:19-26 or Psalm 137; Lamentations 1:1-6.

This week, we consider the hard words of lament in Psalm 137 and Lamentations, and the challenge of grappling with the reality of incomprehensible human suffering and pain . We also ponder the mysterious (to us!) teaching of Jesus about faith and unprofitable servanthood and find comfort and encouragement in Paul's exhortation to Timothy.

Notes:

--The Psalms as Christian Lament, by: Dr. Bruce Waltke, James Houston & Erika Moore
--Series of free lectures on the Psalms by: Dr. Bruce Waltke (scroll down)
--Essay: "Shall We Pray: Kill My Enemies?" by: Dr. Bruce Waltke in which he references C.S. Lewis' commendable book Reflections on the Psalms
--The Lord is My Courage, by: KJ Ramsey
--Entrusted Bible Study, by: Beth Moore

Our outro music is an original song by our friend Dcn. Jeremiah Webster, a poet and professor whose giftedness is rivaled by his humbleness. You can find his published works, including After So Many Fires, with a quick Google.

In this episode, we consider the readings for Proper 21 (Year C in the lectionary cycle): Luke 16:19-31; 1 Timothy 6:6-19; Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16; Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15.

We discuss Jesus's parable of the rich man and Lazarus wherein He aptly describes the human situation and the fact that, without repentance & the reorientation that comes through God's Word, we all prioritize our own comfort & ignore the suffering of others. We hear Paul's warnings against the love of money and cravings greed stirs. We also discuss how our attitude to money reveals something about our heart toward God and our neighbor and how hopeful it is to follow the Lord, who is defined by mercy, generosity, and concern for suffering.

Notes:

--The Locust Effect: Why the End of Poverty Requires the end of Violence, by: Gary A. Haugen & Victor Boutros
--Founder of Patagonia Gives Company Away
--How Churches Spend Their Money study/analysis
--Generous Giving: Journey of Generosity
--Dwell App
--Mepkin Abbey

Our outro music is an original song by our friend Dcn. Jeremiah Webster, a poet and professor whose giftedness is rivaled by his humbleness. You can find his published works, including After So Many Fires, with a quick Google.

In this episode, we consider the readings for Proper 20 (Year C in the lectionary cycle): Luke 16:1-13; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Psalm 79:1-9; Jeremiah 8:18-9:1.

We discuss the surrounding context of Jesus' teaching of the shrewd steward as well as His wise words about the love of money, take a brief look at Paul's "first of all" charge to Timothy,  and meditate on the lament of the Asaph the psalmist and Jeremiah the prophet.

Notes:
-The Lord is My Courage: Stepping Through Shadows of Fear Toward the Voice of Love, by: K.J. Ramsey
-The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, by: Johnson and Van Vonderan
-Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church

Our outro music is an original song by our friend Dcn. Jeremiah Webster, a poet and professor whose giftedness is rivaled by his humbleness. You can find his published works, including After So Many Fires, with a quick Google.

In this episode, we consider the readings for Proper 19 (Year C in the lectionary cycle): Luke 15:1-10; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Psalm 14; Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28.

We consider Jesus' parables about the lost sheep and the lost coin (or the good woman!) and the ways they reveal the celebration over repentance and read Paul's personal testimony of the riches of Christ's mercy. We find the Psalm and Jeremiah's prophetic words to also name the depths of evil, oppression, and arrogance of those who think they are accountable to no one. Over it all, we remember the riches of Christ's mercy and redemptive work of His seeking and finding that which is lost.

Notes:
-The Lord is My Courage: Stepping Through Shadows of Fear Toward the Voice of Love, by: K.J. Ramsey
-The Locust Effect: Why the End of Poverty Requires the End of Violence, by: Gary A. Haugen and Victor Boutros
-The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ by: Fleming Rutledge

Our outro music is an original song by our friend Dcn. Jeremiah Webster, a poet and professor whose giftedness is rivaled by his humbleness. You can find his published works, including After So Many Fires, with a quick Google.