At Home with the Lectionary

In this episode, we consider the readings for Proper 18 (Year C in the lectionary cycle): Luke 14:25-33; Philemon 1-21; Psalm 139:1-5,12-17; Jeremiah 18:1-11.

We discuss Jesus' honest description of the cost of being His follower and consider Paul's letter to Philemon regarding his beloved brother in Christ, the once-slave Onesimus. We also wonder at God's omniscience, omnipresence, and omnifiscence displayed in God's creative handiwork, particularly the weaving together of human beings. And we end with a reflection on the metaphor of God's active engagement with people, inviting them to the Good News of repentance and the forgiveness of sins.

Notes:
-The Bible and Disability: A Commentary (Studies in Religion, Theology, and Disability), by: Melcher, Parsons & Young
-The Chosen Season 1, Episode 7 "Invitations"

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 17 (Year C in the lectionary cycle): Luke 14:1,7-14; Hebrews 13:1-8,15-16; Psalm 81:1,10-16; Jeremiah 2:4-13.

We discuss the layers of Jesus' teaching about being hosts and attendees at banquets in the kingdom, consider the closing exhortations of the book of Hebrews, meditate on the beauty of a festal Psalm that confesses rebellion in the face of the Lord's good generosity, and conclude with a reflection on the scandal of idolatry and broken cisterns when we are invited to drink from a living fountain.

Notes:
-George MacDonald collected sermons (in devotional form!)
-From MacDonald's excellent book, Phantastes: "Yet I know that good is coming to me - that good is always coming; though few have at all times the simplicity and the courage to believe it."

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 16 (Year C in the lectionary cycle): Luke 13:10-17; Hebrews 12:18-29; Psalm 71:1-6; Jeremiah 1:4-10.

We discuss Jesus' unbinding of the woman who cannot stand straight as well as His rebuke of the synagogue leader who misunderstands the nature of Sabbath restoration. We consider the unshakeable promises of Hebrews 12, the beautiful depiction of the Psalmist's trust in the Lord, and the dramatic call of the prophet Jeremiah.

Notes:
-Kingdom, Grace, Judgment: Paradox, Outrage, and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus, by: Robert Farrar Capon
-The Supper of the Lamb: A Culinary Reflection, by: Robert Farrar Capon

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 15 (Year C in the lectionary cycle): Luke 12:49-56; Hebrews 11:29-12:2; Psalm 80:1-2,8-18; Isaiah 5:1-7.

We discuss the Lord's love for His people, as seen in His provision and care for His vineyard Israel and His promised future and faithfulness for all His people. We also consider the bitterness of injustice and wickedness that comes from those who know the Lord's will, reject it, and instead cause injury to others. And finally we remember the example and invitation of Jesus's endurance, hope, and joy.

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 14 (Year C in the lectionary cycle): Luke 12:32-40; Hebrews 11:1-16; Psalm 50:1-8,23-24; Isaiah 1:1,10-20.

We discuss Jesus' teaching about stewardship, specifically the story of a household waiting expectantly for the master's return. We consider the exemplary heroes in the faith who speak and act as though they are seeking the city God prepares for them. We briefly look at the Psalmist's reminder of God's preeminence as Judge of the earth and pair it with Isaiah's damning proclamation of judgment against injustice clothed in religiosity. Over all, we welcome the Lord's invitation to listen and repent and reflect on His generosity.

Notes:
-Randy Alcorn's book Money, Possessions, and Eternity
-T.S. Eliot reading "Journey of the Magi"
-Excerpt from LMM Montgomery's "Anne of the Island"
-CS Lewis quote: “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” - from "The Weight of Glory" which is worth reading in full.

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 13 (Year C in the lectionary cycle): Luke 12:13-21; Colossians 3:1-11; Psalm 107:1-9, 43; Hosea 11:1-11.

The readings this week are rich: Jesus' parable of the fool storing up treasure; Paul's exhortation to renew our minds and hide ourselves in Christ, thereby putting off the old disordered, idolatrous ways of relating and speaking; the Psalmist's recurring refrain of people in impossible situations calling out to the Lord for rescue; and the tender picture of the Lord upholding his child Israel. In our podcast conversation, we discuss the threads, woven throughout, that reflect the generosity of God's gracious provision and love, the rebellion of idolatry, the tender mercy of God's rescue, and the invitation to hide our lives in Christ as our home. 

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 12 (Year C in the lectionary cycle): Luke 11:1-13; Colossians 2:6-15 (16-19); Psalm 85; Hosea 1:2-10.

We discuss Jesus' teaching on prayer, Paul's theological focus on Christ's supremacy as an antidote for legalism, the quiet beauty of the Psalm, and the context for Hosea's ministry.

Notes:
Here is Fr Aaron's brief liturgy for listening in prayer!
Click here for a full-page (large print) version.
Click here for a postcard-sized version:
And if you'd like a 7-minute walkthrough to explain this liturgy, you can follow this link for Fr Aaron's explanation. We hope this serves you in your connection with God!

-A Diary of Private Prayer, by: John Baillie
-A selection of Chronological Bibles

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 11 (Year C in the lectionary cycle): Luke 10:38-42; Colossians 1:15-28; Psalm 52; Amos 8:1-12.

We begin at the home of Mary & Martha and consider the way Jesus sees and names Martha's condition, invites her to intimacy, and gently corrects her desire to boss her sister. We discuss Paul's masterful doxological and pastoral approach. We note the devastating backdrop for the lament of Psalm 52 and the powerful prophetic message of Amos and how it can speak to us as we witness injustice and suffering.

Notes:
Beyond the Darkness: A Gentle Guide for Living with Grief and Thriving after Loss, by: Clarissa Moll
The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, by: Johnson and Van Vonderan
Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church
T-shirt "Jesus said, 'Leave her alone'"

New website!

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 10 (Year C in the lectionary cycle): Luke 10:25-37; Colossians 1:1-14; Psalm 82; Amos 7:7-17.

We begin with the expert in the law's question, "Who is my neighbor?" and Jesus' incisive and direct response in the story of the Good Samaritan. We consider the affectionate companionship of Paul and his colaborers at Colossae, and we discuss the welcome reverberation of God's intention for compassion, mercy, and justice as found in the Psalm and Amos.

Notes:
NIV Chronological Bible
Prayers of the People with the Lectionary

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 9 (Year C in the lectionary cycle): Luke 10:1-11, 16-29; Galatians 6:1-16; Psalm 30; 2 Kings 5:1-14.

We discuss Jesus’ commission to the 72 to go before Him, healing the sick and proclaiming that the Kingdom has drawn near; Paul’s closing instructions to the church at Galatia; the emotive rhythms of Psalm 30;  and a young Israelite girls’s proclamation that healing could be found in the kingdom of Israel, even for an enemy Syrian commander named Naaman. 

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.