By the Well

U-Wen and Robyn discuss Psalm 37, 1 Cor 15:35-50, and  Luke 6:27-38. Themes of ethical Christian living continue in the gospel and teaching on the centrality of the resurrection continue in Corinthians.  We discuss how concepts relating to heavenly bodies affect attitudes to earthly bodies and refer to Candida Moss’s Divine Bodies. 

Jeremiah 17:5-10, 1 Cor 15 12-20, and Luke 6:17-26 are under discussion this week. We refer to Christopher Hays’ book Luke’s Wealth Ethics.

Isaiah 6:1-13, Psalm 138, 1 Cor 15:1-11, and Luke 5:1-11 all pick up epiphany themes of divine manifestation, glory, and transformative revelation. We discuss the paradox that encounter with the divine both affirms human frailty (framed as uncleanliness, sinfulness, or wretchedness in the readings) as well as our worthiness to be called to participate in divine activity.

Jeremiah 1:4-10, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, and Luke 4:21-30 are the focus this episode. We discuss Paul’s ode to love and locate this ethic within his and other Christian teaching. Jeremiah and Luke both point to the challenge of prophetic call. Luke 4 continues to reveal Jesus’ identity and ministry focus.

We refer to bell hooks and Oda Wischmeyer’s Love as Agape.

Nehemiah 8:1-10, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, and Luke 4:14-21 are discussed this week. Luke and Nehemiah invite reflection on how we interpret Scripture and its fundamental role in grounding and forming the gathered people of God. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul offers the metaphor of the body to describe the way the Christian community is in unity through the Spirit and yet has difference and diversity as an essential part of it.

We mention Chris Keith’s Jesus Against the Scribal Elite and Joel Green’s Luke Commentary.

Dr Anne Elvey joins Kylie and Fran for Advent 4 to talk about Mary’s visit to Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-45) and Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1: 46-59).

We mention Anne’s book Reading the Magnificat in Australia;

Anne’s poem Sun Glint Drift: On visiting Elizabeth in the Western Australian Wheatbelt Mary sings a Song,

and Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner’s poem she read at the UN Climate Summit.

There are a number of First Nations women writing strong poetry in Australia at present, in particular: Evelyn Araluen, Ali Cobby Eckermann, Natalie Harkin, Jeanine Leane, Ellen Van Neerven, and Alison Whittaker. The Lukan Magnificat might point us toward listening to contemporary Indigenous women’s voices. Also composer and opera singer, Deborah Cheetham.

We also mentioned The Englewood Review of Books Podcast episode with John Swinton and Andrew Root on our relationship and understanding of time/waiting.

Fiona Winn, Kylie and Fran explore the readings for Advent 3 focussing particularly on Zephaniah 3:14-20 and Luke 3:7-18.

We mention Christopher M. Hays’ Renouncing Everything: Money and Discipleship in Luke

Fran and Kylie discuss Malachi 3:1-4, Zechariah’s song in Luke 1:68-79, and the gospel reading Luke 3:1-6. We focus on the reckoning of Advent, properly understood: opening ourselves to God’s cleansing fire through which we come face to face with God’s grace and kindness.

We mention:

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Advent sermon, 1928, as found in  Kathryn Schifferdecker’s Working Preacher article,  originally sourced in Stephen Cook’s blog “Biblische Ausbildung”.

Brendan Byrne’s The Hospitality of God: A Reading of Luke’s Gospel

Fran and Kylie focus on Psalm 25:1-10 and Luke 21: 21-36 and talk about hope and revelation as they appear in both texts. What is it to wait on God, according to the Psalmist? And what does Luke say about our waiting in the light of Christ’s coming?

We mention Howard Wallace’s Commentary on Psalms

and Craig Thompson’s discussion of apocalyptic and revelation in his sermon Dec 2018