By the Well

Rev. Assoc. Prof. Monica Melanchthon joins us to discuss the David and Goliath story (1 Sam 17:32-49). Their battle occurs in the “liminal space” between two armies, a place where God is found and works in unlikely ways and through unlikely people. In Mark 4:35-41 Jesus finds himself in a different liminal space between Jewish and Gentile territory. His calming of the storm reveals his divine power and identity. “Great wind” is replaced by “great calm” and ultimately “great fear” (reverence) as the disciples realise they stand in the presence of the divine.

This week we focus on 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13 and Mark 4:26-34. Themes emerge regarding kingship and kingdoms. David is the surprising choice in 1 Samuel as the youngest and one chosen by the God who “looks on the heart”.

The parables in Mark are about the Kingdom or Reign of God, bringing to the fore the inevitability of the Kingdom, its growth that doesn’t rely on humans, and its inclusive nature.  Political resonances challenge the dominance of empire and proclaim a radically different kind of kin(g)ship.

References: AJ Levine’s Short Stories by Jesus and Raimundo Barreto’s article on reading Mark with Latin American eyes.

This week we note the people’s demand for a king in 1 Samuel 8:1-20 is about wanting a visible, tangible site for authority. God’s offer of intimate relationship with the people, trusting their discernment, is not enough; the people don’t trust God or themselves. God, mercifully, but with dire warning, grants their wish. We talk about the frailty of our human institutions – in society and the church, and what this reading might say about God’s view of us and our capacity. The Mark passage  (Mark 3:1-20) throws into sharp relief our tendency to divide ourselves into ‘in’ and ‘out’, and shows that our human institutions will ‘fall’ under the grace of God’s kingdom. We note the divisions Jesus’ coming provoke, dismantling of traditional structures, and radical judgment for those who reject him.

We mention the story of the Tongan boys marooned on an island for 15 months in 1965, which is recorded in this Guardian article by Rutger Bergman, May 9, 2020.

Rev. Assoc. Prof. Frank Rees, systematic theologian and Baptist minister,  joins us to discuss the relational and egalitarian nature of the Trinity. We discuss the various ways the communal, intimate, transcendent, and interdependent nature of God is revealed in Isaiah 6:1-8, Romans 8:12-17, and John 3:1-17.  Frank concludes that the triune nature of God reveals “differences that don’t divide”  – a challenge and invitation to our way of being as Christians.

We mention Jonathan Tran’s article, “The New Black Theology: Retrieving Ancient Sources to Challenge Racism“, Rublev’s Icon, and  Frank Maloney’s John Commentary.

Ian Ferguson joins us for our Pentecost episode, where we talk about the creative, regenerative power of the Holy Spirit as she comes to us in Acts 2:1-21 and Ezekiel 37:1-14. Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones shows the power of God’s Spirit to bring life from death. In the Acts passage the Spirit is robust and dramatic, infusing believers with gifts, with conversion and the joy of faith. We mention the inherently outward focus of the Spirit and therefore our outward posture as Spirit bearers, exercising our gifts, in and as community, for the sake of the world.

Ian referred to ‘linguistic colonialism’ which is a quote from Willie Jennings’ Theological Commentary on Acts