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By the Well
By the Well episodes
- B107 – Epiphany 5 (Mk 1:29-34, Isaiah 40:21-31)Both readings this week give profound insight into the nature of God in diverse and complementary ways. Robyn and Fran talk about “Jesus the exorcist” in Mark’s gospel and how healing and exorcism are signs of the capacity of Jesus to liberate humanity from evil. Isaiah 40 poses the question “to whom can you liken God?”. Addressed to exiles to inspire hope, Isaiah offers an expansive, awe-inspiring account of the God who strengthens the weak and overturns the powerful.We refer to this article by Julia Baird on the “overview effect” and this commentary on Mark by Joel Marcus.25 min
- B106 - Epiphany 4 (Mk 1:21-28, 1 Cor 8, Dt 18:15-20)
Authority and identity emerge as key themes in Mark 1:21-28 as Jesus is portrayed as one powerful enough to cast out evil and liberate people from the power of evil. This is Mark’s Good News! We unpack ancient ideas of ‘unclean spirits’ or demons and discuss how our preaching and teaching might aspire to be transformative and healing in ways similar to Jesus’.
Other options this week are Pauline ethics and how we show similar concern for the vulnerable in exercising freedom (1 Cor 8), what it means to “fear” God (Psalm 111), or thinking about how we continue the prophetic tradition of “naming” sin and evil (Deut 18).
32 min - B106 – Epiphany 4 (Mk 1:21-28, 1 Cor 8, Dt 18:15-20)Authority and identity emerge as key themes in Mark 1:21-28 as Jesus is portrayed as one powerful enough to cast out evil and liberate people from the power of evil. This is Mark’s Good News! We unpack ancient ideas of ‘unclean spirits’ or demons and discuss how our preaching and teaching might aspire to be transformative and healing in ways similar to Jesus’.Other options this week are Pauline ethics and how we show similar concern for the vulnerable in exercising freedom (1 Cor 8), what it means to “fear” God (Psalm 111), or thinking about how we continue the prophetic tradition of “naming” sin and evil (Deut 18).32 min
- B105 – Repentence, Mercy, Call (Jonah 3 and Mark 1:14-20)The book of Jonah is deceptively simple. It is often reduced to a children’s tale when, using the vehicle of humour, Jonah delivers challenging themes about the abundant mercy of God – mercy that sees not only our enemies blessed, but that we, like Jonah, might actually be the instrument of that blessing. Repentance, while an implicit theme in Jonah, is more explicit in the Mark passage (1:14-20), and we refer to a theologically nuanced understanding of repentance in contrast to unhelpful, individualistic notions. We speak about the ambivalence amongst many western churches to engage in ‘fishing’, and note the way repentance, good news and evangelism cannot be separated.We refer to an article by Rebecca Giggs Inner SpaceChed Myers’ Binding the Strong Man.28 min
- B105 - Repentence, Mercy, Call (Jonah 3 and Mark 1:14-20)
The book of Jonah is deceptively simple. It is often reduced to a children’s tale when, using the vehicle of humour, Jonah delivers challenging themes about the abundant mercy of God – mercy that sees not only our enemies blessed, but that we, like Jonah, might actually be the instrument of that blessing. Repentance, while an implicit theme in Jonah, is more explicit in the Mark passage (1:14-20), and we refer to a theologically nuanced understanding of repentance in contrast to unhelpful, individualistic notions. We speak about the ambivalence amongst many western churches to engage in ‘fishing’, and note the way repentance, good news and evangelism cannot be separated.
We refer to an article by Rebecca Giggs Inner Space
Ched Myers’ Binding the Strong Man.
28 min - B104 - Advent 4 (Annunciation and Magnificat, Luke 1:26-38, 46-55)
Rev. Sharon Hollis, President-elect of the Uniting Church, joins the conversation for Advent 4. We discuss how Mary is portrayed as a prophet in Luke 1 and the surprising agency she has (for that time) in speaking her consent (1:26-38) and her song of praise and protest (1:46-55). Her particularity as a young Jewish girl living in occupied territory makes her song the song of colonised women everywhere who draw upon their cultural traditions to proclaim liberation.
We note the promise that Jesus will “sit on the throne of David” fulfils the covenant in 2 Samuel 7:1-11 and reveals God’s faithfulness.
We refer to Anne Elvey’s Reading the Magnificat in Australia and Elizabeth Johnson’s Truly Our Sister.
27 min - B104 – Advent 4 (Annunciation and Magnificat, Luke 1:26-38, 46-55)Rev. Sharon Hollis, President-elect of the Uniting Church, joins the conversation for Advent 4. We discuss how Mary is portrayed as a prophet in Luke 1 and the surprising agency she has (for that time) in speaking her consent (1:26-38) and her song of praise and protest (1:46-55). Her particularity as a young Jewish girl living in occupied territory makes her song the song of colonised women everywhere who draw upon their cultural traditions to proclaim liberation.We note the promise that Jesus will “sit on the throne of David” fulfils the covenant in 2 Samuel 7:1-11 and reveals God’s faithfulness.We refer to Anne Elvey’s Reading the Magnificat in Australia and Elizabeth Johnson’s Truly Our Sister.27 min
- B103 - Advent 3 (Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; Luke 1:46-55; John 1:6-8, 19-28)Dr Angela Sawyer returns to speak about Isaiah 61, a passage that reflects the concerns of returned exiles, the difficulty of life under colonial rule, and hope in God reversing the fortunes of the marginalised. The alternate to the Psalm this week is Mary’s Magnificat, a song that continues these themes hundreds of years later. And the gospel reading gives us another view on John “the Baptist” presenting him as a witness, inviting reflection on how we witness or testify to Christ today.We refer to Ched Myers’ Binding the Strong Man.Vivaldi’s Business Plan by Samuel Wells30 min
- B103 – Advent 3 (Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; Luke 1:46-55; John 1:6-8, 19-28)Dr Angela Sawyer returns to speak about Isaiah 61, a passage that reflects the concerns of returned exiles, the difficulty of life under colonial rule, and hope in God reversing the fortunes of the marginalised. The alternate to the Psalm this week is Mary’s Magnificat, a song that continues these themes hundreds of years later. And the gospel reading gives us another view on John “the Baptist” presenting him as a witness, inviting reflection on how we witness or testify to Christ today.We refer to Ched Myers’ Binding the Strong Man.Vivaldi’s Business Plan by Samuel Wells30 min
- B102 - Advent 2 (Isaiah 40:1-11; Mark 1:1-8)Dr Angela Sawyer joins us to explore the tender and powerful image of God in Isaiah 40, as well as the cosmic and personal hope the end of exile represents to Israel. We talk about suffering and the yearning for freedom and fulfilment in Israel’s foundational story, and how it informs and shapes ours (communally). In a few short phrases Mark 1 outlines the subversive character of Mark’s writing, and of Jesus’ message of ‘good news’. We note that everybody came to hear John talk about repentance: what is the peculiar task of preaching about repentance in the 21st century? We highlight some key Advent questions: for whom are we waiting and why?We refer to Ched Myers’, Binding the Strong Man and Rick Morton’s One Hundred of Dirt.32 min
About By the Well
From the publisher's feed
By the Well is a weekly lectionary-based podcast for preachers. Each week we take a deep dive into some of the texts from the Revised Common Lectionary, exploring their ancient setting and how we might preach them today. We aim to take the Bible seriously, but not literally, bringing the best biblical scholarship into conversation with lived experience, pastoral need, and theology.
Our name, By the Well, is a nod to the Samaritan woman in John 4. In many ways she is an ordinary woman, perhaps on the margins of her community. When she encounters Jesus during her daily task of drawing water at the well, it transforms her and her faith. In discovering the “living water” that is Christ, she becomes a preacher and evangelist for her community, bringing them to encounter the good news of God for themselves.
- Fran and Robyn (co-founders)
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