In this episode we are booking it through 97 chapters of scripture-- that's about 10% of what Christians refer to as the Old Testament covered in just one hour! And it's majorly important section of sacred text, as it is the heart of the Torah, or the books about the laws that God offers to Israel. Theologian Gary Anderson posits that the laws God presents to Israel in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are a tangible demonstration of the love God and Israel have for one another. “The love Israel feels for God must be manifested by the observance of divine commandments,” he explains. Essentially, for Israel, upholding the law is not a requirement for being allowed to live in covenant with God. Rather, upholding the law is an expression of gratitude and love for God who is already in a covenantal relationship with God's chosen people.We will explore how this theological framework helps provide contemporary Christian readers with a more informed, generous, and edifying lens for understanding our own relationship to the laws within the Torah. We are excited to welcome Rev. Arthur Stewart as our guest!You can listen to the soundtrack playlist for this episode by clicking here. And full disclosure: it's our most fun playlist yet! 

And, we're back! This week, we are covering the book of Exodus. Exodus tells the story of the Moses leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and to the Promised Land. Their journey to the Promised Land is long, arduous, and taxing as they travel through a literal and spiritual wilderness. It turns out that leaving behind the only way of life you've ever known isn't exactly easy.We will be talking about imposter syndrome, the importance of community, the human urge to complain, and God's eternal grace and patience. You can check out this week's playlist on Spotify.

It's our first episode of Scripture Soundtrack, and we are following the sage advice of Julie Andrews: "Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start." When you begin with the Bible, you begin with Genesis! Genesis seeks to help us understand how God is connected to humanity. From the first chapter, when God creates humankind and declares us "very good" to the final chapter when Joseph promises his ancestors, "God will surely come to you," Genesis helps us see how God is working in partnership with us. God is a creative, loving, merciful, and-- at times-- demanding partner who is forever finding new ways to journey alongside us and guide us into right relationship with each other, the world, and God. As the stories within Genesis unfold, we recognize that humans tend to be curious, imperfect, and-- at times-- selfish partners. However, our worst tendencies our no match for the great hope and best intentions that God places within each of us. You can listen to this episode's full playlist by clicking here.If you'd like to do some more reading or research on Genesis and the stories we discussed this week, you can check out these resources:Genesis: Beginning and Blessing, a commentary by R. Kent HughesThe Bible Project's YouTube SeriesFish Out Of Water, a documentary dissecting "clobber texts" like Genesis 19

On December 30, we will drop the first episode of our new podcast series, Scripture Soundtrack! Each week, our hosts, Rev. Whitney Waller and Rev. Gabe Edwards (often joined by a special guest or two) will take us through a book of the Bible. In addition to sharing stories and dropping some theological knowledge, they will also share an epic playlist for each and every book of the Bible. This fusion of scripture and song is intended to help us better understand how God is speaking to us, inspiring us, and shaping our ever-growing faith.