Blessed Holy Week to you! We’re in 1 Kings – a time of, well, Kings. But also, maybe too many kings. And certainly, too many wives. And many, many prophets, sharing God’s rather unhappy word with all those kings, especially the prophet Elijah.

We’re in the beginning of the end – of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and of the Deuteronomistic History. We’ve got just one more book until we get a new point of view on this period in the story(ies) of our faith.

You know we love to keep it light, so our conversation includes call outs to Moby Dick, Macbeth, and a few musical numbers, if you know the references.

Today’s episode includes a brief clip of “Coronation Anthem No.1 Zadok the Priest” by G.F. Handel. The lyrics in the clip are, “Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet anointed Solomon King.” The individual clip is by ihsandincer and licensed for use through Pond 5.

You might be interested in a full version of the song, sung by the Choir of Westminster Abbey at the Coronation of King Charles as found on YouTube, here.

Cross Connections is a ministry of ⁠⁠St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA⁠⁠. Season two, Cover to Cover is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

A full copy list of readings for 2025 may be found on our website at ⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections⁠⁠

If you have questions for us, you can call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. Please note, we may use your recorded voice in an upcoming episode of Cross Connections. You can also email us at [email protected].

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / ⁠⁠Pond5⁠⁠.

You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship offerings and ministries at ⁠⁠⁠stdavidschurch.org⁠⁠⁠.

We discuss the reign of King David, the greatness of it, and how it all falls apart.

We also touch on any archaeological evidence for the existence of a “King David”, even though it really isn’t the point, but you can look up the Tel Dan Stele (or Steely Dan) as you like!

Cross Connections is a ministry of ⁠⁠St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA⁠⁠. Season two, Cover to Cover is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

A full copy list of readings for 2025 may be found on our website at ⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections⁠⁠

If you have questions for us, you can call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. Please note, we may use your recorded voice in an upcoming episode of Cross Connections. You can also email us at [email protected].

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / ⁠⁠Pond5⁠⁠.

You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship offerings and ministries at ⁠⁠⁠stdavidschurch.org⁠⁠⁠.

On today's episode...

We discuss the second half of the Book of First Samuel. This section of scripture introduces us to David, who will become known as Israel’s greatest king. But first, he must contend with the first king of Israel, Saul.

At first close as father and son, Saul and David’s relationship quickly turns, possibly by God’s hand after his spirit departs from Saul?

We talk about David’s relationships with various people including Saul, Jonathan, Michal, and his other wives.

We talk about popular stories from this section, including David and Goliath, the Witch of Endor, and the story of Nabal and Abigail. We also discuss the cat and mouse wilderness stories.

We also spend a while discussing the idea of the “anointed one,” the Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek).

Finally, we spend a while talking about the influence of this section of scripture establishing David on the Gospels and other writings of the New Testament. How have the writers of those scriptures used these stories and to what end?

At the end we make a request that you let us know: would you be interested in attending and participating in a live taping of the podcast with all three of us? Use the poll in Spotify or contact us by phone or email to let us know!

Cross Connections is a ministry of ⁠⁠St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA⁠⁠. Season two, Cover to Cover is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

A full copy list of readings for 2025 may be found on our website at ⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections⁠⁠

If you have questions for us, you can call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. Please note, we may use your recorded voice in an upcoming episode of Cross Connections. You can also email us at [email protected].

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / ⁠⁠Pond5⁠⁠.

You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship offerings and ministries at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org⁠⁠⁠.

On today's episode...

We welcome a guest on the podcast, the Rev. Thomas Szczerba, associate rector at St. David’s. He joins us for the portion of the episode where we discuss the Book of Ruth.

Ruth might feel like a bit of a relief after the violence of Judges, but we talk about why it might not have been perceived that way when it was written.

We discuss how the book of Ruth is positioned differently in Christian Bibles than Jewish ones.

We discuss how Ruth is a book of relationships and review each of them.

Then we say goodbye to the Rev. Thomas Szczerba and get into the first section of 1 Samuel. We talk about how 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel are really the same text, having been divided only because the scrolls had a size limitation.

We discuss the birth of Samuel, a figure akin in many ways to Moses, and the importance of Hannah’s song.

We get into how this book is another transition, taking us from the time of Judges finally into the time of Kings in Israel.

Samuel and God are not in favor of a King for Israel, and yet they heed the people’s wishes, appointing Saul. However, this does not go well, as God has Samuel tells the people in advance.

We stop short of introducing Israel’s greatest King, David, leaving that for next week’s episode.

If you want to understand the Hebrew scriptures better, especially the concept of harem as we discuss again today, Elliot recommends “This Strange and Sacred Scripture: Wrestling with the Old Testament and Its Oddities” by Matthew Richard Schlimm. You can find a copy of this book, or any book, through https://stdavidschurch.org/bookshop

Cross Connections is a ministry of ⁠⁠St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA⁠⁠. Season two, Cover to Cover is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

A full copy list of readings for 2025 may be found on our website at ⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections⁠⁠

If you have questions for us, you can call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. Please note, we may use your recorded voice in an upcoming episode of Cross Connections. You can also email us at [email protected].

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / ⁠⁠Pond5⁠⁠.

You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship offerings and ministries at ⁠⁠⁠stdavidschurch.org⁠⁠⁠.

On today's episode...

The book of Judges is not for the faint of heart. If you like “Game of Thrones” this might be the Bible book for you. We offer a content warning, noting that this book and our discussion of it is heavy material and should not be entered without caution for younger or more sensitive readers.

Today we’ll talk about what happens in leadership transition, especially when there is a leadership vacuum.

Judges isn’t the best name for this book. It might be better called “Chieftans.”

We review what kind of a “history” this book is, the authors’ perspective and what they cared about and didn’t care about in writing this down.

Finally, we review the many different judges and the downward spiral of their leadership, or lack thereof, over time. We talk about how the change in repeated refrain shifts from early in the book to the end, setting up the next texts we’ll be reading.

One more note: If you want to sound as smart as Elliot, getyourself a copy of “Howto Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now” by James L. Kugel,as he recommends.

One more note: If you want to sound as smart as Elliot, get yourself a copy of “How to Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now” by James L. Kugel, as he recommends.

Cross Connections is a ministry of ⁠⁠St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA⁠⁠. Season two, Cover to Cover is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

A full copy list of readings for 2025 may be found on our website at ⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections⁠⁠

If you have questions for us, you can call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. Please note, we may use your recorded voice in an upcoming episode of Cross Connections. You can also email us at [email protected].

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / ⁠⁠Pond5⁠⁠.

You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship offerings and ministries at ⁠⁠⁠stdavidschurch.org⁠⁠⁠.

On today's episode...

Today we’ll talk about Moses’ successor, Joshua…

and the Israelite community as it got established in the promised land. Could this be our least favorite book of the Bible so far? Despite that, this is one of our longer episodes!

We start off with a quick discussion of Lent (since we’re one week into it).

Then we get into Joshua itself, placing this book of the Bible in its context historically, literarily, and spiritually especially as we note parallels with Jesus. We talk about the consistent message that starts here and runs through all the Deuteronomistic history.

We discuss some terminology quirks – devoted doesn’t mean what we might expect here!

We discuss some of the important new characters found in these texts, including Rahab who is named in the Gospel of Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus.

We spend some time talking about the mark of the covenant with Abraham, and how it had not been followed for some time. We also talk about potential perspectives on this mark of the covenant from woman readers.

We also consider other perspectives of this story from the point of view of modern indigenous Christians, informed largely by the essay of Robert Allen Warrior titled, “Canaanites, cowboys, and Indians.”

Finally, we talk about the interesting way that this book concludes and leaves us primed for the action of the book of Judges.

Cross Connections is a ministry of ⁠⁠St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA⁠⁠. Season two, Cover to Cover is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

A full copy list of readings for 2025 may be found on our website at ⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections⁠⁠

If you have questions for us, you can call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. Please note, we may use your recorded voice in an upcoming episode of Cross Connections. You can also email us at [email protected].

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / ⁠⁠Pond5⁠⁠.

You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship offerings and ministries at ⁠⁠⁠stdavidschurch.org⁠⁠⁠.

On today's episode we discuss the Gospel of Mark, the earliest-written Gospel of the Bible.

Today’s conversation starts with the circumstances surrounding the initial writing of the Gospel of Mark. Do you remember who fiddled while Rome burned?

We ponder how the earliest Christians heard and understood this Gospel, and the developing Christology that you experience as you read each Gospel of the Bible.

We imagine the ways in which Christian tradition would be radically different if the Gospel of Mark were our only Gospel.

Finally, we talk about Jesus’ resurrection, other resurrection stories in the Bible, and which pop-culture genre is big on Lazarus.

Cross Connections is a ministry of ⁠⁠St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA⁠⁠. Season two, Cover to Cover is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

A full copy list of readings for 2025 may be found on our website at ⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections⁠⁠

If you have questions for us, you can call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. Please note, we may use your recorded voice in an upcoming episode of Cross Connections. You can also email us at [email protected].

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / ⁠⁠Pond5⁠⁠.

You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship offerings and ministries at ⁠⁠⁠stdavidschurch.org⁠⁠⁠.

On today's episode...

We finish Deuteronomy and, therefore, the books of the Torah/Pentateuch.

We discuss strange laws from both Ancient Israel and modern day. We’ll talk about the shifts happening and the new laws God is bestowing as the nation of Israel plans to finish wandering and finally settle. We notice how justice is framed in these texts and finally, we review the transition of power from Moses to Joshua and Moses’ death.

In today’s episode we mention the writings of Anglican Bishop and Biblical scholar, N.T. Wright, specifically “Jesus and the Victory of God.”

Today is Ash Wednesday! If you’re in our area, please feel welcome to join us on Wednesday, March 5 for worship at 7 a.m. in the Church, 12 noon in the Chapel, or 7 p.m. in the Chapel or Livestream. We’ll also be offering Ashes to Go from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at the Wayne Train Station, if you can’t attend the full worship in person. Information may be found at ⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/lent.⁠⁠

Cross Connections is a ministry of ⁠⁠St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA⁠⁠. Season two, Cover to Cover is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

A full copy list of readings for 2025 may be found on our website at ⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections⁠⁠

If you have questions for us, you can call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. Please note, we may use your recorded voice in an upcoming episode of Cross Connections. You can also email us at [email protected].

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / ⁠⁠Pond5⁠⁠.

You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship offerings and ministries at ⁠⁠⁠stdavidschurch.org⁠⁠⁠.

On today's episode...

We get into the first section of Deuteronomy:

• Who wrote Deuteronomy and when?
• What does Deuteronomy mean?
• What is the meaning of the change in tone found here?
• We use (and define for you) big theology words like SuzeraintyTreaty and Deuteronomic History and Hermeneutics.
• and we continue to wrestle with the writings.

Ash Wednesday is next week! If you’re in our area, please feel welcome to join us on Wednesday, March 5 for worship at 7 a.m. in theChurch, 12 noon in the Chapel, or 7 p.m. in the Chapel or Livestream. We’ll also be offering Ashes to Go from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at the Wayne Train Station, if you can’t attend the full worship in person. Information may be found at ⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/lent.⁠⁠  

Cross Connections is a ministry of ⁠⁠St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA⁠⁠. Season two, Cover to Cover is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

A full copy list of readings for 2025 may be found on our website at ⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections⁠⁠.

If you have questions for us, you can call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. Please note, we may use your recorded voice in an upcoming episode of Cross Connections. You can also email us at [email protected].

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / ⁠⁠Pond5⁠⁠.

You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship offerings and ministries at ⁠⁠⁠stdavidschurch.org⁠⁠⁠.

On today's episode we tackle all the digits of Numbers:

• Why is this section called “Numbers?” What else is itcalled?
• Will the Israelites EVER stop complaining and requesting to go back to Egypt?
• Who makes it to the other side of the Jordan?
• Why is Numbers a darling of the New Testament writers, coming up in different ways in multiple later texts?

Learn more as we help you make it past the accounting of all the tribes to find the gems of story and all the strange details – red heifers and talking donkey included!

Ash Wednesday is coming soon! If you’re in our area, please feel welcome to join us on Wednesday, March 5 for worship at 7 a.m. in the Church, 12 noon in the Chapel, or 7 p.m. in the Chapel or Livestream. We’ll also be offering Ashes to Go from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at the Wayne Train Station, if you can’t attend the full worship in person. Information may be found at ⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/lent.⁠⁠  

Cross Connections is a ministry of ⁠⁠St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA⁠⁠. Season two, Cover to Cover is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

A full copy list of readings for 2025 may be found on ourwebsite at ⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections⁠⁠

If you have questions for us, you can call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. Please note, we may use your recorded voice in an upcoming episode of Cross Connections. You can also email us at [email protected].

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill.Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / ⁠⁠Pond5⁠⁠.

You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’sworship offerings and ministries at ⁠⁠⁠stdavidschurch.org⁠⁠⁠.