First Reading

First Reading

By Rev. Rachel Wrenn, PhD; Rosy Kandathil, JD; Paul Essah, MDiv; Tim McNinch, PhDReligion & SpiritualityChristianity
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First Reading episodes

  • Genesis 1:1–2:4a
    Bereshit Bara' Elohim

    Lectionary Date: June 4, 2023 [Trinity Sunday, Year A]

    Rachel offers some mystical reflections on a familiar text.

    14 min
  • Numbers 11:24–30
    Eldad and Medad

    Lectionary Date: May 28, 2023 [Day of Pentecost, Year A]

    It's an OT outpouring of the Holy Spirit for this Pentecost text!

    11 min
  • Psalm 68:1–10, 32–35
    The One Who Rides Upon the Clouds

    Lectionary Date: May 21, 2023 [7th Sunday of Easter, Year A]

    It's Ascension Week! Tim tries to show that Jesus' ascension was NOT an anticlimax to the Gospel.

    17 min
  • Psalm 66:8–20
    They/We/I Give Thanks!

    Lectionary Date: May 14, 2023 [6th Sunday of Easter, Year A]

    This week, we dip into the First Reading archive for a second listen to our episode on this Easter psalm.

    17 min
  • Psalm 31:1–5, 15–16, with Bill Brown
    Let Your Heart be Emboldened, You who Wait for the Lord

    Lectionary Date: May 7, 2023 [5th Sunday of Easter, Year A]

    Rosy and Paul are joined this week by special guest, Bill Brown. Bill is Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA, and an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church (USA). He is also the author of several books, including Seeing the Psalms: A Theology of Metaphor (2002), God and the Imagination: A Primer to Reading the Psalms in an Age of Pluralism (2001), and Deep Calls to Deep: The Psalms in Dialogue amid Disruption (2021). Those are just some his titles directly on the Psalms, friends! Some of you may remember using his Handbook to Old Testament Exegesis (2017) which has become an OT seminary classroom staple for many of us as students and teachers.

    47 min
  • Psalm 23
    A Shepherd's Perspective on the Shepherd Psalm

    Lectionary Date: April 30, 2023 [4th Sunday of Easter, Year A]

    Paul reads the famous psalm through the eyes of his grandmother in Ghana.

    13 min
  • Psalm 116: 1–4, 12–19
    When I was Hanging by a Thread

    Lectionary Date: April 23, 2023 [3rd Sunday of Easter, Year A]

    Tim looks at a prayer of thanksgiving with a theme of new life.

    10 min
  • Psalm 16
    Feel the Love

    Lectionary Date: April 16, 2023 [2nd Sunday of Easter, Year A]

    Paul is up this week for some insights into the psalm of the week!

    13 min
  • Jeremiah 31:1–6
    Easter's Fresh Start

    Lectionary Date: April 9, 2023 [Easter Sunday, Year A]

    Tim finds the "Easter-y" resonance in an ancient prophetic text—and we welcome our newest co-host, Paul Essah!

    14 min

About First Reading

From the publisher's feed

First Reading offers exegetical resources for the Old Testament Lectionary reading each week. Dr. Rachel Wrenn is Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Trinity Lutheran Seminary (Capital…