Geocaching Scripture

We look at the well-known story of the sower who sows seeds all around. Seeds fall all over – some to growth, some to loss, some to a short, dried-out life. But look at the seed taken by the "birds of the air" – what do said birds do with the seed once they eat it? This detail could point to God's enduring grace even in a harsh and dry world – the seed of the gospel distributed, compost included, all over the earth.

We're back – from illness, from holidays, from the madness! Here is our discussion of a little bit of graffiti, a very small geocache indeed, that appeared in the margins of Hebrews 1:3 in a third century manuscript. This smidgen of script, beginning with something like "Fool and knave..." gives us some insight into an ancient discussion about theology, heresy, and the truths of faith. Sometimes the truth can hinge on a single word or part of a word, and we see that here, in the throes of a primeval nerd fight. 

A belated Christmas episode as a sinus infection had me knocked out for a while. We look at the visit of the Magi, specifically the gifts they brought. Why did they choose these gifts? Why was it important for Mary and Joseph to have these gifts in this exact moment? These are also the most expensive gifts this family had probably ever seen. We drill down into the history of these mysterious men, where they came from, and what we can know about the desert night they quickly disappeared back into. 

The story of Jesus healing the bleeding woman is well-known, but let's pull back and look at the context. This woman crosses Jesus' path on his way to heal a Sanhedrin official's daughter. If Jesus wanted to win friends and influence people, he would have just kept going. But he didn't, he wanted to bring in the Kingdom. We talk through this passage and the Lord's internal sense of "kingdom timing."

This week we talk through a very strange episode in which God attempts to kill Moses, Zipporah performs a hasty circumcision, there's some kind of midnight declaration, and the attack relents. So....? It's a particularly strange exchange, which makes it a fascinating geocache. Why was God tryna KILL Moses? Why was Moses's son NOT circumcised? What does "bridegroom of blood" mean?! So, there's a lot going on here, but we chase down what we can. Let's look at the place of mystery within the story of faith – why it's there and what it tells us, and what secrets should we let it keep. 

What good has Christianity ever done?! We live in a time that asks that question often – with all the sins of the church, how can we believe what it claims? We talk through some of the great contributions of the church throughout history – from education to prison reform. We look at how God's people did, despite ourselves, sometimes perform "greater works than these" as promised.

I believe but help my unbelief! I think most of us would describe this exclamation as our "life verse" at least once. We look at Mark 9, the story of the possessed by and the dedicated father who begs Jesus for help. We look at how this story fits into its immediate context, and what theme is worked through these narratives. After the immense clarity of the transfiguration, we're confronted with a situation where life makes the least sense: The suffering of a child. Let's talk context, history, suffering and a brief aside about snowblowers. 

Did ya miss us? We're back and we're talking about the greatest commandment of all the law. We look at this well-known verse which would have been front and center of every Israelite mind in Jesus' day. We also discuss the fact that only Jesus himself could keep this commandment perfectly. Rick almost chokes trying to pronounce Hebrew and Josh reminisces on the Halloween snowfalls of Wisconsin. Happy Turkey, enjoy!

For some reason, the whale/shark/leviathan that swallowed Jonah seemed to change from a boy to a girl in the narrative. Of course, this is done without comment and just keeps moving, not showing up in our English translations. So...what gives? We take a minute to poke around in the belly of the whale and see what we can see.

Jesus asks us to take his "yoke" upon us in a world that prides itself on being "woke." He calls us to the transforming paradox of working so that we can rest in Him, and resting in Him so that we can join him in his work. We talk about ancient farm technology, "lakes" in Nebraska, and what it means to that Jesus is always right next to us sharing the load.