Moving Forward - Weekly Lectionary Podcast

1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21 & Luke 9:51-62: Do you ever wonder, "Why are THESE the folks who were chosen for that task?" Would it make more sense to maybe choose someone else for a specific job or role? This week, we have a few stories of God choosing some strange recruits.

Isaiah 65:1-9 & Luke 8:26-39: The lectionary passages this week offer stories of God showing up before people even know how or what to ask.

Prov 8:1-4, 22-31 & John 16:12-15 - For the Sunday in which the Church most closely examines God's relationship with Godself, let's take some time to refresh our pneumatology

Gen 11:1-9; Acts 2:1-21 and John 14:8-17: Humans can unify around all sorts of things: fear, hate, love, model railroading... for Pentecost Sunday, we explore some of the motivations for unity in the Biblical texts, and why God calls us to speak unified words.

Acts 16:16-34 & John 17:20-26 - How are Paul's actions with an enslaved, possessed woman and the jailer who tortured him an answer to Jesus' prayer? Jesus prays for unity that will testify to Jesus' salvific mission. It so weirds out the Romans that they cannot help but notice that something strange is going on. Strange unity!

Acts 16:9-15; Psa 67; Rev 21:10, 22-22:5; John 14:23-29: There are lots of things that we get to fight about with regard to Scripture (if we want to). The Gospel triumphing over old national or citizenship statuses is simply not one of them. Citizenship in the Kingdom of God has to mean more than whatever other loyalties we have. And love of neighbor must triumph over whatever prejudices or biases we have. Those are not optional add-ons, but at the very core of the Jesus-project. If reading Acts teaches us anything, it's that the Gospel starts in Asia, spreads very quickly to Africa, and then, eventually, is shared across the world. Jesus' love does not stop at, or allow itself to be stopped by, any border.

Acts 11:1-18; Rev 21:1-6 & John 13:31-35 Few fights are as intense as those between people who mostly agree, right? Something about religion turns neighbors into, well, bad neighbors all too often. This week, the lectionary texts tell tales of folks... getting along, working together and including folks who are different than them. I don't know about you, but I need those stories right now.

Acts 9:36-43; Psalm 23; Rev 7:9-17 & John 10:22-30 Look, let's not kid ourselves, most of us were not members of Jesus' original flock. We get to be Acts 10 followers, right? So, on this Good Shepherd Sunday, let's pause, and reflect with humility and gratitude on Jesus adding sheep of other pastures - John 20:16. (that's us!).

Acts 9:1-6; Rev 5:11-14; John 21:1-19 - I don't know about you, but I spend a lot more time thinking about how to follow Jesus than I do in thinking about how to worship Jesus. Revelation 5, and someone of wife's favorite music, offer a useful corrective.

Acts 5:27-32 & John 20:19-31 - We hear it all the time: "When God Closes a Door, God opens a window..." God opening and closing doors as a metaphor is both ancient and Biblical. What do the lectionary readings have to say about Jesus and doors? And why is knowing the difference between Pharisees and Sadducees so important? [I'm looking at you, "King of Kings" movie...]