Narrative Lectionary from Working Preacher

What does it mean to have "the mind of Christ"?

In this episode of I Love to Tell the Story, hosts Rolf Jacobson and Kathryn Schifferdecker are joined by scholar Karoline Lewis to explore one of the most beloved and theologically rich passages in all of Paul's letters: the Christ hymn of Philippians 2:1-13.

The conversation opens with Paul's appeal to a divided congregation: since there is encouragement in Christ, consolation from love, and sharing (koinonia) in the Spirit, the Philippians are called to unity and genuine humility. Ralph unpacks an important Greek grammatical point: the opening "if" is actually a second-class conditional, best translated as "since." The condition isn't in doubt; Paul is building on a foundation he and his readers already share.

From there, the hosts dig into the Christ hymn itself, examining how the incarnation functions as Paul's paradigm for Christian community. It isn't the resurrection or even primarily the crucifixion that Paul holds up here, but the incarnation: the moment God chose to enter human life not as a pharaoh or emperor, but as a servant. Caroline highlights how the call to "have the same mind" is an active, directional verb, pointing the community toward a specific vision of what it means to follow Jesus.

The episode closes with a reminder not to stop at the cross: the hymn ends in exaltation, with the bold counter-imperial declaration that Jesus Christ is Lord, not Caesar.

Whether you're preparing a sermon, leading a Bible study, or just wrestling with what Christian community looks like in an age of personal branding, this episode offers deep resources for reflection.

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Celebrate Working Preacher's 19th anniversary!

This fall, Working Preacher is celebrating 19 years as a lectionary resource. Thank you for giving generously to ensure the site's future as a source for Narrative Lectionary resources, including this podcast.

Support Working Preacher

What does it look like when a community takes on the mind of Christ?

In this episode of I Love to Tell the Story, hosts Rolf Jacobson and Kathryn Schifferdecker, along with Johannine scholar Karoline Lewis, dig into one of the most beloved and theologically rich passages in all of Paul's letters: the Christ hymn of Philippians 2:1-13.

In a culture that rewards self-promotion and personal branding, Paul's call to radical humility cuts against the grain. The hosts unpack why Paul reaches back to the incarnation (not the resurrection, not even the crucifixion) as the paradigm for Christian community, what it means that "every knee shall bow" in a world where Caesar claimed lordship, and why that second-class conditional in Greek matters more than you might think.

• Enter the Bible: Was Paul the real founder of Christianity?
• Commentary on Philippians 1:1-18a written by Timothy L. Adkins-Jones

Mentioned in this episode:

Celebrate Working Preacher's 19th anniversary!

This fall, Working Preacher is celebrating 19 years as a lectionary resource. Thank you for giving generously to ensure the site's future as a source for Narrative Lectionary resources, including this podcast.

Support Working Preacher

What do you do when you're surrounded by altars to gods you don't worship and one altar to a God nobody knows?

In this episode, hosts Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and scholar Karoline Lewis explore Paul's remarkable sermon at the Areopagus in Athens (Acts 17), where he meets a sophisticated, curious culture on its own terms.

Mentioned in this episode:

Celebrate Working Preacher's 19th anniversary!

This fall, Working Preacher is celebrating 19 years as a lectionary resource. Thank you for giving generously to ensure the site's future as a source for Narrative Lectionary resources, including this podcast.

Support Working Preacher

When Paul and Silas land in a Philippian jail, beaten, chained, and singing, they model something the early church understood deeply: that faithfulness to God sometimes means refusing to play by the empire's rules.

In this episode, Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Karoline Lewis unpack Acts 16:16-34, tracing the clash between the gospel and the powers of Rome, the surprising story of a slave girl with a "spirit of a python," and what it looks like to respond to violence with pacifism and praise.

Mentioned in this episode:

Celebrate Working Preacher's 19th anniversary!

This fall, Working Preacher is celebrating 19 years as a lectionary resource. Thank you for giving generously to ensure the site's future as a source for Narrative Lectionary resources, including this podcast.

Support Working Preacher

What happens when the last person you'd trust becomes the one God chooses? In Acts 9, Saul, the man "breathing threats and murder" against the early church, is stopped in his tracks on the road to Damascus. But the real drama might belong to Ananias, the ordinary believer asked to welcome his worst enemy and call him brother.

Mentioned in this episode:

Celebrate Working Preacher's 19th anniversary!

This fall, Working Preacher is celebrating 19 years as a lectionary resource. Thank you for giving generously to ensure the site's future as a source for Narrative Lectionary resources, including this podcast.

Support Working Preacher

"Unless I see the wounds… I will not believe."

Thomas gets a bad reputation, but this passage is about something far more profound than doubt. In John 20:19–31, the resurrected Jesus appears twice: once to the disciples huddled behind locked doors, and a week later to Thomas. In doing so, he reveals a stunning truth: the risen Christ still bears the marks of the cross.

Mentioned in this episode:

Celebrate Working Preacher's 19th anniversary!

This fall, Working Preacher is celebrating 19 years as a lectionary resource. Thank you for giving generously to ensure the site's future as a source for Narrative Lectionary resources, including this podcast.

Support Working Preacher

Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb alone — not to anoint, not to prepare, but simply to grieve. And what she finds there changes everything. In this Easter Sunday episode, hosts Rolf Jacobson and Kathryn Schifferdecker are joined by Johannine scholar Karoline Lewis to explore one of the most intimate resurrection encounters in all of Scripture.

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Celebrate Working Preacher's 19th anniversary!

This fall, Working Preacher is celebrating 19 years as a lectionary resource. Thank you for giving generously to ensure the site's future as a source for Narrative Lectionary resources, including this podcast.

Support Working Preacher

What does it mean that Jesus died at the exact hour the Passover lambs were being slaughtered? And why did John include such specific, seemingly minor details — unbroken bones, blood and water, a burial garden — in his account of the crucifixion? In this Good Friday episode, hosts Rolf Jacobson and Kathryn Schifferdecker are joined by Johannine scholar Karoline Lewis to unpack the rich theological layers woven into John 19.

Mentioned in this episode:

Celebrate Working Preacher's 19th anniversary!

This fall, Working Preacher is celebrating 19 years as a lectionary resource. Thank you for giving generously to ensure the site's future as a source for Narrative Lectionary resources, including this podcast.

Support Working Preacher

It Is Finished.

What did Jesus mean when he said "It is finished"? Was it defeat — or completion? In this Maundy Thursday episode of I Love to Tell the Story, hosts Rolf Jacobson and Kathryn Schifferdecker are joined by Johannine scholar Karoline Lewis to unpack three of the seven last words of Jesus as recorded uniquely in John's Gospel. Drawing from John 19:23–30, they explore the profound theological layers woven into Jesus' final moments on the cross — and why John's telling is unlike any other.

This episode is ideal for preachers, ministry leaders, and Bible study groups preparing for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Whether you're preaching the Seven Last Words, walking a congregation through John's extended Passion narrative, or simply seeking richer engagement with the crucifixion story, this conversation offers scholarly depth and pastoral warmth in equal measure.

In this episode of 'I Love to Tell the Story', hosts Rolf Jacobson, Karoline Lewis, and Kathryn Schifferdecker discuss the readings for Palm Sunday, focusing on the symbolism of the triumphal entry in John 12 and the crucifixion narrative in John 19. They explore themes of honor and shame in the Roman context, Jesus' identity as King, and the significance of his final words. The conversation emphasizes the importance of listening to Jesus' voice and recognizing his kingship, even in the face of suffering and death.

Mentioned in this episode:

Celebrate Working Preacher's 19th anniversary!

This fall, Working Preacher is celebrating 19 years as a lectionary resource. Thank you for giving generously to ensure the site's future as a source for Narrative Lectionary resources, including this podcast.

Support Working Preacher