TEN FOOT POLE

Welcome to our first episode on the book of Revelation in our 5 week study.  This week, Dr. Lewis and Pastor A.J. lay out some of the context for what is to come.  The book of Revelation may not be even remotely what we have heard in popular culture.  It’s not about the end of the world, but rather a word of encouragement for the church.  Stay tuned for more on the visions from Revelation!

Discussion Questions

1. What have you learned about the book of Revelation before?

2. Have you ever thought about Revelation being an encouraging message before?

3. What encouraging things can we take out of this vision of John of Patmos?

4. What issues do your church (or the wider church) have that you think these words from Revelation could speak to?

5. What are you looking forward to unpacking in the next few weeks of this study?

6. What does this tell us about God?

Happy *almost* Easter everyone!  For this episode Pastor A.J. and Pastor Melissa dive into the Gospel lesson for Easter Sunday: Luke 24:1-12 and some death and resurrection theology.  What does it mean to be people of faith living in the wake of the resurrection? What is our focus?

Discussion Questions:

1.  What does it mean for your faith to live in the light of the resurrection?

2. What's at the front of your worship space? What is the focus?

3. What does it mean to you that “the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair”?

4. What does this tell us about God?

Two ADHD pastors talk about the morals of Judas, Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and Jesus.  Everything from bad boyfriend behavior to some questions of sexuality.  Join for this fun and funny conversation on John 12:1-8 for Sunday, April 6t, 2025. 

Discussion Questions:

1.  What is your working resurrection theology around Jesus and Lazarus?

2. How have you thought about Jesus’ rebuke of using the expensive oil before?

3. Do you think Jesus is commanding us to “keep the poor with us always”?

4. What benefits of doubt do you give to Judas?

5. What have you learned about Jesus’ singleness or marriedness?

6. What does this tell you about God?

Pastor Colby is the author of Unclobber and The Shift. Check out Ep 3.26 for our conversation on Unclobber.  Today, Pastor Colby and Pastor A.J. unpack some differences between conservative evangelical perspectives and a more Lutheran one, some sacramental theology, and sin from different perspectives. Pastor Colby shares different perspectives on theology and what were things that were “shifted” in his discernment away from conservative evangelicalism.

Discussion Questions:

1. What have you been taught about different kind of Christians?

2. What is your working sacramental theology?

3. What do you think humans have done with this knowledge to know what is “good and evil”?

4. What is your working definition of sin? How does what Pastor Colby explains about hamartia change your understanding of sin?

5.  What does this tell us about God?

The Queer Bible Study group at the Jacksonville Campus Ministry unpack Paul.  They talk about different perspectives on Paul, his personality, his faith, and his potential queerness.  Dive into hear these amazing college students share their faith, theology, and perspectives on one of our Biblical writers! Episode guests include: Rev. Sarah Locke, Sam Rakita, Annaliese Trammel, & Geo Peterson.

Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever thought about Paul’s personality and how it influences his writings?

2. Can you relate to the queer experience of “the thorn in my side”?

3. How can this queer perspective on Paul’s work help us to make space for people’s beliefs and feelings?

4. The group mentions that Paul is a baby Christian, what gives us authority?

5.  What does this tell you about God?

Pastor Carla and Pastor A.J. dive into Philippians 3:17—4:1 for Sunday, March 16, 2025. Paul is talking to Roman colonizers in Philippi and challenging them to look to Christ and the apostles for behavior guidance for living out their calling as followers of Christ.  What is their emphasis? Their nation? Their privileges? Or looking towards equity for all people in the body of Christ?

Discussion Questions:

1.  How can we use our privilege to move forward the body of Christ?

2. What does it mean to be an ally to you?

3. What is your understanding of equity in the Body of Christ?

4. What would imitating the early church leaders look like to you?

5. What is the Good News?

Pastor Sarah and Pastor A.J. dive into the “Gospel according to Paul in a nutshell” from 1st Corinthians 15.  What does it mean to believe in vain? What does a faith that lives out the Gospel look like? Paul brings us into the word, speaking about how he was lifeless and in the promise of Jesus’ death and resurrection, he is given new life. 

Discussion Questions:

1. How do you understand Paul’s comment of being “lifelessly born”?
2. Is your theology rooted more in Jesus’ ministry or in Jesus’ death and resurrection?
3. What would it look like to you to “believe in vain”?
4. How do you view who is included in the Body of Christ?
5. What is the Good News?

Other Notes:

Link to Bishop Ortiz response to Bishop Budde’s sermon: https://metrodcelca.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/As-dawn-broke-over-D.C.%E2%80%94Reflecting-on-Bishop-Buddes-Sermon.pdf 

This week, we are diverging from the Bible to address the most uncomfortable conversation: Religion and Politics.  What’s going on right now in the religious state of the union? Seems like a lot, what do we listen to and what is even true?  I don’t know where you get your religious news, but let me introduce you to Jack Jenkins.  Here’s just a little interview with my favorite religion reporter in DC.  Jack has access to a lot of events and people to keep us up to date on the current state of our religious situation in the United States. A lot has been happening and we brought Jack in just to give us a little insight into what is going on.

The story of Joseph’s reunion with his brothers is filled with hope, despair, and lots of tears.  Dr. Chan and Pastor A.J. dive into this uncomfortable reunion and ask the big questions about God’s interventions in our midst.  We tackle everything from Divine Providence, theodicy, and even predestination theology. Join us for this deep conversation! We discuss Genesis 45:3-11, 15 for Sunday, February 23, 2025.

Discussion Questions:

1.  What is your working theology on how God intervenes in our lives?

2. Where is God in the midst of suffering?

3. Does God have a “predetermined” path for our lives?

4. Where do you see hope in God’s intervention in our lives?

5. Where is the Good News?

Good News? Pastor Jesse and Pastor A.J. dive into the Sermon on the Plain from the Gospel of Luke.  Blessed are you and woe to you! How does this compare to the Beatitudes in the Gospel of Matthew? What is the author of Luke really getting at?  And for goodness sakes, where is the hope?!  Luke 6:17-26 for Sunday, February 16, 2025.

Discussion Questions:

1.  How do you hear the Blessings and Woes? Is it hope or warning?

2. How do you understand this in context of Jesus’ greater message?

3. What do you think the implications of the “y’all” are in Jesus’ words?

4. What does collective hope mean to you?

5. What is the Good News?