The Leander Table | A Podcast from Leander UMC

What do we do with the Bible stories we usually skip?

In this episode of Back to Bible School, we turn to one of the strangest stories in scripture: Elisha, the boys, and the bears. It is brief, bizarre, violent, and uncomfortable—the kind of story that makes us stop and ask, “Wait… what?”

But maybe stories like this are not meant to give us easy heroes or simple morals. Maybe they invite us to wrestle. Through this strange passage, along with Jacob’s nighttime struggle in Genesis 32, we explore what it means to be people of faith who do not avoid hard questions, troubling texts, or the messy truth about ourselves.

The people of God are not named “the ones who have it all figured out.” They are named Israel: the ones who wrestle with God. And sometimes, in the wrestling, we walk away changed, limping, blessed, and a little more honest.

What if the healing we need begins when we stop trying to control where God is allowed to work?

In this episode of Back to Bible School, we revisit the story of Naaman from 2 Kings 5. Naaman is powerful, successful, respected, and important—but he is also unwell. When a young Israelite servant girl points him toward healing, Naaman discovers that grace does not arrive through status, ceremony, or control. It comes through humility, vulnerability, and washing in a river he would never have chosen.

This story invites us to examine what might be called a disease of the imagination: the certainty that we already know which people matter, which places are holy, and how God is supposed to act. Naaman’s healing begins when he lets go of the need to manage the miracle.

Grace still works this way. It heals the identities we build for ourselves until what remains is belovedness.

What if David didn't defeat Goliath by becoming someone else, but by trusting what God had already placed in his hands?

In this episode of Back to Bible School, we revisit the familiar story of David and Goliath from 1 Samuel 17. Many of us learned this story as children as a lesson about courage, bravery, and facing our giants. But there is another question worth asking: why David?

David was not a soldier. He was not wearing the king’s armor. He was a young shepherd who had spent his ordinary days doing ordinary shepherd things: watching sheep, protecting the flock, and learning how to throw a stone.

This story invites us to wonder what gifts God has already been cultivating in us, in our children, and in our church. The tools may seem small. The practice may seem ordinary. But sometimes the thing already in your hand is exactly what love needs next.

In this week's message, guest speaker Rev. David McMinn explores the often misunderstood and incomplete story of Jonah. Moving beyond the Sunday school version, this sermon dives into the full narrative to uncover two powerful truths for our lives today:

• Finding God in the Depths: Whether we flee from our calling or face external trials that feel like a "pit," Rev. McMinn reminds us that God is a loving presence who meets us exactly where we are, even in our darkest moments.
• The Radical Call to Compassion: Often we want mercy for ourselves but not for our enemies. This message challenges us to reflect on God’s universal love and how we are called to offer grace, mercy, and compassion—even to those we might find difficult to love.

Join us as we re-examine this familiar story with new eyes and consider how we can become people who reflect God's widening heart in a divided world.

What if the prophet in the story is not the person with the title, but the one who can actually see what God is doing?

In this episode of Back to Bible School, we revisit one of the strangest and funniest stories in scripture: Balaam and his talking donkey from Numbers 22–24. It is a story full of political fear, blessings and curses, blocked paths, wounded pride, and one very perceptive animal.

But beneath the comedy is a serious invitation. Sometimes the expected religious voices miss what God is doing, while the overlooked, underestimated, or silenced voices speak truth with startling clarity. This story reminds us that God still speaks, and sometimes the message comes from the person, place, or voice we least expect.

So this week, listen closely. And when you have a word of encouragement, hope, or love, speak it. You never know when God might choose your voice.

Noah’s Ark is not a children’s story.

In this episode of Back to Bible School, we revisit Genesis 6–9 and the flood narrative with fresh eyes—moving beyond cute animals, calm waters, and rainbow decorations to face the grief, violence, and devastation at the heart of the story.

But the flood is not only a story of creation coming undone. It is also a story of God remembering life. When the waters of chaos rise, the Spirit still moves, new creation becomes possible, and the rainbow becomes a sign of covenant: a reminder to choose life over violence.

As we reflect on Pride Month, this ancient story invites us to remember those who have been harmed, excluded, or forgotten and to become a community that protects the dignity, worth, and belovedness of every person.

What if the creation story is less about explaining the mechanics of the universe and more about healing the words spoken over us?

In this opening episode of the Back to Bible School sermon series, we revisit Genesis 1 with fresh eyes, recovering the wonder, strangeness, and beauty of a story many of us first heard as children. Along the way, we explore how the words spoken over us shape the worlds we live in, how Genesis offers a counter-story to cultures built on violence and production, and how God’s first word over creation is not shame, fear, or scarcity, but goodness.

You are not what you produce. You are not the worst label someone gave you. In the beginning, God called creation good - and that word still speaks.