The readings for October 14, 2018. Job is tired of waiting for an intermediary. The psalmist tries to balance despair and faith. Hebrews joins some clever Jewish and Helenistic philosophy, and Jesus makes things difficult in Mark. Job 23:1-9, 16-17… Continue Reading
The readings for October 7, 2018. The lectionary dips into Job for a few weeks, which makes Rob happy. The psalmist is totally crushing it. Hebrews will featured to the end of the church year, and Mike finds an interesting… Continue Reading
The readings for September 30, 2018. We dip into our ONLY Esther reading in the lectionary. The second of the Ascent Psalms tries to make a word count, and Mike wanders around through James and Mark, which is fine because… Continue Reading
The readings for September 23, 2018. Rob offers some alternative readings of the OT passages this week. Proverbs 31 might close out Proverbs celebrating Woman Wisdom. Psalm 1 might be as simple as it looks. James sounds a little like… Continue Reading
The readings for September 16, 2018. After a brief delay, the podcast is up. Rob & Mike discuss Lady Wisdom in Proverbs and a beautifully combined psalm in Ps 19. James urges Christians to tame their tongue (something the guys… Continue Reading
The readings for September 9, 2018. Rob works through his frustration with Proverbs, which is really frustration with people. Psalm 125 reminds us that faith is hard. James actually thinks Christians should act like Christians. And the Syrophoenician woman can… Continue Reading
The readings for September 2, 2018. Love is in the air in the Old Testament readings this week–but we aren’t sure exactly for whom, and maybe that’s okay. James provides his usual practical advice that never seems to catch on.… Continue Reading
The readings for August 26, 2018. Mike has his audio problems fixed! Rob struggles more with Solomon and proposes different context for Psalm 84. Mike discusses the armor of God by not actually discussing the armor of God, and the… Continue Reading
The readings for August 19, 2018. Mike had some technical issues this week which created a really interesting effect. So, pretend it was on purpose, and this podcast comes from the early days of podcasting when podcasts ran on kerosene… Continue Reading
The readings for August 12, 2018. David deals with the Absalom’s rebellion. The lectionary repeats Ps 130 again. Ephesians uses baptism language to talk about Christian behavior, and the journey through John 6 continues. 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33 Psalm… Continue Reading
The readings for August 5, 2018. David sees the fall out the Bathsheba incident and decides to write a song about it. Paul emphasizes unity in Ephesians. And Jesus begins to unpack the miraculous feeding in John to a group… Continue Reading
The readings for July 29, 2018. Things go badly for David. The psalm laments fools. Paul finally finishes his prayer in Ephesians that he started in Chapter 1, and Jesus feeds the 5000 in John. Meanwhile the guys discuss the… Continue Reading
The readings for July 22, 2018. Davidic Covenant is the focus of the Old Testament texts. Rob fills in the verses that are left out of the Psalm (which certainly change the tone). Ephesians celebrates the wall of separation being… Continue Reading
The readings for July 15, 2018. Mike & Rob have a new audio arrangement to cope with Rob’s new job opportunity. So, new opportunities to make mistakes are ahead! David brings the ark to the Temple (though not quite as… Continue Reading
The readings for July 8, 2018. David takes over Jerusalem. Yahweh is the true king of the north. Paul has a “friend” who’s seen the 3rd heaven. And Jesus is rejected by his own in Nazareth. 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10… Continue Reading
The readings for July 1, 2018. The astute among you will notice we missed a week. BUT we have attempted to make amends by providing a blues guitar riff to Mike’s reading of a classic lament psalm (performed by Dr.… Continue Reading
The readings for June 17, 2018. God decides to make some choices in 1 Samuel. Then end breaks into the middle in the psalm. We learn from Cicero’s sick burn that the Corinthians are fickle. And we try to work… Continue Reading
The readings for June 10, 2018. Israel wants a king like the cool nations. The last cycle of Davidic psalms begins in Book V of the Psalms. Mike & Rob marvel at Paul’s rhetorical gifts in 2 Corinthians. And the… Continue Reading
The readings for June 2, 2018. The second Sunday after Pentecost, and Rob truly gets his OT readings back. Samuel gets a hard call. The lectionary turns Ps 139 into a happier psalm. Paul’s evidence for the Christian faith makes… Continue Reading
The readings for May 27, 2018. It’s Trinity Sunday and with it come some familiar texts. Rob focuses on texts that aren’t included with Isaiah’s call. Yahweh shows off in Psalm 29 (and scares Mike’s dog). Paul & John have… Continue Reading
The readings for May 20, 2018. It’s Pentecost and the spirit of God is busy! The dry bones raise in Ezekiel. God has an extreme pet in Ps 104. Mike summarizes his dissertation in the discussion of Acts 2. And,… Continue Reading
The readings for May 13, 2018. Rob struggles with the apostles decisions in Acts. Mike things Rob has gone full rabbinic interpretation in Psalm 1. Jesus seems to be paid by the pronoun in his prayer in John 17, and… Continue Reading
The readings for May 6, 2018. In Acts, Peter finally understands what his Pentecost sermon meant. The whole earth celebrates Yahweh as King in the Psalm. The teaching of 1 John weaves together love and maybe even apocalyptic. And Jesus… Continue Reading
The readings for April 29, 2018. Better late than never, at least that’s what is hoped. After an unscheduled week off, the guys return with the readings from the 5th Sunday of Easter with some stories and some mysterious popping… Continue Reading
The readings for April 22, 2018. The story of Acts continues. Psalm 23 returns. And some Hebrew gets the guys wondering about connections between the Old & New Testament shepherds. They also answer some questions about these texts which lets… Continue Reading
The readings for April 15, 2018. Mike and Rob discuss God dragging the church in Acts to inclusion whether they like it or not. They review a psalm which challenges the rich (possibly), and they revisit themes of sin and… Continue Reading
The readings for April 8, 2018. Rob whines again about losing an Old Testament reading in favor of the book of Acts during the Easter season. They celebrate community in Acts 4 and Psalm 133. Plus we get the detail… Continue Reading
The readings for April 1, 2018. The readings for Easter Sunday. Rob & Mike talk eschatological food in Isaiah and celebrate with Ps 118 again. They talk resurrection in 1 Corinthians and how John draws readers into the resurrection. Isaiah… Continue Reading
The readings for March 25, 2018. With all the options for verses this week, Mike and Rob had to make some choices. Their first choice was to answer email. Then they hear the words of the Servant in Isaiah and… Continue Reading
The readings for March 18, 2018. It will be hard to pick a favorite part of this episode. It might be the movie discussion or the three minutes of looking for references that neither could find, but it’s all good… Continue Reading
The readings for March 11, 2018. Rob and Mike answer a twitter question. Rob makes an interesting (but confusing) discovery in Numbers. The lectionary breaks up a psalm again. The guys reflect on the use of Ephesians 2 early in… Continue Reading
The readings for March 4, 2018. The guys work through the 10 commandments. Rob breaks down a complicated (but beautiful) Torah psalm. They guys talk about wisdom and foolishness in 1 Corinthians. And Mike explains why Jesus’ ONE temple cleansing… Continue Reading
The readings for February 25, 2018. It’s the 2nd Sunday of Lent and the guys talk name changes and circumcision in Genesis. They focus on the happy parts of Psalm 22, but naturally Robert wants more. They unpack Paul’s arguments… Continue Reading
The readings for February 18, 2018. It’s the first Sunday of Lent. Mike & Rob talk about God’s covenant not to flood the earth again. They discuss half the alphabet of an acrostic psalm. They try to interpret a difficult… Continue Reading
The readings for February 11, 2018. Mike and Rob deal with deja vu in 2 Kings. They read the happy parts of Psalm 50. Mike tries to navigate what is happening in 2 Corinthians. And Rob gets a little closer… Continue Reading
The readings for February 4, 2018. Israel returns from exile remembering how cool God is. Paul shows the Corinthians what it means to limit his freedom with love, and Rob has a breakthrough in the Gospel of Mark that makes… Continue Reading
The readings for January 28, 2018. It’s the 4th Sunday after Epiphany. The guys talk about what makes a prophet and the pithy acrostic in Ps 111. They see Paul’s pastoral care in 1 Corinthians and marvel at who understands… Continue Reading
The readings for January 21, 2018. It the third Sunday after Epiphany and the guys spend their only lectionary time in Jonah and focus on trusting God in the psalms. There is more going on in Mark than meets the… Continue Reading
The readings for January 14, 2018. Samuel hears a difficult call. David’s tone in Ps 139 is a mystery. Paul answers the Corinthians questions, and the call of the Nathanael in John comes with plenty of Old Testament allusions. 1… Continue Reading
The readings for January 7, 2018. It’s the “Baptism of the Lord” Sunday (spoiler alert: it’s Jesus).Though the readings are water themed, these readings suggest it might also be called the “Moving of the Spirit” Sunday.There’s a brief look at… Continue Reading
The readings for December 31, 2017. It’s the first Sunday after Christmas. Rob and Mike find hope in Isaiah and try to organize creation’s choir in Ps 148. They note Paul’s skill in Galatians and share some student stories about… Continue Reading
The readings for December 24, 2017. The fourth Sunday of Advent comes as late in the calendar as it can. Mike & Rob discuss Davidic Covenant and the Temple and read what might be the sassiest psalm in the Bible.… Continue Reading
The readings for December 17, 2017. It’s the third Sunday of Advent. Mike and Rob debrief from their recent trip to Boston, and Mike makes some movie recommendations. They find the jubilee message in Isaiah, and they “listen to the… Continue Reading
The readings for December 10, 2017. The guys trade “eagles” for “vultures” in the book of Isaiah. They work through a psalm in Book III. They read one of the two 2 Peter readings in the whole lectionary, and officially… Continue Reading
The readings for December 3, 2017. The new year begins with a selection from the end of Isaiah. Psalm 80 prays for restoration, and the beginning of 1 Corinthians provides the overview of the whole book. Of course, Rob and… Continue Reading
Readings for November 26, 2017. Our last show of Year A is an extra long one. It’s “Christ the King” Sunday so all of our texts celebrate God’s reign with an allusion of sheep…except for Ephesians, which celebrates by highlighting God’s… Continue Reading
It’s the readings for November 19, 2017. Rob tries to savor the only lectionary reading from Judges. The guys interpret another song of ascents. And, (un)fortunately, they aren’t done with apocalyptic in 1 Thessalonians or Matthew 25. The good news… Continue Reading
The readings for November 12, 2017. This week, the Old Testament readings are merely prelude to Mike’s discussion of two eschatological passages. For good or for ill, Mike’s previous encounters with other ways of reading the text create what might… Continue Reading
With readings for November 5, 2017, Rob & Mike talk about crossing the Jordan in Joshua, personifications of chaos in the Psalms,Paul’s fatherly advice for Thessalonica, and Jesus escalating his rhetoric with the leadership in Jerusalem. Joshua 3:7-17 Psalm 107:1-7,… Continue Reading
This weeks readings are for October 29, 2017. It’s the 21st week after Pentecost. Rob deals with the lectionary’s choice to skip to the end of the Torah. Mike points out the gentle and nurturing spirit of Paul, seriously…AND more… Continue Reading
