Wrestling with God
Lectionary Date: August 2, 2020 [9th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A]
Jacob wrestles with a mysterious divine representative.
Genesis 29:15–28, with Cameron Howard
Everything is Changing
Lectionary Date: July 26, 2020 [8th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A]
Dr. Cameron Howard joins us on the show this week. Cameron is an associate professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. She is a graduate of Emory University, and has contributed to several commentaries and journals, including the Women’s Bible Commentary, WorkingPreacher.org, and the BibleOdyssey.org. Her current project is especially appropriate for our current situation, because it’s about how the Bible models faithful innovation for the twenty-first century.
Genesis 28:10–19a
God is in this Place!
Lectionary Date: July 19, 2020 [7th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A]
On the run, Jacob has a dream with words from God.
Genesis 25:19–34
Family Drama
Lectionary Date: July 12, 2020 [6th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A]
Warring brothers jostle for advantage, with a divine birthright in the balance.
Genesis 24:34–38, 42–49, 58–67
Cooperating with Divine Providence
Lectionary Date: July 5, 2020 [5th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A]
Abraham’s story isn’t quite done: we need to find a wife for the miracle child, Isaac.
Genesis 22:1–14, with Ethan Schwartz
Invitation to an Experience
Lectionary Date: June 28, 2020 [4th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A]
To chat about one of the most famous stories in all three of the Abrahamic faiths (the binding of Isaac), Rachel and Tim are joined by Dr. Ethan Schwartz. Ethan earned his PhD at Harvard University, where he studied how the Bible presents and formulates prophetic speech. He also studies how the Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible) came together and how the Hebrew Bible was interpreted in the first century, especially in early Christian communities and sectarian Jewish communities. Ethan is committed to bringing biblical studies into productive conversation with contemporary religious life—a great fit with our goals here at “First Reading”! To that end, he has shared his academic work in a number of synagogues, institutes, and churches. If you’re interested in more of his work, check out these great essays at theTorah.com: “Torah: Deuteronomy’s Version of Wisdom for Israel” and “The Red Heifer in Synagogue: Purifying Israel from Sin,” or his essay at MyJewishLearning.com: “Eshet Manoah: Mother of the Mighty Samson.”
Genesis 21:8–21
God Hears those on the Margins
Lectionary Date: June 21, 2020 [3rd Sunday after Pentecost, Year A]
The story shifts from Abraham and Sarah to an unlikely hero: Hagar.
Genesis 18:1–15; 21:1–7
Sarah’s Pleasure
Lectionary Date: June 14, 2020 [2nd Sunday after Pentecost, Year A]
Rachel eavesdrops on a special visit to Abraham and Sarah.
Genesis 1:1–2:4a
Beginnings
Lectionary Date: June 7, 2020 [Trinity Sunday, Year A]
Tim tackles a few preaching pitfalls, and gives some preaching angles on the opening text of the big book.
Numbers 11:24–30, with Reed Carlson
Another Outpouring of the Spirit
Lectionary Date: May 31, 2020 [Day of Pentecost, Year A]
For this Pentecost episode, Rachel and Tim are joined by Dr. Reed Carlson. Reed is an Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at the United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia and in Gettysburg, PA. He is also an ordained minister in the Episcopal Church and has Pentecostal roots, so he’s the perfect person to be talking to today! He earned his ThD at Harvard University, and his scholarly and church-ly interests include spirit possession in the Bible and how it relates to similar phenomena in the Global South, and ecumenism, especially among charismatic and progressive Christians. We recommend to you his article “Hannah at Pentecost: On Recognizing Spirit Phenomena in Early Jewish Literature,” published in the Journal of Pentecostal Theology.