Palm/Passion Sunday: Trusting Even in the Darkness
Lectionary Date: April 14, 2019 [Liturgy of the Passion, Year C]
Rachel is up to bat this week, working through a unique Palm Sunday text.
Isaiah 43:16–21, with Vanessa Lovelace
God is Doing Something New
Lectionary Date: April 7, 2019 [5th Sunday in Lent, Year C]
Rachel and Tim are joined this week by Rev. Dr. Vanessa Lovelace, a Hebrew Bible professor at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, GA. In addition to her position at ITC, Dr. Lovelace is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. She is the co-editor of the book, Womanist Interpretations of the Bible: Expanding the Discourse (with Gay Byron). The ITC website describes her current project, a monograph “that analyzes how church teachings and public policy, in combination with particular biblical texts, sustain interlocking categories of race, gender, sexuality and class to exclude black women as symbolic representations of the nation.”
Joshua 5:9–12
Rolling Away the Reproach—The End of an Era
Lectionary Date: March 31, 2019 [4th Sunday in Lent, Year C]
Tim takes the lead this week, reflecting on the context and wordplay in Joshua 5.
Isaiah 55:1-9
Hoi! Seeking God With Your Whole Nefesh
Lectionary Date: March 24, 2019 [3rd Sunday in Lent, Year C]
Rachel riffs on the body imagery in Isaiah 55!
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
Cutting an Unusual Deal
Lectionary Date: March 17, 2019 [2nd Sunday in Lent, Year C]
A strange vision, a bloody ritual, and divine promises on the way to a profound expression of grace. Rachel leads us through this fascinating passage!
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Lectionary Date: March 10, 2019 [1st Sunday in Lent, Year C]
Rachel offers a mini-episode with some literary and historical context for the text, and a preaching angle on stewardship with a surprising twist!
2 Samuel 11:1–15, with Caralie Focht
Lectionary Date: July 29, 2018 [10th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B]
This week, Rachel and Tim are joined by Caralie Focht (Emory University) to discuss the infamous story about Bathsheba and David. How can preachers address the issues of assault in this text with pastoral sensitivity toward those in their congregations who have experienced (or perpetrated) similar trauma?
2 Samuel 7, with Jacob Wright
Lectionary Date: July 22, 2018 [9th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B]
In this, First Reading’s very first episode ever, Rachel and Tim introduce the podcast and delve into King David’s plan to build a temple for God. With help from Dr. Jacob Wright (Emory University) they discuss the historical context of temple building, try to figure out why God is hesitant to let David do it, and offer a few potential angles for preaching this text.
Learn more about Dr. Jacob Wright, and check out his books: David, King of Israel, and Caleb in Biblical Memory and Rebuilding Identity: the Nehemiah Memoir and its Earliest Readers.