First Reading Archives - First Reading

Jeremiah 17:5–10; Psalm 1; Luke 6:17–26

Kidneys?

Lectionary Date: February 16, 2025 [6th Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C]

Rachel finds an important thread running through all three lectionary texts this week… and “kidneys.”

Isaiah 6:1–8, (9–13)

Here am I

Lectionary Date: February 9, 2025 [5th Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C]

Paul explores the prophet Isaiah’s iconic call story.

Psalm 71:1–6

Our Refuge

Lectionary Date: February 2, 2025 [4th Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C]

Rachel digs into the poetic Hebrew of the Psalm reading for the week!

Nehemiah 8 and Psalm 19

Reading and Interpretation

Lectionary Date: January 26, 2025 [3rd Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C]

Three of our hosts are together for a party episode about the public proclamation of God’s word!

Isaiah 62:1–5

That’s “Right”!

Lectionary Date: January 19, 2025 [2nd Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C]

Rosy is up, and she explores the “rightness” of this beautiful prophetic text.

Isaiah 43:1–7

You are My Beloved

Lectionary Date: January 12, 2025 [Baptism of the Lord, Year C]

Tim peeks under the hood of a beautiful poem about God’s love.

Jeremiah 31:7–14

Looking Back … Looking Forward

Lectionary Date: January 5, 2025 [2nd Sunday after Christmas, Year C]

Rosy sets the context for contemplating a new season … or new year?

1 Samuel 2:18–20, 26

And He Grew Up…

Lectionary Date: December 29, 2024 [1st Sunday after Christmas, Year C]

For this Christmas lection, we look at the stories of two boys who grew up in preparation for their special callings.

Micah 5:2–5a

Advent is here!!!

Lectionary Date: December 22, 2024 [4th Sunday of Advent, Year C]

In our final Advent episode of 2024, Paul and the gang (recording in person at the Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting in San Diego) take a look at the political context and powerful imagery of the reading from Micah.

Zephaniah 3:14–20

Advent is here!!!

Lectionary Date: December 15, 2024 [3rd Sunday of Advent, Year C]

For the 3rd week of Advent, Rachel takes us to the lesser-known prophet Zephaniah, who introduces a new aspect of God’s profile.

First Reading is an audio podcast to help you preach with confidence from the Hebrew Bible. We equip you with relevant linguistic, historical, and literary background for each week’s Old Testament lesson (the “first reading”) as scheduled in the Revised Common Lectionary. With help from our guests—some of the best thinkers and teachers in modern biblical scholarship—each episode probes some of the central questions raised by the text, and offers a couple potential angles for preaching it.

We want to see a community of clergy and congregations who have formative access to both testaments of Scripture. Our hope is that this weekly resource can help encourage more preachers to craft sermons that open up the Old Testament to their congregations!