The People are Thirsty
Lectionary Date: September 27, 2020 [17th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A]
Is God really among us? In the midst of pandemic, natural disaster, and centuries-deep racial violence, you and your congregation might be asking this question—but you are not the first! This week, Rachel and Tim look back at this same question in the wilderness narrative of Exodus, with guest exegete, Rev. Dr. Valerie Bridgeman. Dr. Bridgeman is a perfect fit for the podcast, because she is an Associate Professor of Homiletics and Hebrew Bible at Methodist Theological School in Ohio, where she is also the Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Her research interests range from Womanist approaches, to prophetic biblical literature, to African-American women preachers, to embodied ritual remembrance… If you’re also interested in more of her work, we’d recommend you check out her contributions to WorkingPreacher.
Manna From Heaven
Lectionary Date: September 20, 2020 [16th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A]
Tim helps us see how this “grumbling” story is about a growing relationship of trust.
Horse and Rider Thrown Into the Sea
Lectionary Date: September 13, 2020 [15th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A]
Rachel offers some reflections on preaching an (in)famous war text.
Liberation and Decimation
Lectionary Date: September 6, 2020 [14th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A]
Tim finds some helpful angles into a text about massive loss of life.
Divine Invitation to Critique
Lectionary Date: August 30, 2020 [13th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A]
This week, Rachel and Tim tackle a rich passage with the help of the podcast’s first professional homiletician, Rev. Dr. Debra Mumford. She is Professor of Homiletics at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (Tim’s alma mater). Debra is an ordained American Baptist minister, and has served in several church ministry contexts. Her academic work has centered around the topics of African American prophetic preaching, prosperity preaching, eschatology and the reign of God, and the intersections between preaching and health. And, as of this Summer, Dr. Mumford has been installed as the new Academic Dean at Louisville Seminary! Her latest book, from Judson Press, titled Envisioning the Reign of God: Preaching for Tomorrow, is all about making “eschatology” practical for preachers and congregations.
Unexpected Allies
Lectionary Date: August 23, 2020 [12th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A]
Rachel walks us through the moment when everything changes for Israel in Egypt.
God Meant it for Good?
Lectionary Date: August 16, 2020 [11th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A]
How do we square the evil of what Joseph’s brothers did to him with the good that came out of it?
Joseph’s Fashion Statement
Lectionary Date: August 9, 2020 [10th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A]
Another sibling rivalry rehearses generations of family trauma in Abraham’s descendants.
Wrestling with God
Lectionary Date: August 2, 2020 [9th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A]
Jacob wrestles with a mysterious divine representative.
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.
