Wait With Joy For the session to be discussed on December 17, 2017 Psalm 126 What does it mean to wait with joy, especially when there is so much suffering, loss, and grief in our world, and perhaps even in our lives? Bert interestingly connects the theme of this...

Wait With Peace For the session to be discussed on December 10, 2017 Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 What does it mean to wait with peace? We may think we are waiting "for" peace, which is also true, but might the Advent experience include our waiting with peace. We discuss the...

Wait With Hope For the session to be discussed on December 3, 2017 Mark 13:24-37 For the first Sunday of Advent, we take a look at a passage that reminds of the holy task of waiting.... waiting with hope. How hard is it to wait, much less wait with hope? When the...

Don't Be A Goat For the session to be discussed on November 26, 2017 Matthew 25:31-46 This very familiar passage, where Jesus describes separating the "sheep from the goats" also offers quite clear language about the importance of how we treat the poor, the sick, and...

Prophetic Plundering For the session to be discussed on November 19, 2017 Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18 Zephaniah brings harsh words for the people, reminding them that God's justice will be done. What do we learn about the communal nature of God's judgment? Where in this dark...

Empty Ritual For the session to be discussed on November 12, 2017 Amos 5:18-24 The prophet Amos brings a strong message to the people of his day to let their actions and treatment of others — especially the poor — fit their worship. We discuss the connection between...

The Justice Imperative For the session to be discussed on November 5, 2017 Micah 3:1-12 The prophet Micah offered a starkly different message than many of the "official" prophets of his day. Facing a culture that held a wide chasm between the wealthy and the poor,...

Choose Holiness For the session to be discussed on October 29, 2017 Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18 We dive deep into a discussion around holiness. Could it be that many of our traditional, moralistic understandings of holiness are not really that close to the Hebrew notion...

Image Bearing For the session to be discussed on October 22, 2017 Matthew 22:15-22 "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is Gods" is a famous part of scripture, but it can be difficult to fully interpret. We discuss the dilemma that forms when some of...

Let Go and Let God For the session to be discussed on October 15, 2017 Matthew 22:1-14 In this parable shared by Jesus, a king throws a wedding banquet, but those invited to the event find reasons to decline. So the king invites those usually not selected and welcomes...

Caretaker Failure For the session to be discussed on October 8, 2017 Matthew 21:33-46 For this session we discuss the parable of the wicked tenants. Jesus tells this parable in response to the Pharisees and religious leaders questions after he turns over the tables in...

Is God Really With Us? For the session to be discussed on October 1, 2017 Exodus 17:1-7 In this passage, the Hebrews are wondering - Is God really here with us? Can we really trust that God will provide? And we have all asked those questions at one point or...

Whine and Dine For the session to be discussed on September 24, 2017 Exodus 16:2-15 We discuss the Hebrews' journey toward the promised land, reflecting on the complaining and fear the people shared around food — in spite of the fact that God provided. How does our...

Greed that Overwhelms For the session to be discussed on September 17, 2017 Exodus 14:19–31 As the Hebrews cross the Red Sea leaving Israel to journey toward the Promised Land, they leave a known, but horrible life of slavery and move toward an unknown life of...

Meaning Making For the session to be discussed on September 10, 2017 Exodus 12:1-14 In this look at the first Passover observance, we are reminded of the power of traditions and rituals to communicate and even create meaning. We are joined this episode by two guests,...

Invitation to Become For the session to be discussed on September 3, 2017 Exodus 3:1-15 Moses is confronted by a burning bush that offers an insight into the nature of God. What do we make of a bush that is both stable, and an active flame? How does this passage help...

If It Weren't for the Women For the session to be discussed on August 27, 2017 Exodus 1:8-2:10 As Pharoah sought to thin the Hebrew male population, he met an unexpected foe — the midwives. These women resisted his commands and ultimately saved one child in...

Disruptive Justice For the session to be discussed on August 20, 2017 Genesis 45:1-15, Matthew 15:21-28 Continuing in the Joseph story from Genesis, we follow the Lectionary's lead to look at the insight that emerges when we also consider Matthew 15:21-28 (Jesus and...