First Reading

What Fear Does Lectionary Date: June 9, 2019 [Day of Pentecost, Year C] Come, let's try to understand the Tower of Babel with Rachel.

Righteousness and Justice are the Base of God's Throne Lectionary Date: June 2, 2019 [7th Sunday of Easter, Year C] This week, Rachel and Tim are joined by Dr. Marc Zvi Brettler, one of the leading scholars in the field of Hebrew Bible. He is Professor Emeritus and former chair of the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University. He has also taught at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Duke University, Yale University, Brown University, Wellesley College, and Middlebury College. He is actively involved in many aspects of Jewish communal life, and has served on the board of Boston’s Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center and Gann Academy—the New Jewish High School. Dr. Brettler is known for helping to build meaningful bridges between Jewish religious life and modern critical scholarship of the Hebrew Bible. He is co-editor of the Jewish Study Bible, which won a National Jewish Book Award. We think this volume should be on every pastor’s bookshelf, and consulted often, along w

An Exclusive Move for an Inclusive End Lectionary Date: May 26, 2019 [6th Sunday of Easter, Year C] Rachel walks through the meaning of the blessings in Psalm 67.

Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu! Lectionary Date: May 19, 2019 [5th Sunday of Easter, Year C] Tim’s up for a dip into the Hallels of Psalm 148.

Defamiliarizing the Shepherd Psalm Lectionary Date: May 12, 2019 [4th Sunday of Easter, Year C] Rachel offers a slightly edgier take on Psalm 23.

Mourning and Dancing: the “Rhythm & Blues” of Life Lectionary Date: May 5, 2019 [3rd Sunday of Easter, Year C] Dr. Stephen Reid joins Rachel and Tim this week for a long-form episode, focusing on Psalm 30. Steve is Professor of Christian Scriptures at George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University. He earned his PhD at Emory University and has held a number of academic positions during his career. Dr. Reid is ordained in the Church of the Brethren, and you can find his preaching tips and exegetical work on WorkingPreacher.org. His areas of expertise include the Psalms, apocalyptic literature (especially Daniel), and black biblical hermeneutics. If you’d like to know more about his work, check out his book, Listening In: A Multicultural Reading of the Psalms.

Images of God’s Help Lectionary Date: April 28, 2019 [2nd Sunday of Easter, Year C] Rachel guides us through the Psalm for the week. Hallelujah!

Easter Sunday: Hope for the Now Lectionary Date: April 21, 2019 [Resurrection of the Lord, Year C] Prepping for Easter? Tim challenges you to preach about hope from Isaiah 65.

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.

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.”

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.

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!

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!

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!

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?

Lectionary Date: July 29, 2018 [10th 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.