By the Well

B 134 – Pentecost 12 (Proper 15)

B 133 – Pentecost 11 (Proper 14)

Martin Wright joins Fran and Kylie to unpack the Letter to the Ephesians, focusing on Ephesians 4: 1-16. Martin talks about the issue of authorship, and the distinct way in which the Body of Christ imagery is used in Ephesians compared to other parts of the Pauline Corpus. We highlight the cosmic dimension of God’s gift in Christ,  the clarity of the calling to the church, and the hope the passage offers the church today.  In Nathan’s parable and David’s response in 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a we are given a lesson the way we are to listen to scripture; and in Psalm 51 we see David’s remorse and repentance fleshed out. Martin Wright’s  recent book is  The Dividing Wall: Ephesians and the Integrity of the Corpus Paulinum

B 132 – Pentecost 10 (Proper 13)

B131 – Pentecost 9 (Proper 12)

B130 – Pentecost 8 (Proper 11)

This week we look at the arrival of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and David’s joy in 2 Samuel 6:1-5; 12b-19. How might our worship, so often inhibited, reflect David’s joy?  We touch on the nuanced way the presence of God is described in 2 Samuel 6, and the ways people of faith can co-opt the presence of God for self interest. Ephesians 1:3-14 is a superb summation of the gospel, overflowing with grace and blessing – an opportunity to preach on baptism. Mark 6:14-29 is an exploration of Jesus’ identity, but it’s also, in the story of John’s beheading, a detailed description of the web of compromise, untruth and fear in which leaders can find themselves when seeking to sure up their power. What grace might there be in this story of darkness and death?

B129 – Pentecost 7 (Prop 10)

Our guest this week is Rev. Dr. Garry Worete Deverell, Trawloolway man, Anglican Priest, and Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow in Indigenous Theologies at the University of Divinity.  We discuss the vision of King David as unifier and God’s chosen in 2 Sam 5:1-10, noting this is a narrative written by the victors and not without challenges. 2 Cor 12:2-10 and Mark 6:1-13 raise questions about limits and weaknesses in ministry, pointing us towards the need to rely on God and one another. Garry Deverell blogs at Uncommon Prayers and his latest book is called Gondwana Theology: A Trawloolway man reflects on Christian Faith.       

B128 – Pentecost 6 (Proper 9)

Our guest this week is Rev. Dr. Garry Worete Deverell, Trawloolway man, Anglican Priest, and Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow in Indigenous Theologies at the University of Divinity. We discuss themes of vulnerability and weakness in 2 Cor 8:7-15 and Mark 5:21-43 which accompany teaching of “genuine love” and moments of healing and faith. We also reflect on what the laments in 2 Sam 1:17-27 and Psalm 130 in terms of how Christians might continue to lament in helpful ways. We refer to Musa Dube’s “Fifty Years of Bleeding” and this episode of the New Testament Review podcast discussing Candida Moss’s article on Mark 5. Garry Deverell blogs at Uncommon Prayers and his latest book is called Gondwana Theology: A Trawloolway man reflects on Christian Faith.   

B127 – Pentecost 5 (Proper 8)

Rev. Assoc. Prof. Monica Melanchthon joins us to discuss the David and Goliath story (1 Sam 17:32-49). Their battle occurs in the “liminal space” between two armies, a place where God is found and works in unlikely ways and through unlikely people. In Mark 4:35-41 Jesus finds himself in a different liminal space between Jewish and Gentile territory. His calming of the storm reveals his divine power and identity. “Great wind” is replaced by “great calm” and ultimately “great fear” (reverence) as the disciples realise they stand in the presence of the divine.

B126 – Pentecost 4 (Proper 7) 1 Sam 17:32-49, Mark 4:35-41

This week we focus on 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13 and Mark 4:26-34. Themes emerge regarding kingship and kingdoms. David is the surprising choice in 1 Samuel as the youngest and one chosen by the God who “looks on the heart”. The parables in Mark are about the Kingdom or Reign of God, bringing to the fore the inevitability of the Kingdom, its growth that doesn’t rely on humans, and its inclusive nature.  Political resonances challenge the dominance of empire and proclaim a radically different kind of kin(g)ship. References: AJ Levine’s Short Stories by Jesus and Raimundo Barreto’s article on reading Mark with Latin American eyes.

B125 – Pentecost 3 (Proper 6)

This week we note the people’s demand for a king in 1 Samuel 8:1-20 is about wanting a visible, tangible site for authority. God’s offer of intimate relationship with the people, trusting their discernment, is not enough; the people don’t trust God or themselves. God, mercifully, but with dire warning, grants their wish. We talk about the frailty of our human institutions – in society and the church, and what this reading might say about God’s view of us and our capacity. The Mark passage  (Mark 3:1-20) throws into sharp relief our tendency to divide ourselves into ‘in’ and ‘out’, and shows that our human institutions will ‘fall’ under the grace of God’s kingdom. We note the divisions Jesus’ coming provoke, dismantling of traditional structures, and radical judgment for those who reject him. We mention the story of the Tongan boys marooned on an island for 15 months in 1965, which is recorded in this Guardian article by Rutger Bergman, May 9, 2020.

B124 – Pentecost 2 (Proper 5)

Rev. Assoc. Prof. Frank Rees, systematic theologian and Baptist minister,  joins us to discuss the relational and egalitarian nature of the Trinity. We discuss the various ways the communal, intimate, transcendent, and interdependent nature of God is revealed in Isaiah 6:1-8, Romans 8:12-17, and John 3:1-17.  Frank concludes that the triune nature of God reveals “differences that don’t divide”  – a challenge and invitation to our way of being as Christians. We mention Jonathan Tran’s article, “The New Black Theology: Retrieving Ancient Sources to Challenge Racism“, Rublev’s Icon, and  Frank Maloney’s John Commentary.

B 123 – Trinity Sunday (Rom 8:12-17, John 3:1-17)

Ian Ferguson joins us for our Pentecost episode, where we talk about the creative, regenerative power of the Holy Spirit as she comes to us in Acts 2:1-21 and Ezekiel 37:1-14. Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones shows the power of God’s Spirit to bring life from death. In the Acts passage the Spirit is robust and dramatic, infusing believers with gifts, with conversion and the joy of faith. We mention the inherently outward focus of the Spirit and therefore our outward posture as Spirit bearers, exercising our gifts, in and as community, for the sake of the world. Ian referred to ‘linguistic colonialism’ which is a quote from Willie Jennings’ Theological Commentary on Acts

B122 – Pentecost (Acts 2:1-12; Ezekiel 37:1-14)

A weekly podcast where a Biblical scholar and a Minister explore one of the lectionary texts to equip preachers to proclaim the Word.

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By the Well

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