No Experts Allowed

When you look around the world, what do you see? There is so much to see, after all: stunning landscapes, the smiling faces of strangers, friends achieving long-hoped-for goals. There are also painful situations to see: war, community violence, and hunger. What does it look like to really see what's going on in the world, including the pain? What do we do when we want to look away? In John's Gospel, Jesus heals a man born blind (9:...

Leaving Egypt, the wandering people cry out to Moses, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?" (Exodus 17:3). What does this teach us about leaping from legitimate worries to thinking of the worst possible scenario? And how can Psalm 95 help us return to the problem at hand and also God's presence in our lives despite our worries? What does it look like to have worries and faith? L...

What is a nation? What is the nation of Israel in "Bible Times"™? How is it portrayed in the biblical texts? How is the modern, nation state of Israel connected or not connected to that historical group? This podcast aims to be less than half an hour, so these are obviously large questions to tackle in the time, however, Jonathan and Seth set out to do just that. They look at Genesis 12:2-3:

I will make of you a great nation, and ...

Jesus is tested in the wilderness by the devil. Frankly, it strikes me (Seth) as an odd story. The devil rarely appears in the New Testament, especially not in an anthropomorphized way where he speaks and takes someone places. Instead, the New Testament authors often speak of the forces of evil or "the god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4). What are these strange temptations by the devil, then? Jonathan and Seth discuss them as quick fix...

Jesus, along with Peter, James, and his brother John, is on a mountain. While there, Jesus's clothes become "bright as light," and his face shines with a radiance like the sun's. This text and its setting are often used to talk about "mountain top experiences." Jonathan and Seth discuss how they've heard that term used, their own significant experiences of seemingly being in the divine presence, what it looks like to carry these ex...

What is the point of fasting? Jonathan and Seth discuss their experiences with fasting, different types of fasts, the potential challenges of fasting, and what "true fasting" looks like according to Isaiah 58:1-9a. In Isaiah's vision, fasting has a social component; it changes how people live, and it also alters the structure of entire societies. It involves liberation, sharing one's resources, and the deep humility that requires p...

What would a world radically shaped by God's vision look like? How would people behave? What would they prioritize? While the lectionary texts are designed to go together, this Sunday's readings seem particularly linked. This week, Jonathan and Seth read all of them, including the Beatitudes and Micah 6:8, and discuss how they connect. They talk about how they offer a different vision than what we see in the wider world, especially...

So much of the Bible is poetry. Obviously, the Psalms, but also the vast majority of Job, and the prophets. There are songs like those Moses and Miriam sing in Exodus 15. Paul quotes what might be early Christian hymns in his letters. Is there something peculiar to poetry that makes it the preferred medium for expressing suffering? Is it made for emotion? What can poetry, and writing poetry ourselves, help us to discover about the ...

What's in a name? How did you get your name? And what's in a name like Israel? And what baggage do we bring from our Bible reading to the modern nation-state of Israel? When we see the word Israel, do we conflate the two? Jonathan and Seth discuss how to separate these two identities. This separation (or its conflation) has real repercussions for how we view Israel today.

We're glad you're with us! While this episode talks about on...

Have you ever had an epiphany? Suddenly, you've realized something that was not obvious before. This is one use of the word "epiphany," but the Church has historically used it more technically: to describe the revelation of Jesus Christ into the world when the magi arrive to see Jesus. They talk a little about the "wise men." But mostly Jonathan and Seth discuss these different uses of the word, why, and how epiphany differs from C...

John's Gospel starts at a different scale than Matthew's and Luke's (Mark's just sort of starts with no nativity or infancy narrative). John starts at the beginning of creation with "He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being" (1:2-3). While Matthew and Luke "zoom in" on Jesus and the Holy Family, John "zooms out." What can we mak...

Jesus and his family become refugees in Egypt. The peaceful mangers we set up at home, or the almost-life-sized ones set up at the large church in our area, look so calm. But this text reminds us that there is a political dimension to Jesus' birth that enrages Herod. Jonathan and Seth discuss how it also is also an affront to the empires and the powerful today. They talk about why we don't hear this story more often, why Jesus' sti...

Joseph is not Jesus' biological father, or "biodad" as is growing in popularity on TikTok. But he does seem to be committed to Mary and, subsequently, to the baby Jesus. As Luke writes, "Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose [Mary] to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly" (1:9). What can we learn about commitment and calling from him? Are these different? This story clearly fits into the larger narrative ...

What makes you feel impatient? What are life's small annoyances that you dislike waiting for? Unfortunately, waiting is part of life, and especially the Christian life. The Advent season emphasizes waiting and the joy that can be found in it. In this episode, Jonathan and Seth discuss whether they're patient wait-ers, how Advent can be a balm for the impatient among us, and even ways to be better wait-ers. While we're not sure it w...

Advent texts, particularly the Old Testament readings, often offer a glimpse into joy, peace, and justice God’s second coming will bring. In this week’s texts, Isaiah describes unlikely animals living in peace with each other. They’re neither dominated by their prey drive or fear. What unlikely pairings might be possible today? Who can we befriend for the betterment of the world God loves? What holds us back from these relationship...

Are you a "prep-er"? Are you prepared for anything, running through scenarios and 'what-ifs' at work, in life, with friendships, and everything in between? To start the new liturgical year, Paul wants us to wake up and be ready. Jonathan, as someone who is ever-prepared, and Seth, someone who is moderately prepared, talk about what that looks like in the life of faith. They discuss being ready as a state of being and how we can liv...

Reign of Christ Sunday, or sometimes called Christ the King Sunday, ends the liturgical year. It asks who is ultimately in charge and worth worshipping. But to know that God is in charge and to act like it is much easier said than done. Jonathan and Seth discuss the challenge of the phrase, "Be still, and know that I am God!"  (Psalm 46:10) and what a faithful stillness might look like in our hurried, news-flooded world. Since this...

Recorded on election day, November 4th, politics was in the air. In Virginia, the gubernatorial election dominated advertisements. In Pennsylvania, the option to retain state Supreme Court justices was on the ballot. All of this was happening during a government shutdown that was affecting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). And the author of 2 Thessalonians - who may or may not be Paul - writes, "anyone unwilling...