No Experts Allowed

Galatians 1:11-20

Paul summarizes his résumé for the Galatians. His words, however, irk Seth and Jonathan, who read this section as Paul bragging about himself and his accomplishments. They discuss whether arrogance is humanity’s chief sin and what it looks like to see ourselves as God sees us.

Mark 1:14-20

Jesus calls his disciples and tells them they will be “fishers of men.” The term “evangelizing,” however, often has negative connotations, but Jonathan and Seth hope to reframe, rethink, and reimagine evangelism.

We mention Leonard Sweet’s book Nudge: Awakening Each Other to the God Who’s Already There, which is available from an independent bookseller here.

1 Samuel 3:1-10

Samuel hears God's voice at night, repeatedly mistaking it for Eli's. When Eli realizes God is speaking to Samuel, he tells him to respond to God. Thus begins Samuel's prophetic and administrative duties for Israel. Jonathan and Seth talk about their own call stories, the nudges they've felt pulling them toward ministry, and the grumbles that have pushed them away.

Genesis 1:1-5

Historically, the Church has claimed God creates ex nihilo (Latin for out of nothing). Genesis, however, assumes chaos already exists when God begins creating. In a turbulent world, Jonathan and Seth discuss the chaos they want to see transformed in their own lives and pray to the One who can dispel chaos with a word.

John 21:20-25

A short section on the Beloved Disciple (traditionally John himself) and whether he will die ends John's gospel. It is a strange passage, perhaps the strangest one we've covered so far. It leads Jonathan and Seth to talk about how they want to be remembered in their eulogies.

Luke 2:22-40

In Jerusalem for Jesus' circumcision, Mary and Joseph are approached by Simeon and Anna, who recognize Jesus as a redeemer. Jonathan and Seth discuss how Jesus' identity begins to spread, the purpose of stories about Jesus' early life, and teenage Jesus.

Since this episode releases on December 26th, we hope your Christmas was full of the joy that God's incarnate Son brings.

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

King David's desire to build a temple is curtailed by God's desire to stay in the moveable tabernacle. God wants to be mobile, moving with God's people. Jonathan and Seth discuss how this passage relates to Advent and Jesus Christ, the walking talking God-with-flesh-on.

Luke 1:46-55

Mary's Magnificat and Luke's narrative lift up the role of women in the Church. Unlike the traditionally passive portrayal of Mary in nativity stories, Mary has agency. She takes center-stage, singing a song about God's work in the world and in her womb. Jonathan and Seth wrestle with how women have been historically excluded in the Church because of men like them.

Mark 1:1-8

John the Baptist tells the truth. When Mark begins, John is in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance and telling about the one to come after him. Jonathan and Seth discuss baptism and how it empowers Christians to tell the truth.

Isaiah 64:1-9

Isaiah cries that God has hidden God’s face. The miraculous deeds of the past have ended. Yet, Isaiah is confident that God is the potter and God’s people are the clay, which Jonathan and Seth discuss in more detail.