Bill Goettler and Joanne Jennings discuss history, intergenerational community, and the heroic acts of Biblical women in Exodus 1:8-2:10. The text is appointed for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 16) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
People Before Us and After Us (Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost)
I think the gift to us here is to again recognize that we have here the work of an intergenerational group of women.
Natalie Owens Pike:
This is Chapter, Verse, and Season: a lectionary podcast from Yale Bible Study. Join us each week as Yale Divinity School professors look at an upcoming text from the Revised Common Lectionary.
I’m your host, Natalie Owens Pike, Yale Divinity School Class of 2023. Today is our 100th episode. In this episode, we have Joanne Jennings, Director of Black Church Studies at Yale Divinity School and Bill Goettler is Associate Dean for Ministerial and Social Leadership and Lecturer in Parish Leadership and Church Administration at Yale Divinity School. They’re discussing Exodus 1:8-2:10, which is appointed for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, in Year A. Let’s listen in.
[Exodus 1:8-2:10]
Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”
So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly. They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.
The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”
So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”
Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.
Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”
“Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”
Joanne Jennings:
This particular passage has so many lovely pictures for us, and the first is the fact that there is a new king in the land who knew not Joseph, and it reminds me of how important it is for us to understand our history, our context, so that we can be aware that before us, there was someone, and after us, there will be someone. It’s the wonderful rhythm of how God works, is that God continues throughout history to position people before us and after us; and in this case, this king missed an opportunity to know that there were resources that were well available to him, that he. misinterpreted and saw as being enemies. This king also shows us something about how our fears can skew our understanding of our environment, because his fears were the thing that caused him to assume that the growth and the prosperity of the Israelite people were somehow a disadvantage to him. Kind of familiar, isn’t it?
Bill Goettler:
And then there’s the story of the wonderful Shiphrah and Puah, the midwives to the Hebrew slaves, who challenged the law, because the law was wrong. And they conspired to stand up to the power. Now, it doesn’t say this, but I can’t imagine that they did that alone. Behind them were so many others in that community who stood for what was right, for what was holy. And when the midwives refused to follow the law, they too refused. I don’t know if they would’ve said that they stood for what was of God, but they certainly were standing for what was holy and what was right.
Joanne Jennings:
And they also were living into who they were. Their identity and their life’s work was around facilitating life. And they were being asked, by this particular law, to actually live outside their own values, their own training. And so, they refused to do that, because they recognized that sense of calling they had. They had obviously trained as midwives, learned how to midwife, given themselves to that work; and then to be asked, “Oh no. Despite your training, we want you to do something very different”–they refused, and I think as we can be faithful to the callings to which we find ourselves led, then other people have the capacity, then, to live authentically into their own calling. So, I agree there probably was a community, but because they were the leaders, they also probably empowered other people to live into that kind of calling.
Bill Goettler:
And then there’s another agreement that seems to be made between some women there. There’s the mother of the boy who will be named Moses and the boy’s sister, Miriam; they seem to have made an arrangement with the Pharaoh’s daughter. God works miracles, certainly; but so often, those miracles seem to happen through very human hands.
Joanne Jennings:
There is that way of thinking about how their life story sort of coalesce at this moment in a way that allows Moses to become, eventually, the man and leader he becomes. I think the thing that strikes me about this is the creativity and the willingness to navigate a system that was designed to kill Moses. Here is a mother who does what is very difficult for a parent to do–with any age child–and that is to relinquish a child. One of the things that I find fascinating about Jochebed is that immediately as she sees this child, she sees something in the child. And that, I think, is a wonderful gift for not just a parent, but for leaders, to be able to see the gift that’s in their hands, and to know how to release that gift: recognizing that “my role at this moment is done; let me see what comes next.” And so, in her releasing of him, he actually was able to flourish. Had she held on tightly and said, “Oh, I’m gonna hold to my child, hide him under the bed,” I wonder what would’ve happened for Moses.
Bill Goettler:
But miraculously, the newborn is placed by his mother into a papyrus basket and set down among the reeds at the bank of the river. And miraculously, the daughter of the Pharaoh just happens to walk by at that moment, and find that child, and call it her own. And just as wonderfully, there is then a Hebrew woman nearby who’s ready and willing to nurse the infant.
The Pharaoh’s daughter. The adopted son named Moses. “Moses,” she says, “because I drew him out of the water.”
Joanne Jennings:
And think of Pharaoh’s daughter: clearly growing up in a system, and hearing all her father’s rantings about these Jewish people flourishing, how he’s going to develop a law that’s going to cut down their growth as a people, and having, somehow, the capacity–because she recognized it was a Hebrew baby–having the capacity to press back against all of that voicing that she’s heard, all of those internal things that have been drilled into her about the Hebrew people; to be able to agree that “I’m going to take this child into our home, even though I know it’s a hostile place, but I feel like I can create space for him,” that’s pretty incredible.
Bill Goettler:
A story of wonder upon wonder…
Joanne Jennings:
Mm-hmm.
Bill Goettler:
…Of strong women after strong women, who work together for an amazing and miraculous life.
Joanne Jennings:
And let us not forget Moses’s sister, because I think the gift to us here is to, again, recognize that we have here the work of an intergenerational group of women. Let’s not minimize what she offers to this whole rescue of Moses and how she is also pivotal in being able to secure for him the kind of future and training that he needed. It’s an exciting picture, and for me, as a woman in ministry, it’s a wonderful picture of how women of different ages, different races, can collaborate to see life come forth, and something, and someone, develop in a way that they can live into their calling.
Natalie Owens Pike:
Thank you for listening. And thank you to our professors for your insights on this scripture.
The transcript of this audio and lots more Bible study resources are available at yalebiblestudy.org.
Chapter, Verse, and Season is a production of the Center for Continuing Education at Yale Divinity School and is produced by: Creator and Managing Editor, Joel Baden; Production Manager, Kelly Morrissey; Associate Producer, Aidan Stoddart; Executive Producer, Helena Martin; and me, your host, Natalie Owens Pike. Mixing on today’s episode, and our theme music, are by Calvin Linderman.
We’ll be back with another conversation from Chapter, Verse, and Season.
Book of the Bible:
Exodus
Subjects:
Exodus
Guests
Text
New Revised Standard Version Bible
Copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Credits
Host and Executive Producer: Helena Martin
Production Manager: Kelly Morrissey
Creator and Managing Editor: Joel Baden
Assistant Producer: Aidan Stoddart
Music: Calvin Linderman
Google Podcasts
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
StitcherMore Episodes
Harry Attridge and Joel Baden discuss David, his kingship, and its implications for the modern political climate in 2 Samuel 23:1-7. The text is appointed for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, the Reign of Christ, Proper 29, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Brandon Nappi and Ned Parker discuss scriptural perspective, to whom we're giving our hearts, and perfect love in Mark 13:1-8. The text is appointed for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 28, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Harry Attridge discuss Ruth's faithfulness, Levirate marriage, and what turns out to be the most explicit biblical sex scene in Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17. The text is appointed for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 27, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Harry Attridge and Joel Baden discuss universality, immortality, hope, and intertextuality in Isaiah 25:6-9 and Revelation 21:1-6a. These texts are appointed for the Feast of All Saints, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Content Warning: Infant Death
Awet Andemicael and Gregory Sterling discuss Job's transformation, believing in God even during great suffering, and the impossibility of theodicy in Job 42:1-6, 10-17. The text is appointed for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 25, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Felicity Harley-McGowan and Bruce Gordon discuss which of Jesus' natures suffered on the cross, visual representations of suffering, and the identity of the suffering servant in Isaiah 53:4-12. The text is appointed for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 24, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Brandon Nappi and Ned Parker discuss balance, grace, and being called to account in Hebrews 4:12-16. The text is appointed for the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Harry Attridge and Joel Baden discuss Satan, unanswered questions, and internal contradictions in Job 1:1, 2:1-10. The text is appointed for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Linn Tonstad and Yii-Jan Lin discuss pedagogy, amputation, embodiment, and a worm in Mark 9:38-50. The text is appointed for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Harry Attridge and Joel Baden discuss wisdom literature, motherhood, and patriarchy in Proverbs 31:10-31. The text is appointed for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Awet Andemicael and Greg Sterling discuss the power of speech, risk in hymnody… and middle school!... in James 3:1-12. The text is appointed for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Bruce Gordon and Felicity Harley-McGowan discuss wisdom, reading practice, and habituation in Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23. The text is appointed for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Harry Attridge and Joel Baden discuss Jewish identity, prophetic critique, and washing hands in Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23. The text is appointed for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
LinnTonstad and Yii-Jan Lin discuss cosmology, martial imagery, incarceration, and power in Ephesians 6:10-20. The text is appointed for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Kyama Mugambi and John Pittard discuss wisdom, leadership, and community flourishing in 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14. The text is appointed for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Awet Andemicael and Greg Sterling discuss incarnation, sacrament, and references to the Hebrew Bible in John 6:35, 41-51. The text is appointed for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Teresa Morgan and Molly Zahn discuss parables, punishment, and kingly power in 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a. The text is appointed for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Willie James Jennings and Adrián Hernández-Acosta discuss leakage, control, chaos, and healing in Mark 5:21-43. The text is appointed for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Brandon Nappi and Ned Parker discuss domestic violence, discernment, God’s presence, and collaborative reading practices in 2 Samuel 7:1-14a. The text is appointed for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Bruce Gordon and Felicity Harley-McGowan discuss color, invitation, and the embodiment of language in Ephesians 1:3-14. The text is appointed for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Awet Andemicael and Greg Sterling discuss strength, grace, and theories of power in 2 Corinthians 12:2-10. The text is appointed for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, in year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Willie James Jennings and Adrián Hernández-Acosta discuss steadfastness, alignment, and the depths opening inside repetition in Psalm 130. The text is appointed for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Erika Helgen and Chloë Starr discuss fear, sleep, prayer, and even sine waves in Mark 4:35-41. The text is appointed for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Brandon Nappi and Ned Parker discuss gardening, the lectionary, and the impact of little things in reference to Mark 4:26-34. The text is appointed for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Kyama Mugambi and John Pittard discuss blasphemy, forgiveness, and Satan in Mark 3:20-35. The text is appointed for the Third Sunday after Pentecost, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Teresa Morgan and Molly Zahn discuss law, Judaism, and how Jesus engages these topics in Mark 2:23–3:6. The text is appointed for the Second Sunday after Pentecost, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Linn Tonstad and Yii-Jan Lin discuss secrets, stupidity, revelation, and belief in John 3:1-17. The text is appointed for Trinity Sunday, the First Sunday after Pentecost, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Adrián Hernández-Acosta and Willie James Jennings discuss colonial wounds, prophecy, resurrection, and exile in Ezekiel 37:1-14. The text is appointed for the Day of Pentecost in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Bruce Gordon and Felicity Harley-McGowan discuss warning, delight, and the rhythms of life in Psalm 1. The text is appointed for the Seventh Sunday of Easter in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Erika Helgen and Chloë Starr discuss self-sacrifice in history, obedience in love, and the demands of true friendship in John 15:9-17. The text is appointed for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Molly Zahn and Teresa Morgan discuss interpretation, disenfranchisement, and magic in Acts 8:26-40. The text is appointed for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
John Pittard and Kyama Mugambi discuss commandments, faith, and risk in 1 John 3:16-24. The text is appointed for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Willie Jennings and Adrián Hernández-Acosta discuss wounds, tactility, and boiled fish in Luke 24:36b-48. The text is appointed for the Third Sunday of Easter, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Erika Helgen and Chloё Starr discuss liberation theology, wealth redistribution, and ordered community in Acts 4:32-35. The text is appointed for the Second Sunday of Easter, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Linn Tonstad and Yii-Jan Lin discuss recognition, situatedness, and destabilization in John 20:1-18. The text is appointed for Easter Day, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Molly Zahn and Teresa Morgan discuss trauma, uncertainty, and geogrpahy in Mark 16:1-8. The text is appointed for the Great Vigil of Easter, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
John Pittard and Kyama Mugambi discuss paradox, salvation, identity, and suffering in Isaiah 52:13-53:12. The text is appointed for Good Friday, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
John Collins and Jennifer Herdt discuss liberation, service, and lifestyle in John 13:1-17. The text is appointed for Maundy Thursday, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Almeda Wright and Kate Ott discuss parades, entrances, and subverted expectations in Mark 11:1-11. The text is appointed for the Liturgy of the Palms in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Greg Mobley and Jerry Streets discuss penitence, self-reflection, and love in Psalm 51:1-12. The text is appointed for the Fifth Sunday in Lent, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Awet Andemicael and Adam Eitel discuss typological hermeneutics, the virtue of patience, and the theology of Irenaeus in relation to Numbers 21:4b-9 and John 3:13-17. The text is appointed for Holy Cross Day, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Andrew McGowan discuss textual criticism, reception history, and genre in Exodus 20:1-17. The text is appointed for the Third Sunday in Lent in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Mark Heim and Abdul-Rehman Malik discuss faith, righteousness, and the interfaith legacy of Abraham in Romans 4:1-5, 13-17. The text is appointed for the Second Sunday in Lent, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Kate Ott and Almeda Wright discuss rainbows, natural disasters, and ecological justice in Genesis 9:8-17. The text is appointed for the First Sunday in Lent, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Gregory Mobley and Frederick “Jerry” Streets discuss Godshine, what to do with the moments that illuminate, and the beauty that surrounds all of us in Mark 9:2-9. The text is appointed for Transfiguration, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Brandon Nappi and Ned Parker discuss rejoicing, pain, and surrendering power to find joy in Psalm 147:1-11, 20c. The text is appointed for the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Greg Mobley and Jerry Streets discuss the prophetic message of the Hebrew Bible, Jesus, and the nature of the prophetic in our time in Deuteronomy 18:15-20. The text is appointed for theFourth Sunday after the Epiphany, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Kate Ott and Almeda Wright discuss justice work, prophecy, and God changing God’s mind in Jonah 3:1-5, 10. The text is appointed for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Andrew McGowan discuss wordplay, prophecy, and numinous experience in 1 Samuel 3:1-10. The text is appointed for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Brandon Nappi and Ned Parker discuss baptism, division, and the Holy Spirit in Acts 19:1-7. The text is appointed for the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Gregory Mobley and Frederick J. (Jerry) Streets discuss the spiritual value of routine, Biblical-liturgical expression, and hope in Luke 2:22-40. The text is appointed for the First Sunday after Christmas, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Andrew McGowan discuss reception history, empire, and hope in Isaiah 9:2-7. The text is appointed for Christmas in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Kate Ott and Almeda Wright discuss consent, social power, and Biblical mansplaining in Luke 1:26-38. The text is appointed for the Fourth Sunday of Advent in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Brandon Nappi and Ned Parker discuss wilderness, resistance, and prophecy in John 1:6-8, 19-28. The text is appointed for the Third Sunday of Advent in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Bill Goettler discuss audience, promise, and good news in Isaiah 40:1-11. The text is appointed for the Second Sunday of Advent in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Volker Leppin and Vasileios Marinis discuss apocalypse, prophecy, and difficult interpretation in Mark 13:24-37. The text is appointed for the First Sunday of Advent in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Andrew McGowan discuss sheep, shepherds, and the use of political metaphor in Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24. The text is appointed for the Feast of the Reign of Christ (Proper 29) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Brandon Nappi and Ned Parker discuss addiction, recovery, community, and “keeping awake” in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11. The text is appointed for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 28) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Bill Goettler discuss wealth, disempowerment, and the meaning of parables in Matthew 25:1-13. The text is appointed for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 27) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Bill Goettler and Joanne Jennings discuss family dynamics and the strengths of congregational life in 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13. The text is appointed for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 26) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Jennifer Herdt and Jere Wells discuss waywardness, law, and intimacy with God in Deuteronomy 34:1-12. The text is appointed for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 25) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Volker Leppin and Vasileios Marinis discuss Moses, theophany, and the dangers of Christocentrism in Exodus 33:12-23. The text is appointed for the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Kate Ott and Almeda Wright discuss the challenge of problematic parables in Matthew 22:1-14. The text is appointed for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 23) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Bill Goettler and Joanne Jennings discuss Paul’s Jewishness, the work of faith, and Divine aid in Philippians 3:4b-14. The text is appointed for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 22) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Sarah Drummond discuss leadership, faithlessness, and providence in Exodus 17:1-7. The text is appointed for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 21) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Jennifer Herdt and Jere Wells discuss praise, divine mystery, and liberation in Psalm 145:1-8. The text is appointed for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 20) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Bill Goettler and Joanne Jennings discuss the challenge of forgiveness and the role of grace in Matthew 18:21-35. The text is appointed for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 19) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Bill Goettler and Joel Baden discuss prophecy, change, and divine threats in Ezekiel 33:7-11. The text is appointed for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 18) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Jennifer Herdt and Jere Wells discuss Paul, evangelism, and the transformation of evil in Romans 12:9-21. The text is appointed for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 17) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Sarah Drummond discuss unity, transformation… and beards… in Psalm 133. The text is appointed for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 15) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Bill Goettler discuss generational transition, faithlessness, and the voice of God in 1 Kings 19:9-18. The text is appointed for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 14) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Jennifer Herdt and Jere Wells discuss justice, abundance, and the spiritual power of leftovers in Matthew 14:13-21. The text is appointed for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 13) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Justin Crisp and Abdul-Rehman Malik discuss praise, transaction, and God’s action in history in Psalm 105:1-11. The text is appointed for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 12), in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Almeda Wright and Kate Ott discuss the messages of dreams and mundane reality in Genesis 28:10-19a. The text is appointed for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 11) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Bill Goettler and Joanne Jennings discuss applying the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23) to our own dynamic lives of faith. The text is appointed for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 10), in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Volker Leppin and Vasileios Marinis discuss environmental justice, co-creation, and the kingdom of God in Psalm 145:8-14. The text is appointed for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 9) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Bill Goettler and Joanne Jennings discuss hard truths and be in-dwelled by Christ in Romans 6:12–23. The text is appointed for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 8), in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Felicity Harley-McGowan and Bruce Gordon discuss Jesus’ scarier proclamations in Matthew 10:24-39. The text is appointed for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 7), in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Sarah Drummond discuss hospitality, laughter, and the complexity of Sarah as a character in Genesis 18:1-15. The text is appointed for the Third Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 6), in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Harold Attridge and John Hare discuss faith, doubt, shame, and mystic union in Romans 4:13-25. The text is appointed for the second Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 5), in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Justin Crisp and Abdul-Rehman Malik discuss rest, reveling, and revelation in Genesis 1:1–2:4a The text is appointed for Trinity Sunday, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Awet Andemicael and Adam Eitel discuss diversity, reversal, and the power of the Spirit in Acts 2:1-21 and John 20:19-23. The text is appointed for the Day of Pentecost in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Tisa Wenger discuss righteousness, liberation, and vulnerability in Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35. The text is appointed for the Seventh Sunday of Easter, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Almeda Wright and Kate Ott discuss suffering, meaning, and unjust power structures in 1 Peter 3:13-22. The text is appointed for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Mark Heim and Abdul-Rehman Malik discuss prophecy, interfaith reading, and incarnation in John 14:1-14. The text is appointed for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Jacqueline Vayntrub and Christian Wiman discuss paradox, poetry, and life beyond death in Psalm 23. The text is appointed for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joanne Jennings and Bill Goettler discuss divine encounter and human conversation in Luke 24:13-35. The text is appointed for the Third Sunday of Easter, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Mark Heim and Abdul-Rehman Malik discuss interfaith perspectives on the story of Easter in conversation with John 20:19-31. The text is appointed for the Second Sunday of Easter, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Felicity Harley-McGowan and Bruce Gordon discuss power, peace and healing in Acts 10:34-43. The text is appointed for Easter Day, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
John Collins and Jennifer Herdt discuss the problem of suffering, the impact of loss, and the resilience of human nature in Job 14:1-14 and 1 Peter 4:1-8. The text is appointed for Holy Saturday, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Justin Crisp and Abdul-Rehman Malik discuss Christology, glory, and exclusion in John 18:1–19:42. The text is appointed for Good Friday in the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Sarah Drummond discuss sacrificial practice, identity markers, and imagined history in Exodus 12:1-14. The text is appointed for Maundy Thursday in the Revised Common Lectionary.
Volker Leppin and Vasileios Marinis discuss crucifixion, suffering, obedience, and solidarity in Philippians 2:5-11. The text is appointed for the Liturgy of the Passion (Palm Sunday), in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Yejide Peters Pietersen and Bill Goettler discuss miracles, healing, and grief in John 11:1-45. The text is appointed for the Fifth Sunday in Lent, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Felicity Harley-McGowan and Bruce Gordon discuss the role of Joseph, the divine potential of dreams, and membership in the Holy Family in Matthew 1:18-25. The text is appointed for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Tisa Wenger discuss life in the wilderness for the Israelites, being tested and testing God in Exodus 17:1-7. The text is appointed for the Third Sunday in Lent, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Mark Heim and Abdul-Rehman Malik discuss blessing, migration, and the inspiring legacy of Abraham across religious traditions in Genesis 12:1-4a. The text is appointed for the Second Sunday in Lent, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Peter Hawkins and Eric Reymond discuss seduction, curiosity, craftiness, and misogyny in Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7. The text is appointed for the First Sunday in Lent, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Tisa Wenger discuss leadership, inherited stories, and transfiguring moments in Exodus 24:12-18 and Matthew 17:1-9. The texts are appointed for Transfiguration Sunday, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Almeda Wright and Kate Ott discuss pedagogy, mixed metaphors, ageism, and spiritual growth in 1 Corinthians 3:1-9. The text is appointed for the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Volker Leppin and Vasileios Marinis discuss hypocrisy, reward systems, righteousness, and religious performance in Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12). The text is appointed for the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Justin Crisp and Abdul-Rehman Malik discuss blessedness, poverty, consolation, and the dangers of transactional theology in Matthew 5:1-12. The text is appointed for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joanne Jennings and Bill Goettler discuss living with both faith and fear in Psalm 27:1, 4-9. The text is appointed for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Felicity Harley-McGowan and Bruce Gordon discuss the story of John the Baptist, a wild and perhaps uncertain character, in John 1:29-42. The text is appointed for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Abdul-Rehman Malik discuss Messianism, prophetic gentleness, and hermeneutical approaches in Isaiah 42:1-9. The text is appointed for the First Sunday after the Epiphany, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Vasileios Marinis and Volker Leppin discuss human nature, sovereignty over creation, and preacherly responsibility with reference to Psalm 8. The text is appointed for the First Sunday after Christmas, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Yejide Peters Pietersen and Bill Goettler discuss the spirit of children, the multiplicity of interpretation, and pastoral responsibility at Christmas, with reference to Luke 2:1-14 (15-20). The text is appointed for Christmas Eve in the Revised Common Lectionary.
Mark Heim and Abdul-Rehman Malik discuss Christian and Muslim interpretations of the Nativty of Jesus, with special reference to Matthew 1:18-25. The text is appointed for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Judith Gundry and Adam Eitel discuss patience, endurance of suffering, and the challenges of family conflict in James 5:7-10. The text is appointed for the Third Sunday of Advent, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Peter Hawkins and Eric Reymond discuss the imagined future of the glorious kingdom in Isaiah 11:1-10 and Romans 15:4-13. The text is appointed for the Second Sunday of Advent, in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
AndrewMcGowan and Ned Parker discuss the holiness of divine absence and the anticipation of things to come in Matthew 24:36-44. The text is appointed for the First Sunday of Advent in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Tisa Wenger discuss colonial narratives, indigenous theology, and the downsides of going to a “Promised Land” in Deuteronomy 26:1-11. The text is appointed for Thanksgiving Day (USA), in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Peter Hawkins and Eric Reymond discuss Hebrew vocabulary, shepherd imagery, and the legacy of King David in Jeremiah 23:1-6. The text is appointed for the Feast of Christ the King (Proper 29), in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Abdul-Rehman Malik discuss eschatology, aspiration, and ancient Near Eastern curse formulations in Isaiah 65:17-25. The text is appointed for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 28), in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
John Collins and Jennifer Herdt discuss poverty, apocalyptic imagery, and economic justice in reference to Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18 and Luke 6:20-31. The text is appointed for All Saints’ Day, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Harold Attridge and Greg Sterling discuss redemption, the proper use of wealth, and the strange company Jesus keeps in Luke 19:1-10. The text is appointed for the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 26, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Awet Andemicael and Adam Eitel discuss shame, redemption, and rehabilitation in Joel 2:23-32. The text is appointed for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 25, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Abdul-Rehman Malik discuss punishment, free will, and the dangers of metaphor in Jeremiah 31:27-34. The text is appointed for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 24, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Jacqueline Vayntrub and Christian Wiman discuss joy, salvation history, and chicken guts in Psalm 66:1-12. The text is appointed for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 23, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Peter Hawkins and Eric Reymond discuss trauma, hope, and poetic Hebrew in Lamentations 1:1-6 and 3:19-26. The text is appointed for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 22), in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Abdul-Rehman Malik discuss faith, ritual performance, and divine blessing in Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16. The text is appointed for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 21), in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Justin Crisp and Abdul-Rehman Malik discuss capitalism, shrewdness, and the logic of parables in Luke 16:1-13. The text is appointed for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 20), in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
John Collins and Jennifer Herdt discuss the undoing of creation, fidelity, and false prophets in Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28. The text is appointed for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 19, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Eric Reymond discuss precarity, God as creator and destroyer, and the potter metaphor in Jeremiah 18:1-11. The text is appointed for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 18, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Peter Hawkins and Eric Reymond discuss humility, reversing the status quo, speaking truth to power in Sirach 10:12-18. The text is appointed for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 17, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Christian Wiman and Jacqueline Vayntrub discuss justice, prayer and action, and getting God's attention in Isaiah 58:9b-14. The text is appointed for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 16, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Erika Helgen and Chloë Starr discuss faith heroes through history, triumphant faith, and the role of sin in Hebrews 11:29-12:2. The text is appointed for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 15, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Greg Sterling and Harry Attridge discuss women in early Christian communities, eschatology, and faith as a matter of the heart in Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16. The text is appointed for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 14, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Judith Gundry and Adam Eitel discuss possession, wealth, and covetousness in Luke 12:13-21. The text is appointed for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 13, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Tisa Wenger and Joel Baden discuss bargaining, God and Abraham's new relationship, and the righteous of Sodom and Gamorrah in Genesis 18:20-32. The text is appointed for Track 2 on the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 12, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Andrew McGowan and Ned Parker discuss Mary and Martha, extroversion, and authenticity in Luke 10:38-42. The text is appointed for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 11, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Volker Leppin and Vasileios Marinis discuss poverty, God's expectations, and our responsibilities to one another in Psalm 82. The text is appointed for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 10, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Eric Reymond discuss kings, skin diseases, and prophetic power in 2 Kings 5:1-14. The text is appointed for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 9, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Erika Helgen and Chloë Starr discuss prophetic leadership, sudden loss, and mentorship in 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14. The text is appointed for the Third Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 8, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Harold Attridge and John Hare discuss gender identity, ethnic dynamics, and changes of the heart in Galatians 3:23-29. The text is appointed for Proper 7, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Peter Hawkins and Eric Reymond discuss joy, multiculturalism, and feminine language in Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31. The text is appointed for Trinity Sunday, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Volker Leppin and Vasileios Marinis discuss signs and wonders, Hebrew Bible connections, the promise of salvation, and more in Acts 2:1-21. The text is appointed for Pentecost, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Yejide Peters Pietersen and Bill Goettler discuss love-songs, community, and connection in reference to John 17:20-26. The text is appointed for the Feast of the Ascension, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Erika Helgen and Chloë Starr discuss social justice, human failure, and heavenly hope in Revelation 21:10, 22–22:5. The text is appointed for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Eric Reymond discuss poetic structure, creation language, and the mechanics of praise in Psalm 148. The text is appointed for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Andrew McGowan and Ned Parker discuss whiteness, danger, and comfort in Revelation 7:9-17. The text is appointed for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Harold Attridge and Gregory Sterling discuss Resurrection encounters and calls to action in Acts 9:1-20 and John 21:1-19. The text is appointed for the Third Sunday of Easter, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Mark Heim and Abdul-Rehman Malik discuss doubt, trauma, and the value of “Doubting Thomas” in John 20:19-31. The text is appointed for the Second Sunday of Easter, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Harry Attridge and John Hare discuss faith, uncertainty, and the power of emotion in John 20:1-18. The text is appointed for Easter Day, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Tisa Wenger discuss the construction of stories, Christian supersessionism, and the legacy of Christian storytelling in relation to Genesis 22:1-18. The text is appointed for the Easter Vigil, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Judy Gundry and Adam Eitel discuss the innocence of Jesus, divine kingship, and more in John 18:1-19:42. The text is appointed for Good Friday, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
John Collins and Jennifer Herdt discuss enslavement imagery, Passover liberation, and models of service in Exodus 12:1-14 and John 13:1-17. The texts are appointed for Maundy Thursday, in all three years of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Andrew McGowan and Ned Parker discuss community, sacrament, and suffering in Luke 22:14-23:56. The text is appointed for the Palm Sunday, the Liturgy of the Passion, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Tisa Wenger and Joel Baden discuss divine violence, colonialism, and the notion of “wilderness” in Isaiah 43:16-21. The text is appointed for the Fifth Sunday in Lent, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Yejide Peters Pietersen and Bill Goettler discuss reconciliation, spiritual role-models, and what it means to “become the righteousness of God” with reference to 2 Corinthians 5:16-21. The text is appointed for the 4th Sunday in Lent, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Judith Gundry and Adam Eitel discuss repentance, leniency, and divine warnings in Luke 13:1-9. The text is appointed for the Third Sunday in Lent, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Eric Reymond discuss inheritance, offspring, and the promises of God in Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18. The text is appointed for the Second Sunday in Lent, in Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Harold Attridge and John Hare discuss the possibility of being in relationship with God in Romans 10:8b-13. The text is appointed for the First Sunday in Lent, March 6, Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Felicity Harley-McGowan and Bruce Gordon discuss the healing and transforming power of God in Luke 9:28-43. The text is appointed for Transfiguration Sunday, Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Sarah Drummond and Joel Baden discuss forgiveness and the sibling dynamics at work in Genesis 45:3-11,15. The text is appointed for the Seventh Sunday after Epiphany, Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Felicity Harley-McGowan and Bruce Gordon discuss Jesus’ blessings and warnings in Luke 6:17-26. The text is appointed for the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany, Sunday, Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Jacqueline Vayntrub and Christian Wiman discuss the difference between verse and prose in Isaiah 6:1-13. The text is appointed for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Sarah Drummond and Joel Baden discuss reluctant prophets and God’s will in Jeremiah 1:4-10. The text is appointed for the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Erika Helgen and Chloe Starr discuss the church universal and love as the basis for the exercise of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a. The text is appointed for the Third Sunday after Epiphany, Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary
Felicity Harley-McGowan and Bruce Gordon discuss recognizing God in the midst of community and the diversity of gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. The text is appointed for the Second Sunday after Epiphany, Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Peter Hawkins and Eric Reymond discuss the power of God in Psalm 29. The text is appointed for the First Sunday after Epiphany, Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Awet Andemicael and Adam Eitel discuss the mystery, language and lyricism in John 1:1-18. The text is appointed for the Second Sunday after Christmas, Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Gregory Sterling and Harold Attridge discuss the humanity of young Jesus and the role of Mary as mother in Luke 2:41-52. The text is appointed for the First Sunday after Christmas, Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Sarah Drummond and Joel Baden discuss birth, kingship and signs of God’s redemption in Isaiah 9:2-7. The text is appointed for Christmas (Proper 1), December 24, Years A, B, and C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Felicity Harley-McGowan and Bruce Gordon discuss the Magnificat and our understanding of Mary through the ages in relation to Luke 1:46b-55. The text is appointed for the Fourth Sunday of Advent (Advent 4), Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Sarah Drummond discuss hope, apathy, and why the context of prophecy matters in Zephaniah 3:14-20. The text is appointed for the Third Sunday of Advent (Advent 3), Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Peter Hawkins and Eric Reymond discuss disaster and hope, glory, and reversal in Baruch 5:1-9. The text is appointed for the Second Sunday of Advent (Advent 2), Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Joel Baden and Tisa Wenger discuss messianic prophecy, timelessness, and historic context in Jeremiah 33:14-16. The text is appointed for the First Sunday of Advent (Advent 1), Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Chapter, Verse, and Season gives listeners the opportunity to overhear the kinds of conversations that take place in the halls of Yale Divinity School. Each week, professors from different theological disciplines chat about biblical texts from the Revised Common Lectionary. They bring their own interests to the table and hopefully spark new insights into the scripture appointed for each Sunday.